When a Congregational Merger Does (and Doesn’t) Make Sense
Learning Outcomes: I can evaluate the position and context of my congregation and encourage others to consider viable options to continue ministry work.
In virtually all Christian denominations, congregational consolidation is rising. In the United States, 9% of Christian congregations merged with another in the past decade. It is estimated it will be closer to 40% in the decade to come. There is a plethora of reasons mergers happen. School viability and efficiency is one of them. In this breakout, participants will walk through how to evaluate if merging congregations in geographic proximity makes sense. They will also explore the practical steps that need to happen for a congregational and/or school merger to go well.
Pastor Jonathan Hein began his ministry in Charleston, SC in 1997. During his twenty years there he started two congregations. Hein also served for seven years as the chairman of the South Atlantic District Mission Board, in which capacity he oversaw the start of fifteen new congregation. Since 2014 Hein has served as the director of WELS Commission on Congregational Counseling. In 2017 he also assumed the role of coordinator of WELS Congregational Service, the group that does consultations and provides ministry resources for WELS congregations and schools. Hein has personally worked with about fifteen percent of all congregations in WELS. Jonathan is married to Rebecca, a WELS teacher. They have two grown sons, Caleb, who works in finance, and Joshua, who served in the Air Force and is now using his GI bill to train for ministry.