In college, I attended a church plant that met in another churches building. The smallish congregation who owned the building would have their service, and then a few hundred 20-somethings would descend upon the building, set up extra chairs and have their own service.
The arrangement always struck me as a bit odd, almost as if we were one-upping them with our acoustic guitars and hip fashions. I think eventually the plant bought the old building, and the older congregation fizzled out.
There’s nothing wrong with that progression, one just hates to see a church congregation die out, even if it is being replaced with a new one.
On the subject of dwindling attendance, an article from VenturaCountyStar.com talks about how churches are merging, sometimes from different denominations:
In most cases, two churches of the same denomination — Methodist, Episcopal or Lutheran, for example — will come together in one building…Less common is the merger of two different denominations…In Santa Paula, Episcopal and Lutheran congregations have agreed to share a pastor and a building.
“Unfortunately, too often we see each other as competitors instead of partners,” said the Rev. Gary Stevenson of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Simi Valley. “But our calling from God, no matter what our denomination, is — or at least should be — the same.”
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Clearly, there are practical reasons for merging, but there are spiritual ones, too, Stevenson said. With more members, the church can reach out more to the community, doing its work in the world just as the early church did, Stevenson said.“The world is changing,” Stevenson said. “Why wouldn’t the church change, too?”
Does anyone go to a mixed denomination church similar to this? I can see tremendous positives as far as ecumenism is concerned with this trend (if it is a trend). Anyone see any negatives?
(HT: TitusOneNine)
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January 28, 2008 at 15:36
About a year ago, I interview at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Wilton, CT. They have shared a building with Wilton Presbyterian Church since about 1962 or so. It’s an amazingly fruitful combination with a lot of exciting ministries going on.
Unsurprisingly, the comments on these types of articles tend toward the association of: liberalism = mainline decline = ungood.
There’s plenty of these ‘mergers’ that happened way before 1968. These churches in Wilton are one example. The United Church of Canada is another good one. Coming together this way is about a common mission from Christ. I’m always happy to see people sharing the Gospel together!
January 28, 2008 at 16:37
One potential negative is not giving careful enough consideration to managing potential disagreement over matters of theology and ecclesiology between the two (or more?)denominations merging.
Ecumenism ostensibly serves the noble purpose of a) uniting believers for God’s glory (per John 17:22-23 – Jesus prays “make them one”), and
b) being a witness of unity to the world (per John 13:35 – Jesus says “the world will know you’re my disciples by your love for one another”).
Hence, disunity and division – such as between denominations – is often a source of confusion and negative witness to a world that legitimately wonders why there’s so many “Christianities” if there’s only one Christ. I wondered the same thing before becoming Christian, and it’s only partially clearer now.
So “mergers” can be a good thing, but not if they end up causing more strife than unity, just as dissolving a marriage is usually worse than not marrying in the first place.
January 28, 2008 at 21:03
God has a calling for every congregation of the Body of Christ. To merge two (or more) congregations is to risk losing an identity and a unique response to Him. There is something sad about brothers and sisters in Christ feeling the need to join resources so they have enough, when the God we worship owns infinite resources. The result is a temptation to sacrifice something God values (our unique character) to gain something He values much less (resources). There is also a tendency to see tension between different traditions or between fellowships or any other set of distinctions. Then we want to reduce or eliminate the tension by some kind of institutional merger, negotiating until we find common ground and establishing a new body on that new ground. In truth, it rarely truly eliminates the tensions, but does tend to lose the separate identity which had been one or more of the congregations (or denominations). Long before me, someone said an applicable and profound truth, “The body is not one member, but many ….If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?...” While this has most often been applied to individuals, it must also apply to fellowships, congregations, and maybe even denominations.
Certainly, situations change and congregations which were vital and dynamic in an earlier time, diminish and may need to merge or even dissolve. Still, we must see the variety of congregations as a blessing, and an expression of a God who loves abundance and is much, much bigger than we can comprehend.
January 28, 2008 at 21:35
My church is a smallish (just over 100 people) one that was planted by another local, independent church. For a while, our congregation met in the basement of a local UCC church, and our relationship was very good, although never the twain did meet. We were decidedly two distinct churches; we just happened to rent some of their space.
Recently, we were given (GIVEN!) a building of our own, which was formerly used by a dwindling and aging congregation of a different denomination. And the folks from that older congregation still come and happily meet with us every Sunday, even though our style is dramatically different from theirs.
A short anecdote to illustrate. We’ve begun renovating the buliding, knocking down a few walls here and there, splashing on some new paint, etc. Nothing major. One of the “old guys” from the older church has been there almost every day helping however he can. He recently looked at my pastor and said, “I’ve been here for over thirty years. It’s about time we made some of these changes!”
January 28, 2008 at 21:42
Maybe it is just an urban thing. But in Chicago there are lots of churches that share space. And while I think it is probably more common for it to be different ethnic or language groups from the same denomination there are many multi-denomantional buildings. It is often simply economics. Land and buildings are often too expensive for a small church. So several churches get together (or more likely, one older congregation invites others to help pay the bills.) Maybe this is new in some areas, but my guess is that it is much more common that what people think, especially in tightly packed communities.
January 29, 2008 at 08:32
As I continue to look at the bible and remember all the things God has done for me I wonder how we as a people could seperate as we do. No one knows how close another is to God, no matter what denomination. I have been prayed over and the prayers answered from common protestant, methodist, witnesses of God and many more throughout my life. I wonder if those who prayed thought I had to be of their faith before the prayer would be answered. God said come to me with your prayers and they will be answered. So welcome all into your churches, buildings, temples and homes. Then sit back and see all the wonders He has provided for us here on this earth. In God’s Grace John
January 29, 2008 at 09:41
God bless you,
I have seen and been to many such united gatherings.The main thing that drew me there,where most of the things helped me to grow.The songs,ie the new praise and worship,Prayers and classes which are given from different preachers ,there testmonies and on.This helps to learn how GOD uses others to encorage us and also to pray for many lost soles.Where some of them may not be willing to present there problems because of there society,family and on.In short it has been good and useful to me.At the same time Iam having a good relation in my church also. No body discoraged me in this also.
January 29, 2008 at 13:18
The book of II John in the Holy Bible is a small epistle, to be sure, but still important enough for the Holy Spirit to send our way. In it, we are taught to absolutely not fellowship with those who hold up false doctrines.
If this post is dealing with sharing a building as a meeting place, that is one thing, and I would hope that leadership grounded in the Word would be careful not to meet in buildings that have names of churches promoting false doctrine on the outside of the building. It would be just plain sloppy for pastors not to take into account that this could lead to confusion (and the Bible lets us know where confusion comes from) on the part of unbelievers who may be watching.
If we are speaking of worshiping with other branches, who may actually teach unscriptural tenets and deny Biblical doctrines with no repentance in sight, that is another issue altogether, for this is the very reason there is separation among denominations in the first place. And this separation is as it should be, for Christians are admonished in the epistles time and again to walk in a manner approved unto God. I realise this is not the warm fuzzy believism we are all so enamored of, but it is God-loving and speaks more to a lost world than a false gospel (which is, as Paul is careful to remind us in Galatians, no Gospel at all, but instead something to be accursed) can.
January 29, 2008 at 14:06
christiane li
excellent post, thank you!
January 29, 2008 at 16:07
“For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
We are admonished to be on guard against false doctrine, the false doctrine being that Jesus came in the flesh( as written above).
This seems to be a prerequisite of being a Christian and so, from my humble knowledge, would point more towards not fellowshipping with other religions such as the muslim, hindu, and polytheist religions.
I write this with full knowledge that I could be be mistaken and look forward to any insight that may be given.
January 30, 2008 at 09:19
We are admonished to be on guard against false doctrine, the false doctrine being that Jesus [Did Not] came in the flesh( as written above)
Edited by myself for claity
January 30, 2008 at 09:43
Lsexton101,
We are also admonished to disfellowship with those who walk ungodly (Corinthians), to stay away from those who call themselves Christians but preach another gospel from the one delivered to us in the Holy Bible (Galatians), to discern wolves among the sheep by their fruits (Matthew), to turn away from those who have a form of godliness but not the Holy Spirit (Timothy), and I could go on…