Amalgamating amalgamations

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Mendalla

Mendalla

Happy headbanging ape!!
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This Canadian Press story came up on my MSN feed. Two churches in BC that are both the product of earlier amalgamations are amalgamating. This is kind of the expected "phase 2" as mainline churches consolidate, I suspect. The new churches from previous amalgamations find themselves seeking further consolidation. Fewer but healthier churches is hopefully the goal rather than just desperately grabbing at straws to keep going.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/othe...e&cvid=b5aae28f0bad44a78ddfa991c1a8c48d&ei=18
 
Many churches in the inner part of cities like Calgary are already third or fourth phase amalgamations. Wild Rose United in Calgary was the amalgamation of two churches that resulted from the amalgamation of previous churches, obe of which was the amalgamation of two previous churches about 60 years before.

Most amalgamations result in fewer people in church, losing those who went because of the building or the social group that was there or because it was geographically convenient.
 
One almost wonders if house churches, or at least small groups meeting in community centres or similar, is the end result here. It might be better in some ways anyhow. Much more intimate and personal than large congregations where there's so many people, you end up with multiple social circles and groups that are sometimes in conflict over how the church should run, act in the world, etc. A small group of a dozen or two people might actually be more cohesive. There would need to be some higher level, though, to coordinate social action and such that couldn't really be done effectively at that small a level.
 
Some evangelical churches focus on creating small groups with worship services providing a way for these groups to feel part of the larger community.
 
jimkenney12 said:
Some evangelical churches focus on creating small groups with worship services providing a way for these groups to feel part of the larger community.
Click to expand...
The UUs here tried that for a while. Not sure if those groups still exist given the active membership is probably 30 or less (plus a bunch on the roll but not really participating).
 
Is amalgamation just a large scale fractioning process? This because of the little pieces of a growing institution creates hostile cells?
 
Church amalgamation is not just a recent phenomenon in this city. Some of these unions are decades old and came about when people moved further out to the suburbs.

In present day, we have seen some successful amalgamations and some that didn't work out terribly well. I know of one amalgamated congregation which ended up closing its doors. Probably not the only one.
 
Grandad was the minister of Zion United in Brantford back in the 50s (I think that's the right time) and we held his funeral there in the eighties since he had returned to Brantford and lived in a retirement home there. Not long after, they merged with another church and changed name. And then, IIRC, the building burnt down. So not entirely sure where they are at now.

Wesley-Knox here in London was formed by the merger of Wesley United and Knox United in 1972, with Centennial United joining in 2006. Apparently they also took in some members of Westminster United after it closed but there was no formal merger in that case.

So, yeah, mergers aren't new, just the pace of them seems to have picked up.
 
Thus we gather at the river where it all comes together as alien matter ... stranger than gay Liels ... booty's ... base substance!

If un grasped ... it disperses like deposed information ... fringe aura as clear ectoplasm ... spiritual essence ... transparent? The medium ... carries ... may resemble a hole due to deficiencies ... of matter ...
 
We recently had a joint covenanting service at our church. Two of the four local congregations have newer clergy so all four congregations celebrated together. I chose to stay home and watch on YouTube because I'd had lots of people contact in the days before.

One of the congregations with a new minister has been struggling for a few years. It would be the downtown church and is in a beautiful historic building. They chose to call a minister full-time. Hopefully that helps.

Still, I wonder how long there will be four congregations here.
 
Pan ... an irregular?

Demic ...hated by emperors!

These may drive us away from some inflexible BS! Hard crap to take???? Imagine the exos that may be ahead of us yet! Exoplasma ...
 
So, in Barrie, there are now three congregations. Population 150,000 or so. Many of the surrounding rural congregations are gone, or minimal.
 
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