Merging Churches: A Story of Humility and New Beginnings
Pastor Ernie Wagoner, planter and leader of Sojourn Church outside Atlanta, recently came on The Last Service Podcast to share an inspirational story of his young church merging with a 170-year old congregation, Paper Mill Road Baptist Church.
The merger was born out of both churches facing pivotal and emotional transitions. Sojourn Church had been renting space from a small Lutheran church for Sunday services. But in 2018, the Lutheran church told Sojourn they would need to move out in early 2019. Ernie describes calling his fledgling congregation of 80-90 together in early 2019 to break the difficult news. “We have nothing on the table,” he told them. At almost the same time, Paper Mill Road Baptist Church found itself at a crossroads when their pastor of 17 years resigned.
A Mutually Beneficial Kingdom Partnership
In God-ordained timing, a mutual friend connected Ernie with Paper Mill Road's leadership team. As they began exploring a potential merger, they found more and more missional alignment and relational chemistry. Paper Mill Road Baptist Church saw Sojourn, with its young, vibrant leadership and visionary spirit as a way to carry on gospel ministry on their property for decades to come. In turn, Sojourn Church joined their contemporary church plant with the rich 174-year legacy of Paper Mill Road, connecting their congregation to something much bigger than themselves.
Key Insights on Church Mergers
In my conversation with Ernie, several key insights on church mergers emerged:
1. Posture of Humility Critical: Ernie frequently mentioned the posture of humility from both congregations as crucial to a godly, kingdom-building merger taking place, rather than one simply trying to preserve their own institution. Paper Mill Road Baptist Church was remarkably self-aware of their declining capacity and need for fresh vision and leadership. Sojourn Church approached them not looking to take over, but to continue the beautiful ministry Paper Mill had maintained for nearly two centuries.
2. Balance Organizational Leadership with Pastoral Care: Ernie described needing to lead firmly on issues of vision, governance, facilities and other organizational aspects critical to merging two entities. However, he also emphasized going slowly, listening intently to grieving hearts unsure of change, and honoring Paper Mill Road's stories and history. His ultimate goal was that they would feel fully embraced as part of Sojourn's family.
3. Merge to Something Bigger than Ourselves: A key takeaway was how the merger connected both churches more fully to Christ's global, eternal Church. For Sojourn's young congregation, they embraced the gift of being joined to a rich legacy much bigger than their own current story. For Paper Mill Road, entrusting their property and history to Sojourn's leadership represented a passing of the baton that gives them hope. More than maintaining buildings, their passion is to see the gospel continue advancing in their community.
