I've been thinking about the merger of The Lord's Church (TLC) with the Bowie Church of Christ. Of course many did not come. Most of the research I have read said that mergers don't work. I would consider this church merger a success if better than 50% of the folks that came from TLC are still with the "merged" church a year after it has begun (which was January 2010).
It is really a great thing that two churches can come together. Being humans, it is more common for churches to fight and split - especially in certain denominations and those with certain spiritual heritages. Yet, Unity is MUCH BETTER than Disunity. We know this but it is still difficult. Just as 27 years of marriage can end in divorce or a mother and daughter can stop talking to each other for 50 years - right into the grave, or best friends can become enemies as depicted in the fictional story of Judah Ben-Hur and his child-hood friend Messala. These things happen all the time.
Yet, my prayer is that people - especially those that call on the name of Jesus Christ - can learn to not just get along, but to show the world through love and solid friendships and relationships, that there is efficacy and real impact to the message of the cross of Jesus Christ. As it is written, God said, "Let light shine out of darkness", and this same God " made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Cor 4:6). This light must shine in our lives and I hope and pray the unity and example of a successfully merged church can be a small part of the light to the world.
