UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20549


                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                         ______________________________

       DATE OF REPORT (Date of earliest event reported): January 24, 2008

                         ______________________________

                           FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

                         _______________________________

         INDIANA                     0-17071                   35-1544218
(State or other jurisdiction  (Commission File Number)       (IRS Employer
     of incorporation)                                    Identification No.)


                             200 East Jackson Street
                                  P.O. Box 792
                              Muncie, IN 47305-2814
          (Address of Principal Executive Offices, including Zip Code)


                                 (765) 747-1500
              (Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code)


         Check the appropriate  box  below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:

[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR
230.425)

[ ] Soliciting  material  pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14a-12)

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange
Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange
Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))


Item 5.02.        Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of
                  Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers.

          (c)     On  January 24, 2008,  the Corporation  appointed  Michael J.
Stewart to serve as its Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer. Most
recently,  Mr.  Stewart  served as the  Executive  Vice  President  of Corporate
Banking for National City Bank. A copy of the Corporation's press release, dated
January 24, 2008,  announcing the  appointment of Mr. Stewart is attached hereto
as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01.        Financial Statements and Exhibits.

          (c)     (99.1) Press Release dated January 24, 2008.



<PAGE>
                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the  requirements of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934,
the  Registrant  has duly  caused  this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

         DATE:  January 24, 2008

                                By: /s/  Mark K. Hardwick
                                    --------------------------------------------
                                          Mark K. Hardwick
                                          Executive Vice President and
                                          Chief Financial Officer
                                          (Principal Financial and
                                          Principal Accounting Officer)

<PAGE>


                                  EXHIBIT INDEX


         99.1     Press Release dated January 24, 2008

<PAGE>
                                  Exhibit 99.1



January 24, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Karen Evens, Director of Marketing, 765/747-1477
http://www.firstmerchants.com

SOURCE: First Merchants Corporation, Muncie, Indiana

Banking  Veteran to Join First  Merchants as Executive  Vice President and Chief
Banking Officer

First  Merchants  Corporation  (NASDAQ - FRME)  announced  today that Michael J.
Stewart  will be joining  the  company as  Executive  Vice  President  and Chief
Banking Officer.

Stewart most  recently  was  Executive  Vice  President,  Corporate  Banking for
National City Bank,  with direct  oversight of the Upper Middle  Market  Banking
segment in Indiana and Ohio.  He held various  leadership  positions at National
City in a career that  spanned 17 years.  Prior to his  current  responsibility,
Stewart acted as Chief Credit Officer of the National City  affiliate.  Prior to
his management of the credit  function,  Stewart managed a middle market calling
effort  across the state of  Indiana.  He began his career  with  Summit Bank in
1988.

First Merchants Chief Executive,  Michael C. Rechin, stated, "Mike Stewart is an
exciting  addition to our First Merchants  team. I have firsthand  experience in
working  with Mike and know his  talent is  additive  to us in many  areas.  His
approach  to driving  revenue  and  meeting  customer  needs will  create  great
chemistry with the Bank executives managing our markets."

Stewart is a graduate  of  Millikin  University  of  Decatur,  Illinois,  with a
Bachelors  Degree in Finance and an MBA in Business  Administration  from Butler
University.

As an active leader in the Indianapolis community,  Stewart is Chairman of Bosma
Enterprises,  a non-profit  organization,  which employs and  rehabilitates  the
blind and visually impaired.  He also serves on the board of directors of Junior
Achievement  of Greater  Indianapolis.  He previously  served as chairman of the
Seton Society, a St. Vincent Hospital and Foundation  Committee,  and a director
of Ballet Internationale.



About First Merchants Corporation:

First  Merchants  Corporation is a financial  holding company  headquartered  in
Muncie,  Indiana.  Subsidiaries of the Corporation include First Merchants Bank,
N.A.,  First  Merchants Bank of Central  Indiana,  N.A.,  Lafayette Bank & Trust
Company,  N.A.,  Commerce National Bank and First Merchants Trust Company,  N.A.
The Corporation also operates First Merchants Insurance Services, a full-service
property  casualty,  personal lines,  and healthcare  insurance  agency and is a
majority  member of Indiana  Title  Insurance  Company,  LLC, a title  insurance
agency.

First Merchants  Corporation's  common stock is traded  over-the-counter  on the
NASDAQ National  Market System under the symbol FRME.  Quotations are carried in
daily  newspapers  and  can  be  found  on  the  company's   Internet  Web  page
(http://www.firstmerchants.com).