02/26/2026
Reflective thoughts that continually keep me humbly in prayer and working through MAP’s (ministry action plans) even when people don’t understand the burden of pastoring, nor do they care about about what it means to have a pastors heart. Being faithful as a pastor demands one’s full attention to the call of ministry and included in the process of remaining faithful in the call of ministry is a conversation we can no longer avoid if we intend as the church to steward well. I’m not raising this because I’ve lost faith I’m raising it because I’m intentionally striving to be faithful while hearing from God, being open to learning from life lessons, and preparing for ministry opportunities…
In the assignment of pastoring much has changed over the past several decades and in 2026, truth is, many predominantly Black Churches in the U.S. are now so small, aging, and/or resource strained that in many cities, the most realistic path to long‑term health will be intentional partnership/mergers or other forms of consolidation, rather than every congregation trying to survive alone. Out of the pages of history, we are reminded that some of our churches were separated by self inflicted wounds, personal misunderstandings, selfish agendas, and strained relationships that have not been healed. In this season, in which we have the enduring responsibility to build the Kingdom I believe the Spirit is calling us not just to survive but to heal. One courageous conversation that is needed and set before us includes the question of whether unity will be woven into the fabric of our restoration, marking the fact that God is healing us in this critical hour of our history. Let me say this to be crystal clear: small/medium size churches are not broken churches. Aging saints are not a problem they are a treasure. This conversation isn’t about shame; it’s actually about stewardship.
Since 1998, I’ve been paying close attention to trends, data, and research material specific to various statistics, and the truth is, many small/medium size predominantly black churches are under unusual pressure and I believe we can celebrate and rejoice in our legacy and still respond to our reality with wisdom. In essence, we don’t want to make decisions out of panic—we want to make them out of prayer and connect sound decisions making to proper planning. A life statement that resonates well with me at this stage in life is that wisdom doesn’t wait for the emergency room to start practicing healthy habits.
In a short summary, information I’ve researched has brought me to two main thoughts that I’m sharing…
1. Why partnership/merger may be an act of wisdom
2. Why shared mission/purpose may be the next faithful step
1.
• Overall, U.S. Church affiliation has fallen from about 73% in 1940 to under 50% by 2020, and attendance has continued to decline into the 2020s.
• Black congregations have been somewhat more resilient, but are clearly shrinking statistically.
• Younger adults (Millennials and Gen Z) are much less likely to attend services regularly; roughly half say they “rarely” or “never” attend, signaling a generational attendance cliff for many churches.
• The pandemic impacted church life in real ways—attendance shifted, giving changed, and the pressure on pastors increased. Many pastors left or considered leaving ministry, often because support systems fell short and priorities became misaligned.
2.
• Economies of scale: maintaining one facility, one administrative structure, and a shared staff is far more sustainable than three or four small congregations each carrying ministry engagement, a building, utilities, insurance, and repairs.
• Mission focus: Pastors and church leaders who have walked through mergers argue that combining congregations opens the way to more effective ministry, increase in ministry volunteer participation, frees energy for evangelism, and development of community ministry instead of constant crisis management around budgets and buildings.
• Stewardship and witness: Consultants who work with struggling churches increasingly name mergers as a “genuine option” in a context where a majority of U.S. congregations are plateaued or declining, seeing it as a way to honor the past while positioning for future ministry.
Final thought… Churches coming together in partnership/merger doesn’t have to be a funeral—it can be a restoration strategy full of celebration when it’s glorifying God, Spirit-led, mission-centered, and people-honoring…
