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About the Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series xi <p>Foreword xiii<br /> <i>Craig Groeschel</i></p> <p>Preface xv</p> <p><b>Part One: The New Merger Landscape 1</b></p> <p>1. God Is Doing Something New: Biblical Basis for Mergers 3</p> <p>2. Four Models for Healthy Mergers 21</p> <p>3. Missional, Multisite, Multiethnic, and Other Merger Motives 35</p> <p><b>Part Two: How Healthy Church Mergers Work 61</b></p> <p>4. Stages and Speed of a Merger 63</p> <p>5. How to Measure Success 77</p> <p>6. Why Mergers Fail 91</p> <p>7. Financial and Legal Aspects of a Merger 105</p> <p>8. Personnel Changes 117</p> <p><b>Part Three: Your Next Steps 127</b></p> <p>9. Determining Whether Your Church Is a Good Merger Candidate 129</p> <p>10. How to Start the Merger Conversation 149</p> <p>11. Self-Assessment for Merger Readiness 161</p> <p>12. Exercise: Identifying Your Merger Issues 167</p> <p>13. Managing Pain and Change 177</p> <p>14. Where Do You Go from Here? 187</p> <p><b>Appendixes</b></p> <p>A. Merger Process Checklist 195</p> <p>B. Example of Merger Issues to Resolve 198</p> <p>C. FAQs Example from Bethany–Sun Valley Churches 206</p> <p>D. FAQs Example from Ginghamsburg Church 216</p> <p>E. FAQs Example from Woodside Bible Church 220</p> <p>F . FAQs on Preparing for a Merger Vote 223</p> <p>G. Churches Named 225</p> <p>H. Merger Research 229</p> <p>Acknowledgments 231</p> <p>Notes 233</p> <p>The Authors 241</p> <p>Index 243</p>

<p><b>Jim Tomberlin</b>, Th.M., is an ordained minister who has served in a variety of ministries, including pioneering the multisite strategy at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. He is the founder of MultiSite Solutions, devoted to multisite and merger consultation. <p><b>Warren Bird</b>, Ph.D., an ordained minister, is the research director at Leadership Network. He has conducted numerous interviews and surveys on topics of church restarts, church planting, multisites, and mergers, and is the coauthor of twenty-three books including<i> Culture Shift, Viral Churches,</i> and<i> The Other 80 Percent</i>, all from Jossey-Bass.

<p><b>THOUSANDS of Protestant churches are perplexed by plateaued or declining enrollments, while other congregations nearby thrive. Is there a way for them to combine forces, drawing on both their strengths in ways that increase their missional impact? </b></p> <p>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 one or more joining churches. Based on solid research and practical experience, the authors provide a hands-on guide so that lead churches and joining churches can each understand the issues, select an appropriate model, and develop strategies that will create a positive, healthy merger.</p> <p>This much-needed resource describes the range of mergers for strong, stable, stuck, and struggling churches. While many congregations are motivated by survival, an increasing number identify "mission" as their primary impetus. 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?</p> <p>No matter what your motivation for merging your church with another—to begin a new church lifecycle, cross racial lines, reach more people for Christ, multiply your church's impact, or better serve your local community—<i>Better Together</i> will give you the tools you need to create a thriving new entity.</p>

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