Faith Facts

• Churches of Christ in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and South Dakota reunited after decades of division, demonstrating that unity is possible through prayer and perseverance.
• Scripture calls believers to make every effort to maintain unity and peace, as stated in Ephesians 4:3 and modeled in Jesus’ prayer in John 17.
• The mergers resulted in stronger congregations that better steward God’s resources and bring together intergenerational wisdom and energy.

Three congregations separated by hundreds of miles have shown that healing old wounds and restoring fellowship is possible when Christians seek God’s will above personal preferences.

The Christian Chronicle followed the stories of reunions in Pottstown, Pennsylvania; Durant, Oklahoma; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, each separated for decades before coming back together.

Christians like to talk about unity, the kind for which Jesus prayed in John 17.

But all too often, division occurs instead — instigated sometimes by doctrinal conflicts and other times by personality clashes. Many times, the real problem is a combination of both.

“Thankfully, a spirit of unity is stirring in the hearts of certain places,” said Jeremie Beller, a Chronicle contributing editor and dean of the Bible college at Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City.

The Chronicle witnessed that spirit of unity at the Cornerstone Church of Christ in Pottstown, Pa., the Durant Church of Christ in Oklahoma and the Sioux Falls Church of Christ in South Dakota.

In those places, congregations 6.5 miles apart (Pennsylvania), 1.5 miles apart (Oklahoma) and 3 miles apart (South Dakota) reunited after decades of separation.

In Pennsylvania and South Dakota, the original divisions occurred as the result of long-ago disputes among members. But as time passed, fewer and fewer folks could remember the specifics, if they ever knew them in the first place.

As Pennsylvania elder Rick Elam explained, he came later and had no firsthand knowledge of what transpired.

“But I know those wounds were deep and painful for those involved,” Elam said.

The situation was different in Oklahoma, as one group left to plant a new neighborhood church — with the support of the original congregation. But even there, the separate bodies made less and less sense as the years unfolded.

“One of the big motivating factors was the fact that there were 150 of my brothers and sisters that met across town that I did not know well,” minister and elder Layne Heitz said.

Despite the varying circumstances, the cases highlighted by the Chronicle offer helpful lessons for other Christians.

These are five ways that split congregations could benefit from a merger:

1. Improve intergenerational diversity in the pews.

That occurred in each of the three cases featured in the series.

In each case, one congregation had more younger members, and the other congregation offered the wisdom and insight of older members — and the mergers brought everyone together.

2. Overcome hurt feelings — even after decades — and pursue Jesus’ call for unity.

That was the case in Pennsylvania and South Dakota and even, to a lesser extent, in Oklahoma, where the church planting — while positive — did not occur without a few wounds.

The passage of time certainly seems to help, as past combatants dying and moving away can make it easier to engage in open dialogue.

Far too often, division lingers for decades, even after the original people or problems have passed. Yet the Scriptures call for Christians to “make every effort” toward unity and peace (Ephesians 4:3).

3. Seek a natural means of infusing new ideas and leaders.

In Oklahoma, the merger resulted in a decision to worship on Sunday mornings and conduct children’s and adult Bible classes on Sunday nights. The change made life easier on the parents of young children and improved attendance, too.

In South Dakota, the full group adopted one congregation’s model of worshiping first on Sunday morning, then enjoying fellowship time with juice, coffee and doughnuts before Bible classes.

In both Pennsylvania and South Dakota, one congregation involved in the merger submitted to the leadership of the other congregation’s elders. In Oklahoma, an equal number of elders from each congregation kept serving.

4. Use resources, including church buildings, provided by God in a more efficient manner.

In Pennsylvania and South Dakota, dwindling congregations had small groups meeting in large buildings. Through the mergers, they welcomed more sizable groups and infused new life — spiritually and operationally — into their facilities.

In Oklahoma, the merging congregations’ former church buildings were sold. A new facility with classrooms and a multipurpose room were built. The church worships — for now — in the multipurpose room, but an 800-seat auditorium is under construction.

5. Open hearts to God’s calling and direction.

In each of the cases highlighted, talk of a possible merger started years before one actually occurred.

Before finally taking action, leaders of each congregation needed to be open to such a possibility — and willing to pray about it.

As Thomas Wise, minister for the Pennsylvania church, put it, “It definitely seems like God’s timing is always the right timing.”

In South Dakota, member Roger Schulke recalled: “I never got a voice out of the air that said, ‘Do this.’ But the signs were there, and I said, ‘I think God might be telling us to pursue this.’”

In Oklahoma, Alvadean Marcho, whose late husband, Bob, was a minister for 45 years, said the merger discussion focused on a simple question: “How can we glorify God?”

The advice of Logan Cates, the Oklahoma church’s family minister?

“Let us also show mercy and kindness to those we disagree with, and for the sake of Jesus Christ, lay our past disagreements to rest!” Cates urged. “Reunite with our brothers and sisters no matter what happened a generation back.”

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