Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work - Expanded and Updated

by Jim Tomberlin, Warren Dr. Bird VP of Research and Equipping, Craig Groeschel (Foreword by)

Overview

Thousands of Protestant churches are perplexed by plateaued or declining attendance, while other congregations nearby thrive. Is there a way for them to combine forces, drawing on both their strengths, in ways that also increase their missional impact?

In Better Together, Expanded and Updated: Making Church Mergers Work, church merger consultant Jim Tomberlin and award-winning writer Warren Bird make the case that mergers today work best not with two struggling churches but with a vital, momentum-filled lead church partnering with a joining church. This much-needed resource describes the range of mergers for strong, stable, stuck, and struggling churches. No matter what type of merger a church may be considering, the authors address key questions about the process: How can a merger help a church go forward? How will a merger process unfold? Where can a declining church find another congregation to join? What are the pitfalls that both pastor and congregation should avoid? How can "better together" lead to more, rather than fewer, life-giving, high-impact, reproducing churches? They provide a complete, practical, hands-on guide for church leaders of both struggling and vibrant churches, so they can understand the issues, develop strategies, and execute mergers for church expansion and renewal--ultimately, so they can reinvigorate declining churches and give them a "second life."

No matter what your motivation for merging your church with another--to begin a new church life cycle, cross racial lines, reach more people for Christ, multiply your church's impact, or better serve your local community--Better Together will give you the tools you need to create a thriving new entity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506463360
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	08/04/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	468,424
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Jim Tomberlin, through The Unstuck Group, helps churches get "unstuck" and multiply through multisite and merger coaching. He has pastored churches in New Mexico and Germany, grown a megachurch in Colorado, and pioneered the multisite strategy for Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. Since 2005 he has been consulting and coaching churches in developing and implementing multisite strategies. A graduate of Georgia State University and Dallas Theological Seminary, Jim is the author of three books: 125 Tips for MultiSite Churches, Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work, and Church Locality: New Rules for Church Buildings in a Multisite, Church Planting, and Giga-Church World. Contact Jim on Twitter @MultiSiteGuy or @MergerGuru.

Warren Bird is vice president for research and equipping at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). His research has been cited in dozens of mainstream media such as CNN and major newspapers, as well as in Christianity Today and numerous other religious channels. An award-winning writer, he has authored or coauthored thirty-one books for ministry leaders. These include pioneering books on church trends, leadership development, healthy pastoral succession, breaking church growth barriers, and developing effective senior leadership teams.

Table of Contents

Foreword Craig Groeschel xvii

Preface xix

I The New Church Merger Landscape

1 Mergers Are Everywhere 3

2 God Is Moving! 9

3 Why Merge? 20

4 Nine Merger Drivers 33

II How Healthy Church Mergers Work

5 Four Merger Models (But Only Three that Work) 61

6 Stages and Speed of a Merger 76

7 Measuring Church Merger Success 91

8 Why Mergers Fail 106

9 Navigating Personnel Changes 122

10 Church Mergers vs. Marketplace Mergers 132

11 When Two Become One: Legal and Financial Aspects of a Church Merger 141

III Is a Church Merger in Your Future?

12 Is Your Church Leadership Merger Friendly? 157

13 Is Your Church a Good Merger Candidate? 171

14 How to Start the Merger Conversation 189

15 Tools for the Merger Journey: Templates, Examples, and a Checklist 203

16 Where Do You Go from Here? 223

Appendix A Merger Research 231

Appendix B Merger Facts 233

Appendix C 25 Issues to Determine Feasibility: Sun Valley and Bethany Community Church 236

Appendix D 25 Issues to Determine Feasibility: Christ Fellowship Miami 243

Appendix E FAQs from Woodside Bible Church 250

Appendix F Churches Named 253

Acknowledgments 256

Meet the Authors 259

Editorial Reviews

"Better Together has become the go-to book on how to do mergers well—the kind of mergers that are about multiplication more than subtraction, and expansion more than elimination. Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird provide invaluable help through research, great examples, practical guidance, and helpful language." —Ed Stetzer, author, executive director, Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, and blogger

"In this must-read book, Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work, Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird, two of Christianity's most respected voices, ...walk readers through the steps to a successful church merger... Most important, the authors present congregational merger as a matter of remaining faithful to Christ's mission rather than merely ensuring institutional survival, giving us a very helpful book." —Will Willimon, author, United Methodist Bishop, retired, Professor of Christian Ministry, Duke Divinity School

"Kingdom growth is not just about getting bigger. It's also about being better aligned with God's vision for a healed world. Better Together is the road map every leader needs to help them in pursuing both. Tomberlin and Bird provide the research, tools and stories needed for a faithful way forward. As a lead church having consolidated with a joining church, there were unexpected curves and some steep hills along the way. There is also joy in the journey. My advice: pray without ceasing and read this book. You'll be blessed with a clear sense of direction for taking your best next step." —Mary E Pechauer, CoLead Pastor, Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities, MN

"Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird are on to something very important. As they point out, you don't have to use the word merger. Regardless of what you call it, the concept is similar to church planting and has tremendous potential to expand the impact of vibrant churches as well as revitalize declining churches." —Nicky Gumbel, senior vicar, Holy Trinity Church Brompton, London; founder, Alpha Course

"Better Together has become the go-to resource for smooth transitions and healthy growth when churches merge. Now Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird have updated and expanded it to include church planting, multiplication as well as multisite congregations. This invaluable field guide has become even more relevant, helpful, and practical." —Chris Hodges, Senior Pastor, Church of the Highlands, author of The Daniel Dilemma and What's Next?

"Better Together, an important book, is vital for this moment in time! Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird have extensively updated and expanded their previous brilliant work with brand new research, current models and clear action steps for how church mergers work. This is a crucial guide for the new reality in which we live and as church leaders we should be profoundly grateful we have it to direct us." —Dave Ferguson, Visionary Leader of NewThing Network; Co-Founder of Exponential Church Multiplication Network; Author of Hero Maker: 5 Essential Practices for Leaders to Multiply Leaders

From the Publisher