Better Together: A Synod Book Study on Partnership, Mission, and the Church’s Future

As congregations across the Grand Canyon Synod face changing realities—aging membership, older buildings, tighter budgets, and fewer available pastors—leaders are asking faithful and necessary questions: How will we be church into the future? How do we steward what we have for the sake of God’s mission? And how might God be calling us to work together rather than alone?

Pastor David Pavesic invites pastors and congregational leaders into that conversation through an upcoming online book study based on Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work by Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird. This study builds directly on the recent Possibilities in Partnership presentation and is designed to help leaders engage these questions honestly, faithfully, and without fear.

This study is not only about mergers. It is about mission.

Many congregations live with unspoken tension—between the hope that things will somehow return to the way they were, and the quiet fear that nothing can be done. As Pastor David often notes, hope matters deeply, but doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results rarely leads to renewal. While a congregation may not be able to face today’s challenges alone, we are not alone.

What This Book Study Will Explore

Across four sessions, participants will:

  • Take an honest look at the current realities shaping congregational life

  • Explore how mission can be grown, strengthened, and broadened through collaboration

  • Consider practical models for partnership and shared ministry

  • Reflect on how God may be calling congregations to new forms of faithfulness together

Each session will focus on a section of the book, which participants should read in advance. The fourth session will serve as a wrap-up and integration conversation. To support the discussion, “cliff notes” will be provided for all participants.

This book study also serves as an entry point into a larger conversation about partnership, including the developing framework known as The Church Next Door: New Possibilities in Partnership, which explores several models for shared ministry and collaboration.

Who Should Participate

This study is intended for pastors, congregational leaders, and those looking forward—leaders who are willing to name present realities and imagine faithful, mission-centered ways of being church into the future.

Two Options to Participate

To make participation accessible, the study is offered in two identical Zoom-based groups—one daytime and one evening. Participants are welcome to attend the other group if they need to miss their usual session, as both groups will cover the same material.

Tuesday Mornings – 11:00 a.m. (Arizona time)

Thursday Evenings – 6:30 p.m. (Arizona time)

Please register for your first session, and additional Zoom links will follow.

The future of the church will not be shaped by nostalgia or fear, but by courage, honesty, and shared imagination. We may not be able to do this work alone—but together, new possibilities can emerge.

Grand Canyon Synod, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardMergersComment