A collaborative endeavor has two young Greenville churches setting aside personal preferences in favor of unity.

After months of discussion, the members of Renewal Church and Covenant Grace Baptist Church recently voted to unite. The new congregation, known as The Church at Cherrydale, began meeting at the end of September at 401 State Park Road in Greenville — the home of Covenant Grace since its inception in April 2012.

Matt Rogers, teaching pastor of Renewal, said teaming up with Covenant Grace presents a unique opportunity.

“We think this partnership will present an amazing picture of the gospel to the city,” Rogers said. “In my mind, that’s something worth fighting for. If we can show that this kind of thing can be done successfully, it could be a profound influence on many southern cities.”

Rogers will continue his role as teaching pastor of the new congregation, while Toby Dix assumes the role of executive pastor and Hugh Carson leads as connection pastor. All three have held those positions at Renewal since that congregation started meeting more than three years ago. Other ministerial staff at the unified church will include Wayne Batson, Stephen Rutland, Amber Mathis, Brian Henderson and Dan Carroll.

Randy Bradley, director of missions for Three Rivers Baptist Association, said the merger seems to be a natural fit.

“This is both sides helping each other,” Bradley said. “You have to do this sort of thing for the right reasons, and I think you see two churches that are willing to make concessions and give and take. That’s what you need to be successful.”

Donny Mathis, a deacon at Covenant Grace, said the decision is a step in the right direction for both churches.

“There are lots of places where Renewal has gaps that we can fill, and there are a lot of gaps we have that Renewal can fill,” Mathis said. “It has just been a blessing, and we’ve been able to see unbelievable confirmation that this is what God is doing.”

Rogers said discussions of a possible merger began with building relationships.

“Any partnership like this is really predicated on relationships,” Rogers said. “It’s a mutual love for the leaders and the members of the respective churches. That’s where this began, and that’s where this decision was forged. As we developed relationships with one another, that’s when we started to say, ‘There are so many pieces of this puzzle that seem to fit, and these churches could really work together to do more.’ ”

Covenant Grace is no stranger to the idea of a church merger. The current congregation is made up of members from Buncombe Road Baptist Church and Leawood Baptist Church, both former Greenville congregations that merged in the spring of 2012.

Nine months into that merger, Covenant Grace had a transition in pastoral leadership. It was then that leaders from Renewal and Covenant Grace began talks.

“We were hesitant to go through it again because it was hard. It was just tough,” Mathis said. “Sometimes, however, in spite of yourself, you know that God’s doing something important and big.”

Rogers said the merger was an opportunity for his congregation to serve with another group of believers who are like-minded. Rogers also said The Church at Cherrydale will soon serve as a means to plant more churches in the area by training future leadership.

“The uniqueness of this situation is that it’s two healthy churches that had certain pieces of the puzzle that the other one lacked,” Rogers said. “We both would have been fine independently, but we knew that we could really honor God in some unique ways together.”

Mathis said the new congregation is committed to working together to make The Church at Cherrydale a success.

“It’s going to be a constant process, but there’s dedication from both churches to work to make sure everyone is cared for and loved,” Mathis said. “If we’re laying aside our pride, it’s amazing the things God can do.”

Congregation members said they are looking forward to the new partnership.

“This is just another step in where God is taking us,” Terry Hancock, a charter member at Renewal, said. “Both churches are going to see some things that are different from what they’re used to, but I’m OK with that.”

Lane Hatcher, chairman of deacons at Covenant Grace, said the move is exciting for his congregation.

“We’ve just had the opportunity to see God work in all of this,” Hatcher said. “A lot of people go their whole life and don’t really get to see how God changes hearts and brings people together on this kind of level. It has been a privilege to see.”

The two congregations worshiped together for the first time on Sept. 8, before voting to approve the merger.

“I think it’s a really good fit for both congregations, and I really began to see that when we came together as one,” Renewal worship leader Stephen Rutland said. “This is definitely not what I expected when we began at Renewal, but I see God’s hand in it because it’s something I would not have expected or chosen four years ago.”

Mathis said he feels confident the decision to come together is the right one.

“We feel like the first merger was just a step toward this one,” Mathis said. “God was at work with something way bigger than any one of us could have ever seen. That’s scary, but that’s where trusting God is a very freeing place to be.”