If we’re serious about moving from calling out the problem to actually changing the trajectory, then we need to get practical.
Not someday.
Not when things get worse.
Now.
In the last post, I outlined six pathways forward. Let’s take the first three and press into what they actually look like on the ground because if we don’t define them, they’ll stay ideas instead of action.
1. Deploy Real Transition Teams (Not Just Advice. Actual Help)
Right now, when a church starts to struggle, the “support system” often looks like this:
- A meeting or two
- Some general encouragement
- Maybe a suggestion or two
And then… they’re largely on their own.
That’s not enough.
What a Transition Team Could Actually Look Like
Imagine instead a designated transition team that walks with a congregation for a defined season (6-18 months for starters). This team would be made up of:
- A seasoned pastor with revitalization or merger experience
- A trained lay leader (governance, finance, or organizational leadership)
- A district representative who knows available resources and processes
- A facilitator/coach who can lead hard conversations without emotional entanglement
This isn’t a task force that decides things. It’s a team that guides, clarifies, and moves the process forward.
What They Would Do
- Conduct a real assessment of congregational health (not just attendance numbers)
- Lead structured conversations with leadership and members
- Lay out clear pathways: revitalization, partnership, merger, or closure
- Help create a timeline with actual next steps
- Keep the mission front and center when emotions run high
The Reality We’re Ignoring
We already have people who could do this. Within the district and synod structure, there are:
- Circuit visitors
- District presidents and vice presidents
- Mission and ministry staff
- Experienced pastors who have navigated these waters before
The issue isn’t a lack of people. It’s a lack of intentional deployment.
What if instead of waiting for churches to hit crisis mode these teams were proactively assigned when early warning signs appeared?
That’s not control. That’s care.
2. Normalize and Resource Church-to-Church Partnerships
This one is HUGE.
And honestly, it exposes something deeper in us. Because the resistance here isn’t logistical. It’s personal.
We like “our church.”
Our programs.
Our people.
Our traditions.
But the mission has never been about ours. Jesus even said he came to seek and to save the lost – disconnected – not here yet ones.
The Current Reality
In the same community, you’ll often find:
- Multiple churches running under-resourced ministries
- Multiple VBS programs competing for the same handful of kids
- Multiple part-time staff stretched thin
- Multiple congregations quietly declining separately
And we call that independence. But it’s often just inefficiency.
What Partnership Could Actually Look Like
- Shared staffing
- One pastor across multiple congregations
- Shared Directors of Christian Education or Family Life
- Joint outreach coordinators
- Shared ministry efforts
- One strong, community-wide VBS instead of five struggling ones
- Combined youth groups
- Joint outreach events that actually reach critical mass
- Adoptive relationships
- A healthier church helping lead and support a smaller one
- Multi-site or campus models where it makes sense
Let’s Be Blunt
There is no Kingdom reason for five churches in one town to each run a half-effective ministry when together they could create something far stronger.
Sometimes our desire to “have our piece” of ministry is less about mission and more about control.
But if the Gospel is the goal, then collaboration isn’t optional. It’s essential.
What Needs to Change
We don’t just need permission for partnership.
We need active encouragement and resourcing:
- Clear frameworks for how to share staff legally and financially
- Templates for partnership agreements
- Coaching for leaders navigating shared ministry
- Stories that normalize this as wise, not desperate
Because right now, too many churches think partnership means failure. In reality, it might be the most faithful step forward.
3. Build a Best Practices Playbook for Hard Conversations
Look. I get it. Most churches don’t avoid hard decisions because they don’t care. They avoid them because they don’t know how to navigate them.
So they stall.
Or they argue.
Or they pretend things are fine.
The Questions We’re Avoiding
- When is it time to seriously consider merging or even closing?
- What does faithfulness look like in decline?
- How do we honor the past without being held hostage by it?
- Who actually gets to make these decisions and how?
- What happens to the building, the money, the legacy?
These are heavy questions. And without guidance, they can feel overwhelming.
What a Playbook Could and Maybe Should Include
First, it is not a theological essay. It should be a practical, step-by-step guide:
1. Discernment Phase
- Key indicators that change is necessary
- Assessment tools (attendance across more than just worship, ministry engagement, financial health, community reach)
- Questions every leadership team must wrestle with
2. Conversation Phase
- How to structure congregational meetings
- How to handle conflict and emotional responses
- How to communicate clearly without causing panic
3. Decision Pathways
- What revitalization actually requires
- What partnership looks like in practice
- What a healthy merger process entails
- What faithful closure looks like (yes, that too)
4. Practical Logistics
- Legal and constitutional considerations
- Financial processes
- Property decisions
- Denominational procedures
5. Pastoral Care
- Caring for members through grief and change
- Honoring the legacy of a congregation
- Keeping the Gospel central through every step
Why This Matters
Right now, every church feels like they’re reinventing the wheel. They don’t have to. We already have the experience. We already have the stories. We just haven’t organized them into something usable.
And until we do, churches will keep defaulting to inaction because inaction feels safer than the unknown.
Final Thought
None of this requires a theological shift. Our very theological identity and synodical polity actually allow and even was built for this! It just requires a structural and cultural shift.
- Deploy people we already have
- Work together instead of apart (anyone know what synod actually means)
- Equip churches to face reality with clarity and courage
This is what stewardship looks like.
Not just naming the problem. But building pathways forward that churches can actually walk.
Next week, we’ll tackle the final three:
- Activating synod and district resources more effectively
- Funding strategy instead of survival
- And telling better stories that redefine what success really looks like
I firmly believe we’re not done. Not even close!
Franklin EUB Church in New Albany was failing. Down to 20 members and the pastor wanted to retire. Someone at Linworth Baptist Became involved and Linworth offered to help. Franklin was eager to have the help. Next door neighbor, Nick, was dispatched to be the new pastor. About 40 Linworth families who lived east agreed to become a part of Franklin Church. It is now a thriving church with 990-120 in attendance. That’s God’s way of helping brothers and sisters in Christ to keep he doors open