2 churches in Phoenix area agreed to merge

East Valley Bible Church was already a megachurch. Praxis Church was headed in the same direction. But last year, pastors Tyler Johnson and Justin Anderson agreed to merge their thriving congregations in order to better reach the Phoenix area. Today attendance at four campuses of Redemption Church—which accepted a third partner in January—is nearly 4,800, a 14 percent increase over pre-merger days for all three churches combined. ------------ Two Southeast Valley churches are setting aside their individual practices and coming together to achieve their goal to proclaim the Gospel. The 20-year-old East Valley Bible Church in Gilbert and 6-year-old Praxis Church in Tempe and Phoenix are merging this weekend to become Redemption Church. With the two names shed, staffs and talents combined and resources and ideas shared, Redemption Church will have a combined membership of 4,700 on three campuses in Gilbert, Tempe and Arcadia in Phoenix.