On Sunday, December 1, 2019, we announced that the elders of Sound City Bible Church (SCBC) and Martha Lake Baptist Church (MLBC) have begun official conversations regarding merging together. The elders of SCBC are unanimous in our optimism as it relates to this opportunity. Not only would this merger provide SCBC with a “home base” of our own, but we truly see this as something God would do to enable us to make a greater impact for God’s Kingdom in the North Puget Sound region.
This document is written to address as many questions as possible for the people of Sound City Bible Church. This process will take many months, and there is no way that this document can address every possible question that might come up along the way. However, our hope is that the people of Sound City can be well-informed so that they can pray and participate along the way.
How did this all come about?
In 2018, Pastor Aaron was invited by Rabbi Matt to a pastor’s fellowship lunch in the north Seattle area. It was at this lunch where he first met Jason Smith, the lead pastor of Martha Lake Baptist Church (MLBC). Each month, they spent time together at this pastor’s lunch and got to know one another. One of these lunches was hosted at the SCBC offices, where other staff members like Pastor Kyle, Myeong, and Hannah got to know Pastor Jason, as well.
In the summer of 2019, Aaron met with Jason to discuss the possibility of SCBC sharing the property that MLBC owns. The initial suggestion would have SCBC leasing or buying the property, but keeping the congregations separate. After some thought and prayer, Jason came back and suggested the idea of MLBC joining in with SCBC. Aaron and Jason had a few conversations one-on-one, but soon other elders were brought into the conversation. In November, the elders of SCBC and MLBC met together twice for prayer, relationship, and conversation about the potential of merging together.
As a result of these meetings, the decision was made to officially enter the exploration and due diligence process of merging. A period of time of four months was agreed upon, during which the leadership teams of both churches will go about the work of thoroughly examining all the various issues that will need to be addressed in order for our churches to come together as one.
Who is Martha Lake Baptist Church (MLBC)?
Martha Lake Baptist Church began as a new plant with the Southern Baptist Association in the mid-1960’s. It was fully incorporated in 1970, and has been a faithful presence for gospel ministry for more than fifty years. In the 1990’s, the church experienced a season of fruitful ministry and growth, which many long-time members look back on fondly.
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, MLBC suffered through the moral failure of the lead pastor who consistently rejected the correction of the lay-leaders and continued on in sin. The church leaders enacted church discipline and removed him from the church. The entire situation caused great hurt within the church and lead to an immediate and precipitous decline in the church.
Following this, the leadership of MLBC made two decisions. First, in 2007, they transitioned to an elder-led model of church leadership, where authority and leadership is vested in a plurality of Biblically-qualified elder/overseers. Second, they sought out Jason Smith to take the role of pastor. He has faithfully led MLBC since 2011.
What are some of the similarities between MLBC and SCBC?
There are many areas of similarity between our two churches, which is one of the reasons why this conversation has progressed to the idea of merging. First, both of our churches have a strong emphasis on Bible teaching and preaching, with the main Sunday gatherings focused around teaching through books of the Bible. Second, both churches are elder-led, as we see this to be the clearest pattern in the New Testament as pertains to church leadership. And third, both churches have a strong emphasis on relationships and community. While there are many more areas of similarity between our congregations (e.g. credo-baptism, reformed soteriology, missional focus) these three significant areas rise to the top of the list.
What is the basic heart behind this merger?
While this conversation started around the idea of Sound City having a facility that could serve as a long-term home, it quickly became much more than that. For both MLBC and SCBC, our deepest desire is that God would use this possible merger to make a greater impact for his kingdom in our region. Both elder teams are committed to this as our primary goal: we want to see God’s kingdom grow here in the Puget Sound as it is in heaven.
What would be the benefits of this merger?
In addition to the greater benefit of seeing greater Kingdom impact, there are several other potential benefits as a result of this merger. First, SCBC would have a building where ministry, training, and other events could happen with more regularity than we currently can. This would also significantly free up finances that are currently spent on rental spaces. Second, this would provide MLBC with a greater experience of multi-generational ministry and church life. And third, this would provide our leadership teams the opportunity to come together to pray and strategize about future ministry endeavors, such as care for the elderly, missional engagement in various schools, and future church plants.
What remains the same for SCBC?
Our approach is that of an “adoption” type of merger, which means that MLBC is joining into SCBC. The church would still be called “Sound City Bible Church”, and much (if not most) of what we experience as a church would remain unchanged: Sunday worship gatherings, community, outreach, etc. With that said…
What would change for SCBC?
…a merger like this would inevitably lead to some change and adjustment for us as a church. First, there would be new people joining up with us on Sundays and in community. It would be imperative for us to work as hard as we can to welcome and include those joining us from MLBC into the church community. Second, Jason Smith would join our team as an elder and staff member (specific role TBD) as a result of this. There are several families of SCBC who have known Jason Smith and his family outside of church over the past few years, and who have spoken very favorably of him as this all has come to light. And third, there would be some behind-the-scenes things that the State of Washington cares about (paperwork related to the legal entity) but largely don’t affect the experience of the people of the church.
While it’s impossible to predict the myriad of intangible ways that this merger could bring change to SCBC, all parties involved are clear that we don’t ever want our areas of emphasis to change: God’s Word being preached, deep relationships being developed, and non-Christians invited to receive the grace of Jesus.
What about Covenant Membership?
First, all current SCBC Covenant Members will remain members. Second, all current MLBC members would be adopted into membership in SCBC. Third, there would be a more-robust-than-usual membership recommitment in 2020 as a result of this merger, giving all members the opportunity to make a renewed commitment to SCBC on the other side of this merger. There is a possibility/probability that we would do a Sunday teaching series on the mission, vision, and values of the church in 2020 to help make this process successful. (This would be similar to the series we did back in 2015 when we first launched the church.)
What would happen with leadership (elders, deacons, staff, F.A.T., etc.)?
All current SCBC leaders and staff would remain in their roles. Jason Smith from MLBC would join SCBC as an elder and a staff member in a role TBD. But beyond that, there are a few other pieces to be addressed.
First, the elder team of SCBC would remain intact with the addition of representation from the MLBC elders in proportion to the size of the MLBC membership in comparison to the size of the SCBC membership. This proportional representation would likely be fulfilled by the addition of Jason Smith from MLBC to the SCBC elder team.
There is an expectation that in 2020 there will be a need to expand the elder team of SCBC. (This was a topic of discussion for the elders of SCBC even prior to this possibility of the merger.) Candidates would be made up of men from the newly merged SCBC (including MLBC), all of whom would go through a confirmation process. This would result in a larger, stronger, more multifaceted elder team for the future.
Second, SCBC would be making a commitment to include members of MLBC in areas of service and leadership as much as possible (see below on Phase 3).
What about affiliations and networks?
SCBC is a part of the Sojourn Network, and we plan to remain so for the foreseeable future. In fact, leaders from SN have already been involved in the merger conversations, helping to provide guidance and wisdom along the way. MLBC is affiliated with the Puget Sound Baptist Association, which is “a missional network of Christ following churches” (PSBA.net). The PSBA is one of the five organizations that the founding board of SCBC looked into back when we first launched in 2015. Ultimately, the decision was made to join Sojourn Network, but the PSBA was certainly on the shortlist.
One thing that people sometimes miss is that even though “Baptist” is often referred to as a “denomination,” it really is a voluntary affiliation, more like a network. The foundational ethos of the Baptist movement is that of independent, autonomous churches who are free to govern themselves without fear of denominational control. There is a likelihood that SCBC would join the PSBA as a result of this merger, because of certain opportunities that it could afford us. However, that decision has not yet been made. For the people of SCBC, such an affiliation would have little-to-no noticeable effect on their experience of Sunday gatherings, community, outreach, etc.
What would be the timeline for all of this?
Phase 1: due diligence. Now-March 25, 2020
We are currently in phase 1, where a lot of meetings and conversations will take place to determine the best next steps for the future. If, as a result of these conversations, we determine that a merger is not the Lord’s will, then we will walk away and remain friends and partners in the gospel. But, if we work through all the various conversations and decisions along the way, then we would be a newly-merged church by April of 2020 at the latest.
Phase 2: official merger and celebration. April, 2020
While there may be bumps along the pathway, the basic plan is to be fully decided one way or another by April of 2020. If and when this happens, we would spend the month of April celebrating how God has brought us together.
Phase 3: post-merger integration. Entirety of 2020
This phase has two specific areas of focus.
Inclusion of MLBC members into the life of SCBC. During this phase, we would be specifically focused on having members of MLBC find ways to integrate into the life of SCBC, in areas of community, Sunday services, serving opportunities, discipleship, and outreach.
Construction or renovation of the Martha Lake property. As it stands, the MLBC building is very unlikely to fit the entire post-merger church for Sunday gatherings and Kids Ministry. Therefore, some level of renovation and construction would almost surely need to be completed. Additionally, there are many unknowns related to questions of what all it would take to make the building ready for us to move in. There are many variables in play, including finances, permitting, and construction specifics. This would be an ongoing area of attention for the elders and other leaders of the church going forward.
*Note: During this phase, we would likely need to continue to meet at Lynnwood High so that renovation/construction can happen on the Martha Lake property.
Phase 4: Move-in / grand re-opening. Date TBD
Simply put, we do not have a clear idea of when this would happen. Now that this whole process is out in the open, leaders of SCBC can start to gather information and make a plan. But as of today, there is no guarantee as to when we would be in the building.
What is my voice in this decision?
Since SCBC is an elder-led church, this is ultimately a decision that will be made by the elders. With that said, we always value the thoughts and input of our people so that we as elders can make a well-informed decision. For those who are Covenant Members of SCBC, we will soon enter a period of consideration and affirmation as part of this process, where your questions, thoughts, and concerns will be invited in, and opportunities for further discussion will be made available.
How can I be of help through all of this? What should I do?
For those who are Covenant Members of SCBC, we ask for your questions and input through this process. For all who are part of the Sound City community, we ask for two things. First, please pray for all the leaders to be led by God’s Spirit as we make this decision. Second, we ask for you to adopt an attitude of inclusion and welcoming for those members of MLBC who would be joining with us in the months to come.