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Another problem with two churches “merging” is that it may not even be biblically possible. A local body of believers *is* a discrete unit of the visible church and is intended to function as a single assembly.[1] That is the ecclesia/church – the one group meeting together. Having far flung executive leadership, or sermons over video streaming, adding multiple services to accommodate people attending (but not necessarily providing pastoral care), etc. are well known practices in large/mega-churches in the 2000’s in America, but were unknown to the early church. In his book “One Assembly” Jonathan Leeman shows us both the strongarm tactics of megachurches (including planting congregations next to long-established churches even in the same denomination like the SBC) and then contrasts that with how his own church sent him out to plant (and replant) other churches. This model makes much more sense – where a pastor and/or team is sent out to revitalize and/or replant, not acquire and “merge”. The new becomes a new assembly (ecclesia), it does not simply add the new church to its own one assembly. He points out also that this sending out of groups/teams was the Baptist norm in earlier years. It’s indeed ironic that these multi-site churches are often from denominations where autonomy was the norm – a Baptist multi-site church should seem as confusing as the US asking to join the Commonwealth Of Nations. It’s antithetical at its core to Baptistic independence.
[1] Jonathan Leeman, One Assembly (Crossway, n.d.), accessed April 1, 2025.
