“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour” (Ecclesiastes 4:9).
Dr. Danny Dwyer likes to say, “Merging churches is an idea whose time has come.” Indeed, across America many churches are coming together. One study by the Leadership Network indicated 6,000 churches merge annually, and another 15,000 have talked of merging in the future.
An Example. Free Will Baptists have embraced this trend. One recent example is the merger between Legacy and Ada First in Oklahoma. Though only 2.8 miles apart, the churches were very different. Ada First was almost a century old, Legacy only 17 years old. However, both churches ran 35-40 people each Sunday. Most Ada First attendees were over 60, while Legacy had a slightly younger congregation and more young families.
Why Merge? Over the years, the two churches discussed joining forces. Seven years ago, when both were without pastors, they evaluated the idea briefly but decided the timing was not right. Four years ago, Legacy pastor Jarrod Presley became burdened about bringing the congregations together. After reading Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work by Tomberlin and Bird and Reclaiming Glory by Mark Clifton, he became convinced the two churches truly would be better together.
How? Presley grew up at Ada First. After Legacy Church formed, they asked him to become their youth pastor. He served first in that capacity and later became pastor. His father is a deacon at Ada First, and his mother has been heavily involved in the music program for years. After Pastor Dean Stone resigned from Ada First, Jarrod proposed a merger to his father on Father’s Day.
Ada First came to agree it was time to act. The leadership teams of both churches began to meet about the possibility, both together and separately, and they had a “Worship Together” service August 6, 2023. Ada First voted to call Presley as their pastor, and the next week, Legacy voted to join Ada First. All but four people at Legacy voted for the churches to merge.
The Result. The new congregation held its first official service October 8, with 98 in attendance (including the four who voted against the merger). Don Kerr was the first person to arrive. At age 89, he was excited to see what was happening at his church. Unfortunately, he became ill shortly thereafter and was hospitalized. The new unified congregation received word at their second service he had passed away. As they prepared together to celebrate Don’s life, they could already sense a new, growing unity.
Since the merger, the church has never dipped below 80 people in attendance, exceeding their attendance prior to the merger. Early on, someone told Pastor Presley, “God will have to do a lot of little miracles” to bring the merger to pass. He did just that!
It has not always been easy, and the new church will certainly face challenges in the future. But in this upside-down world, this is exactly the kind of thing our world needs to see (Psalm 133:1). What an example of being better together!
If you are interested in learning more about church mergers, email questions@nafwb.org, and a Refresh team member will reach out to you.
