Cornerstone & Riverside Church Grafting

 If you’ve been with us recently, you know we are exploring the possibility of bringing another local church, Riverside Alliance Church, into our congregation at Cornerstone. Right now, we are in what we’re calling the Exploratory Phase. During this time, leadership from both churches is in conversation—praying, discerning, and working through key questions to determine whether this potential merger is the right step for both congregations. We recognize that this process naturally raises questions—and we want to hear yours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for taking the time to submit questions regarding the potential grafting of Riverside Alliance Church into the congregation at Cornerstone! Please note—any questions we received that were similar were combined together. Also, it’s important to note that all answers are based on if both churches decide to move forward in the process. We are currently in the Exploratory Phase—no documents have been signed, no deals have been made. “Getting to know each other” conversations are ongoing at this moment, and all of this is potential. Keep that in mind as you read the responses to the submitted questions. These answers are predicated on the hypothetical scenario that both churches decide to move forward with Riverside joining Cornerstone. Thank you again for your input and please continue to pray for clarity, wisdom, and guidance for both congregations!

I feel like we haven’t heard a lot of specific updates since Pastor Jacob’s original announcement on Vision Sunday. Why is that?

When Pastor Jacob first shared about the possibility of bringing Riverside into Cornerstone, we intentionally described this season as an Exploratory Phase. What that means is that this process is not driven by the broader congregation—but by the Boards of both churches. Their role right now is to explore—to ask hard questions, to do careful due diligence, and to prayerfully discern whether this is something God is truly leading us into. Because of that, there hasn’t been a steady stream of updates—and that’s by design. There isn’t much “new” to report. Much of the work right now is conversations, evaluations, and discernment that need space to unfold thoughtfully before anything is finalized or shared more broadly. If and when this process moves forward in a meaningful way, the congregation will absolutely be brought into the conversation with clarity, transparency, and opportunity to understand what’s next. We promise—you won’t miss anything important!

Who will be our pastor? Will we join the two staffs? Will we have a combined Board of Directors?

Pastor Jacob will continue to be the Lead Pastor. We will join both staffs into one, adding the three staff members currently employed at Riverside onto the Cornerstone staff. Also, we are working on a new structure for the Board of Directors that would include current people from both the Cornerstone and Riverside congregations.

Can you tell me a little bit about the new building we’d be using?

The Riverside Alliance Church building is located at 2433 S. Main St.—only five minutes away from our current church building. It is more than three times our current size—8,000 sq. ft. compared to 25,000 sq. ft. It’s a wonderful space with numerous large classrooms, an office suite, a beautiful Auditorium that currently seats 350, a baseball field, tons of storage space, a large kitchen, and a 5,000 sq. ft. attached gym.

Will we still have two services? If so—would they still be at the same time?

Yes. We would continue to have two services, and they would remain at our current times of 9 and 11 AM.

Will there be a group tour through the Riverside building at any point?

Yes. If things continue progressing well with both churches, we’ll be scheduling a “field trip” for Ministry Partners to tour the Riverside building.

If we move into Riverside’s building—are we going to sell our building on Arlington Rd.? And if we keep it—how are we going to use it?

We would keep the Arlington Rd. building and continue to use it. We’ve always talked about additional streams of income to help fund the ministry of our church. The Arlington Rd. building could do just that, as we could start to rent out that building for external events—like weddings and parties. We would also still use it for internal church use—like funerals and special services. The wonderful thing is that there are many options for how we can continue to use that building going forward.

What would be our church name?

Our name will still be Cornerstone Church, as the Riverside congregation will be grafted into our church body.

How will we afford to pay the mortgage on the Arlington Rd. building and new church building?

We would only be paying the mortgage on our Arlington Rd. building, as the Riverside building is paid off and owned by The Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination. The added cost of the Riverside building would be maintenance and utilities—which are expenditures that we could take on without it negatively affecting our budget.

How soon would we start meeting for worship services at the Riverside building?

We don’t know. A lot of specifics on the exact timeline are up in the air and dependent on certain milestones being hit. But if things continue progressing and leadership affirms to move forward, our goal would be to start meeting for worship services in the Riverside building by Fall 2026.

Would we become a multisite church? Would both locations hold services?

We would be a multisite church in the sense that we would have more than one property. But our worship services, groups, and other activities would run out of the Riverside building. We wouldn’t hold worship services at the Arlington Rd. building unless growth of the church necessitated that kind of use.

Will we be finished with updates to the Arlington Rd. building?

Most major renovations at the Arlington Rd. building are finished. But we still have a list of rooms and renovations we plan on completing—things like the restrooms and the kitchen. But we are in no hurry to make those final updates. We plan to conclude them in the future as availability of time and finances allow.

Do we know of issues at the Riverside building that would cost a lot of money to fix?

No. From all indications, the Riverside building has been well loved and well maintained by the congregation. There are no known issues with the creek in the back, with the soil on the property, the roof or the AC units. Everything seems to be in good shape. One immediate issue is not something that needs fixed so much as something that needs added. Additional parking will be needed onsite, as the current parking lot has about as many spaces are our current building does—despite this building being three times our size.

What would be the costs to remodel and renovate the Riverside building?

We don’t know. But we won’t sugar coat it—it will be expensive. We will want to update the property inside and out to make it look and feel similar to our Arlington Rd. building. And for a 25,000 sq. ft. building? That will be costly. But the good news is most of the updates will be cosmetic—things like flooring, paint, hardware. The really expensive things—like tearing down walls or moving plumbing—wouldn’t be a part of our remodel.

So we wouldn’t keep the Riverside building looking the exact same way?

No. We’d be making changes to fit the scheme and aesthetic of Cornerstone Church. But things like the beautiful stained glass windows in and around the Auditorium wouldn’t be touched. In fact, we’d accentuate the gorgeous details already around the building while working to incorporate our Cornerstone look and feel.

Do the people at Riverside want to be a part of Cornerstone? Are they being “forced” into this by their denomination?

The Board of Elders at Riverside will be meeting with their members at some point to discuss and vote on the potential grafting with Cornerstone. So they will get to decide if they want to be a part of our church. And no—Riverside is not at all being forced into this potential grafting by their denomination. Riverside’s denominational leadership, led by Superintendent David Lane, has been nothing but supportive to Riverside as they’ve sought out God’s next best step for their congregation.

Are we protecting ourselves so that we can’t lose the Riverside building or be forced to leave?

Yes. We are currently working on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Christian & Missionary Alliance that would legally ensure our occupancy of the building—including contingencies for exclusive rights to eventually assume or purchase ownership of the building in the future. Having security when it comes to our occupancy of the building is non-negotiable in this process.

Are we joining the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination?

Yes and no. Joining the Christian & Missionary Alliance (CMA) as a denominational church is called accreditation. Accreditation means that you are no longer a self-governed church—that you submit to the bylaws and governance of the denomination. This is what it was like when Cornerstone used to be a part of the Free Methodist denomination years ago. We’re not doing that. We’d be joining the CMA as an affiliate—meaning we would be a self-governed church in partnership with the CMA to advance the Gospel. We would have our own bylaws and structures that govern Cornerstone, keeping us independent. So for all intents and purposes—nothing about how we work as a church would noticeably change.

Can you tell me a little bit about the Riverside congregation who would be joining Cornerstone?

The people at Riverside are exceptional, and there is undeniable alignment of heart behind our two ministries. Our missions. Our values. Our love for people on the margins. Our desire to reach the last, the lowest, and the least. This congregation is made up of faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who have blown us away with their character and humility.

I’ve heard something about Riverside having a Recovery Ministry. Would we keep doing that if they join us at Cornerstone?

Yes. Riverside has a Recovery Ministry that has been doing wonderful work in the city of Akron. And if you’ve been around for any period of time—you know that we also have a heart for recovery at Cornerstone, so this is a natural fit for both churches.

Will we still operate the way we do as a church? I’d hate to lose the things that make us unique at Cornerstone.

Yes. Cornerstone will retain our own set of bylaws and governing documents. Our culture, our mission, our values, our DNA, our “vibe”—none of those things would be going away. From Day 1, the leadership at Cornerstone and Riverside have been open and honest about our church cultures, theology, operating procedures, bylaws, governance authority, etc. This is to make sure both churches know exactly “what they’re getting into” by joining.

Who makes the decision on whether we join or not?

Riverside Alliance Church is its own church and legal entity. It’s also a part of the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination. That means that Cornerstone has no say in how they and their denomination decide whether or not to move forward—nor should we! But Cornerstone will decide whether to move forward or not through a vote of our Board of Directors. Our Board is nominated and elected by the congregation to make big decisions on behalf of the church—hiring a pastor, purchasing property, etc. And this opportunity with grafting in Riverside is the exact kind of large-scale decision that they get to vote on.