Highland Plaza United Methodist Church is marking its 50th -- and final -- anniversary this year.
The Norcross Road congregation will merge in June with Hixson United Methodist Church in one of several moves involving the denomination's Chattanooga District.
"It's (due to) everything," said the Rev. Fred Dearing, superintendent of the Chattanooga District. "It's not any one single factor."
Elsewhere, the Fairview congregation on Hamill Road will be served by members of the clergy staff of Burks United Methodist Church, and members of the Sand Mountain, Morganville and Slygo Valley congregations in Dade County, Ga., will be served by one pastor rather than two.
Both additional moves will be finalized at the United Methodist Holston Annual Conference in June.
Dr. Dearing said the economy, the planned direct invoicing of churches for pastors' pensions and health insurance, the lack of congregational growth, and changing demographics all had a hand in the anticipated moves.
He said individual congregations saw the need to make changes following their annual conferences with him.
"They said, 'Can we come back together and look at our situation and see what some possible scenarios would be to respond to (our) particular need?'" Dr. Dearing said.
While the 36-member Highland Plaza congregation will merge with Hixson UMC, its thriving child care center will remain open and in place, officials said. Its pastor, the Rev. W. Edward Snodgrass III, will serve the congregation until the merger.
The Rev. Randy Martin, senior pastor of the Hixson congregation, said the two churches are working separately and together to come up with a merger plan. Such a plan, he said, will ensure, among other things, the presence of programs that would minister to the merging Highland Plaza members.
A merger plan must be approved by conferences of both churches, he said.
"Nothing is official, Mr. Martin said.
The Highland Plaza congregation was organized in 1960 when neighborhoods began growing around the then-new Highland Plaza shopping center, according to the book "A History of the Chattanooga District of the United Methodist Church." The congregation first met at Alpine Crest Elementary School, then began erecting its first building when its membership reached 72 in 1961. It completed an addition in 1964.
The scenario for 174-member Fairview is not new for the Big Ridge congregation. It was linked with Middle Valley UMC for pastoral services as recently as the 1970s and with Burks as recently as the 1960s.
The Rev. Henry Groseclose, a retired pastor, has served the Fairview congregation for 10 years and will continue to do so until June. After that, the congregation will contribute to Burks for pastoral support.
"We consider ourselves part of the United Methodist system and will work with the transition," said the Rev. Nathan Malone, senior pastor of Burks. "We look forward to seeing where it leads us."
He said he envisions future plans that would include opportunities for studies, fellowship and missions involving both congregations.
The 45-member Morganville and 27-member Slygo Valley churches have been served for the past 11 years by the Rev. Vernon A. Windom, a retired local pastor. The Rev. Wayne Cook has been the full-time local pastor for Sand Mountain for two years. Both will serve at least until June. After that, certified lay speakers will handle some of the preaching duties at the churches.
Dr. Dearing said the nine congregations grouped as the Dade County Cluster -- Morganville, New Salem, Payne's Chapel, Rising Fawn, Sand Mountain, Slygo Valley, Trenton, Whiteside and Wildwood -- already have entered into a covenant relationship for certain programs.
He said the congregations will have a joint United Methodist Men's group and vacation Bible school. He said the churches also will work to strengthen the communal Tri-State Food Pantry at Sand Mountain UMC.
Dr. Dearing said the changes have allowed the district to firm up the connectional aspect of its heritage.
"The positive side of all this," he said, "is it has helped us to be Methodist again, to be cooperative, to be the church."