Merged congregations in Carrollton see opportunity for kingdom growth

CARROLLTON—The idea of a merger between Trinity Valley Baptist Church and The Ridge Church in Carrollton took David Bird time to accept.

"First of all, the whole idea of a merger went counter to church planting, which is my heart and my training," said Bird, who was pastor of Trinity Valley Baptist Church. "The more churches the merrier. Why would there ever be a need to merge churches together?"

Jerry Witham (right) serves as lead pastor of The Ridge Church in Carrollton, and David Bird (left) now works as the church's missions pastor after he led Trinity Valley Baptist Church to merge with The Ridge Church. (PHOTO/George Henson)

But then Bird looked at the big picture. Trinity Valley was a 20-year-old church made up primarily of people in their 50s who were spending more time engaging with their grandchildren and less time with mission activities.

"We were a happy church, but there really wasn't a whole lot happening," he said. But from the outside, all was well. The church's receipts exceeded budget requirements, and the congregation still was engaged in ongoing mission endeavors in Mexico and France.

"Our numbers were just sliding, and I didn't want to be in a position in three years, five years from now when we're running 70 people, (of having to say), 'We're happy, but we're not engaged in kingdom growth.'"

As Bird seriously began considering the idea of a transition, Trinity Valley enlarged its leadership team so more people gradually might be exposed to the idea that change was coming.

"For a lot of them, it was: 'OK, we'll do better. We know what you've been teaching us, and we've been a little complacent, but we'll get re-engaged,'" Bird said.

Trinity Valley's health offered one reason to proceed sooner than later, Bird believed.

"The mergers I've always seen, they never worked. My theory on that is, they wait until it's too late. They're running 30 or 40 people. They can't pay the bills. They really can't afford a pastor. The last resort is, 'Either we disband, or we merge.' At that point, it doesn't really work because a few people go their own way, and it's not really a merger—it's a few people joining another church," Bird said.

As he began thinking about what church to approach, The Ridge Church looked attractive because of the number of younger couples, mostly about 35 years old.

Bird made the call in May. The churches had their first service as a merged congregation in October.

Jerry Witham, pastor of The Ridge Church, serves as lead pastor, and Bird now works as missions pastor. Clayton Ledbetter, who was worship pastor at Trinity Valley, fills the role of community pastor at The Ridge. Ysavel Medina retained his role as executive pastor of The Ridge, and Jordan Moore continued as worship pastor.

Witham noted Bird's call asking him to pray and consider a merger between the two congregations was totally unexpected, but he immediately was interested.

"What can the two bodies come together and do for the kingdom of God in this city?" Witham asked.

While he didn't know Bird well, Witham was acquainted with him and respected him. "I thought, 'This could be cool.' I knew I could learn a lot from him."

He also knew Bird was passionate about reaching Carrollton for Christ.

"This is not just 70, possibly 90 more people coming over to hear a sermon and like some songs. We knew they would be coming to roll up their sleeves," Witham noted.

There already is a unity among the congregations, he said. "It's about mission. Egos have been laid aside, and people see this is for the kingdom."

The elders at The Ridge elected not to sell the Trinity Valley property but wait to see what ministry opportunity might come about.

The property is about a block from one of Carrollton's largest high schools and in the midst of large population of Hispanic people, Medina pointed out.

"There's something for the kingdom there. So, rather than see it turn into a McDonald's or something, let's look and see what we can do for the kingdom, because God did plant that church there years ago to reach that community," Medina said.

Keeping the building made the transition a little easier for some of the Trinity Valley congregation, Bird admitted.

"I don't know that it would have been a deal breaker for those who voted to come, but it certainly made it much more attractive to hear that the pastors and elders were interested in kingdom stuff and not just resources. It gave us a glimpse into their heart," he said.

Waiting on God in regard to the property always was the consensus, Witham said.

"From the beginning, there was a consensus that keeping it was Plan A, and the selling option was actually Plan Z. There are just too many opportunities there, and God has a plan. We're just trying to wait and see what it is," Witham said.

So far, the merger has gone smoothly, he said.

"It's been great. Better than we probably ever imagined. The Lord has been in it. Psalm 127 says the Lord will build his church, and I think with any sort of merge, he's doing that. … We don't know what the plan looks like. We've just got to be faithful and obedient as he does that," Witham said.

Once the merger was complete, the congregation went through a five-week membership process with everyone—those from The Ridge, those from Trinity Valley, and the dozens who showed up from neither congregation.

"We wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page, not just so we could put a name down and say you're a member and get organized to maintain that, but to say who's on the team. To say, 'Let's get on the same page,' and then, 'Let's run together on the mission of God here in Carrollton,'" Witham said.

Borrowing a term from author Alan Hirsch, With-am told the congregation: "Let's don't call this 'the merge.' Let's call it 'the verge,' because God is on the verge of something here.

"We don't know what that looks like. We don't know the end of the story looks like, but we just want to be a part of it. It's fun to be a part of what God is doing."