Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work

by Jim Tomberlin, Jim Tomberlin, Warren Bird

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? Church merger consultant Jim Tomberlin, with co-writer Warren Bird, makes 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. In this new book, they provide a complete, practical, hands-on guide for church leaders of both struggling and vibrant churches so that they can understand the issues, develop strategies, and execute a variety of forms of merger for church expansion and renewal to reinvigorate declining churches and give them a "second life."

Genres: Church, Leadership, Christian, Ecclesiology

272 pages, Hardcover

First published February 27, 2012

Reviews

[Andy Huette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really helpful book and deserves five stars, but because church mergers are not the most riveting topic on the planet, I opted for four. The authors give helpful frameworks, terminology, and lessons from churches who have merged, which will help churches contemplating merging to navigate new terrain. They contend that there's always a lead church and a joining church, and that most church mergers are not marriages, but either adoptions or rebirths. Churches who merge just to stay alive rather than for the purpose of mission are not likely to make it. They also offer five stages of a merger, which can help church boards understand a helpful way forward. This book will be a helpful resource as our church appears to be headed for a merger with another congregation.

[Tom Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book informative but poorly structured and written. It repeated itself on numerous occasions and needs an editor to reorganize it and condense it to 75 pages with appendix.

[Rand Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I can't fathom why this book is so poorly rated. It is a tremendous resource for the church. With 80% of churches plateaued or in decline, such a book points to new life.

[Rich Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful book concerning church mergers. A key insight is that churches need to be seeking to reach their communities more effectively through a merger for it to work the best.

[Chad Wilham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and insightful book about the do’s/donuts of bringing churches together through mergers. A must read for anyone considering doing so.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was asked to read Better Together as part of the leadership team at my church. The church at which I am a partner is part of a larger network of locally-focused churches in the Greater Boston area; my church body was actually a 40-person church plant from the main campus. Reading Better Together certainly gave me a difference perspective about the spreading and consolidation of congregations that I had never considered.

It's honestly a little difficult for me to envision church mergers as a way to increase impact in a community. Instead, I tend to think of a merger as a way for a waning congregation to be absorbed into a growing and healthy community. The perspective that Tomberlin provides was interesting to me, that merging isn't about helping a dying church find a new home, but about reigniting vision and passion for both a joining (dying or smaller) church and a leading (growing and larger) church. I still want to discuss this with others and really consider the idea.

I see this book as a great resource moving forward. The appendices are full of FAQs from past church mergers and helpful checklists to consider when discussing the idea of merging with your congregation as well as the congregation that you would be merging with.

[Stafford Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Full disclosure: I listened to the older edition because it was free on Audible)

I have mixed feelings about this book. There is a lot of good advice for the practical side of merging, but the overall theology presented is solidly located in American Evangelicalism. With that in mind, this can be a challenging book for those Christians who are not American nondenominational evangelicals. Many confessional churches and church bodies do not use the same language or think in the same way as the authors do in terms of church growth and life. For example: is a church's health solely decided by the number of people in the church or joining the church? Is there any room for a view that would look at small or even numerically declining churches as still being spiritually healthy? Sometimes, adding numbers isn't a tell all sign of growth, health, or maturity in the faith. Another missed aspect is that the authors only talk about Protestant churches and do not bring up Roman Catholic church mergers, and with the sheer number of RC churches out there, surely there would have been some good advice from those people as well. This was definitely written for more nondenominational churches than for those who are loyal to the denomination to which they belong.

[Micah Douthit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too long and very repetitive. This book could be summarized (in detail) in a blog post.

Church merging is fine in certain specific circumstances, but not at the expense of the locality of the local church. I think the number of opportunities for healthy church merging is greatly exaggerated by Tomberlin (see below quote).

"It’s hard to find a church that couldn’t be considered as a candidate for a merger, either as a lead or joining church. We especially believe that the merger option may be the best option for many of the 80 percent of churches in the United States that are stuck or struggling. So is your church merger ready?"

[Dennis Winton]

If you want some extremely practical advice from people who have gone through church merges, of all shapes, sizes and scenarios, then read this book. If you want to see how other churches have partnered together, risking identity, membership, finances, etc etc but for the sake of the Kingdom of God, then read this book. Recommended for anyone considering a merge in the near or far future, anyone interested in partnering with other Kingdom minded organizations, anyone who has gone through a merge recently and wants to do a post mortem adjust some of your strategy. I'll be keeping this one for reference and sharing it with a few others.

[Seth Cusson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s helpful being that it is one of the few resources in its category. But I should note, it is geared towards the multisite church model. At times the authors are a little too pragmatic for my taste, and I’m not a fan of their focus. Being that church brand and new leadership can attract an audience, I would argue more towards non-glamorous biblical church health as the goal. But, they do give principles for church mergers that provide structure, and they give you a framework for how church mergers can work well.

[John Dobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I noticed, in reading other books about church mergers, that this book is often quoted. I decided I should read it. I'm glad I did. I understand why it is often quoted. It is written in an easily accessible manner. The authors attempt to cover a wide variety of merger types. There are many principles worthy of consideration that will help churches going through mergers, or considering such. I felt it was a good use of my time to have read this book and would highly recommend it.

[Bryn MacPhail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading "Better Together" after talks of merger were already in motion and the timing was perfect. "Better Together" affirmed actions we had already taken while adding other sensible action points to our checklist. The real-life examples provided in this book were particularly helpful and I suspect I will return to this resource for troubleshooting purposes when inevitable speed bumps occur.

[Steven Du Bois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for all church leaders

Whether you are thinking about mergers or not, there is no denying that God has used this tool to exponentially expand the kingdom footprint and infuse life into dying congregations...this book is a great missions tool in that regard

[Jeff Noble · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practically helpful and hopeful.

[Ellie Sorota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better Together is a great reference for church mergers. The book identifies several types of mergers: a rebirth of a smaller stagnant or dying church restarting under the leadership of a strong and vibrant church, a marriage of two strong churches that unite under a common vision, an adoption merger when a strong church adopts a stagnant or dying church, and ICU mergers - where two dying churches merge in hopes of holding on (least successful). In the context of these four merger types, Tomberlin and Bird address multi-site mergers, mutli-ethnic mergers, facility gifts and more.

Offering advice on timetables, staffing decisions, how to manage congregational information, preparing for transition, evaluating expectations and more, Tomberlin and Bird deliver a very practical reference guide for assessing the possibilities of mergers and preparing well for smooth transitions.

A quick read, Better Together is likely to be dog-eared, stained and filled with notes by mergers end.

I'd recommend this book for pastors and church leaders who are experiencing both fast growth and stagnation to provoke less-conventional ways of addressing both situations.

Four stars instead of five because the book is repetitive.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

The feel of this book is more like a textbook, with lists, bucket points, analyses, and instructions. It was not the most engaging book. Yet, it is a helpful and thorough resource for churches serous about merger.

The authors strongly advocate mergers all across the land, yet have a lot of caution about proceeding. This book is valuable to any church considering merger, wondering what to do about their problem of decline, or actively seeking how to better fulfill their mission.

It was a bit too academic for me, yet it is probably hard to avoid with such a subject. I found it hard to stick with reading for very long at a time.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very helpful overview of the nuts and bolts of church merger issues. Well worth reading. Like many Christian "how to" books, it makes a significant and early nod and hat-tip in the direction of bathing the whole process in prayer. But after that, the book doesn't pay any attention to how or why this helps (sometimes but often not). Very obviously the nod in prayer's direction is required by the audience's beliefs, but authors have no idea how it might help a merger succeed! Funny actually. I guess the underlying theory is something about "the power of prayer." A silly idea. See:http://tinyurl.com/plcksdn But when it gets to practical stuff, this book is helpful.

[Mandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our church is considering a merger. We were encouraged to read this book as part of the discovery process. This book has been the "owner's manual" for our merger situation. After reading it, I have a pretty good idea of the though processes, emotions, and direction of our elders and pastors. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering a merger. Even if your church is "stuck" or plateaued, this book will give you some ideas of whether a merger would provide the new start your church needs.

[David Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a church merger opportunity came to us, “Better Together” served as an invaluable guide in helping me think thoroughly through the big picture, reflect on the spiritual dynamics, and grapple with the potential land mines in such a church merger. Authors Jim Tomberlin & Warren Bird led me to ask the right questions and maintain a missional perspective throughout the process. Church mergers is more than a “good idea”; it may be a “God idea”.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good multi-site book read and Tomberlin has the research and expertise to help a person walk through what a multi-site looks like in different context. If you are part of a multi-site this is a must read book.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are in a situation of merging churches this is an excellent book to read. It gives information and examples of a variety of situations. It also, gives good information leading to proper questions to ask, etc.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book twice as my Presbyterian church is looking to reach more people for God. Terrific insights and learning through actual situations and details of church mergers. I read it the second time after about 9 months and picked up more details.

[Rebecca Wattier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, thorough read for anyone interested in or approaching a church merge. Very insightful and helpful with a lot of practical starting points and issues to think through.

[Andy Littleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical and helpful for church looking to join or join up with another church in order to build one another, and most importantly the kingdom of God, up.

[Larry Koester · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe should be called THE next big thing. there seems to be a need for something new to make it big. is mostly common sense for mergers including marriage.