Attendees at a CBF General Assembly workshop had the opportunity to learn about partnership work in new church starts. Bob Perkins photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a Chicago suburb, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church start has combined with an aging American Baptist Churches USA church to create new ministry possibilities in the Chicago area.

It was similar passion, strengths and vision that has made this congregational merger work between First Baptist Church of Waukegan, Ill., and Grace Chapel of Lake County, Ill. And it’s another example of partnership between the Fellowship and ABCUSA, who met June 29 in a joint worship service and co-commissioned two couples to global missions service.

"There were pieces missing from both churches that fit together," said Jorge Zayasbazan, who co-pastors the new church. "They had a hole that we filled and we had holes that they filled"

After 161 years, First Baptist’s membership was declining and Grace Chapel’s high energy praise team and young congregation was attracting many new believers. First Baptist’s legacy of ministry combined with Grace Chapel’s fresh programming has been an effective combination.

"Since we merged we’ve had quite a few baptisms right away," Zayasbazan said. "It breathed a new life into the church. It created an enthusiasm among the membership there that was contagious. Visitors would come into the door and wanted to be a part of it."

Zayasbazan, who is the coordinator for North Central Region CBF, was former pastor of Grace Chapel, which formed in 2001. With the merger, he co-pastors the church with First Baptist’s pastor Keith Cerk. They both preach, with Zayasbazan working on evangelism and community ministries and Cerk focusing on congregational life and spiritual development.

The new congregation, which held its first worship service Feb. 4, is called First Baptist Church in order to maintain affiliation with both ABCUSA and CBF.

"There are many opportunities out there where CBF and ABC can partner and start a church together," Zayasbazan said. "[This merger is] a tiny picture of what we can do together."

An Assembly workshop provided further discussion on CBF/ABCUSA partnership in church starts. The speakers included Zayasbazan and church start leaders from the Fellowship and ABCUSA.

For more on the Fellowship’s church starts ministry, visit www.thefellowship.info/involved/network/churchstarts/welcome.icm.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.