What is the Starting Point for Church Revitalization?

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Mar/Apr 2020 Vol 7, Issue 2

CHURCH

Revitalizer A Revitalization Retreat in Every Issue

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What is the Starting Point for Church Revitalization

“The only magazine dedicated to Church Revitalization.�

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From The Editor Welcome to the Church Revitalizer Magazine!

None of us begin the process of revitalization the exact same way. I know that all of us begin by praying first, that is a given. But where do we go from there? What might be the starting place for one church might not be the launching place for another. Within this edition we will look at the starting point in revitalization. Each of our writers was asked what they thought was that beginning place and it will be interesting to see their ideas and suggestions.

Why do churches get involved in the process of revitalization? Some admittedly do so because they desire to avoid the death blow of a church and that compels many congregations to consider church revitalization efforts. Yet, most laity find it hard to allow someone to assist them and reveal the very things that caused their decline. When a local church refuses to trade its fear of closing the door for a desire to see life come back within the congregation, the church revitalization experience will end promptly as soon as the danger of death has been eliminated. What usually happens next may mean another recycle of decline until it is bad again.

Churches only experience revitalization and renewal when their people experience renewal! Unless a churches leadership desires renewal, it will not happen. There must be a commitment to lead the church towards revitalization. If not, nothing will be changed.

Within this edition we want to look at: What is the Starting Point for Church Revitalization?

Keep Staying connected, more is coming!

Dr. Tom Cheyney is the Founder and Directional Leader of Renovate National Church Revitalization Conference and Executive Editor of the Church Revitalizer.

Contents

Where do You Begin in Church Revitalization?

Tom Cheyney

p. 10

Creating a Roadmap for Change in Your Church Lee Kricher

p. 14

Centrifugal Buzz: The Revitalizer’s Catalytic Tool Ken Priddy

p. 18

Before You Start: Does the Church Have What it Takes?

Bill Tenny-Brittian

The Starting Point for Church Revitalization Is Not Prayer...

Bob Whitesel

p. 26

p. 20

Don’t Squat with Your Spurs On: 8 Steps to Dreaming Bigger Ron Smith

Also in this issue:

p. 28

The Revitalizer

Book Review

Anatomy of a Revived Church: Seven Findings of How Congregations Avoided Death

Rob Hurtgen

by Thom Rainer

p. 70 4

Your Future Self Will Thank You; Secrets to Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science

by Drew Dyck

March/April | Vol 7, No 2

Hear the Word of the Lord Terry Rials

p. 32

Did You Remember to Become the Pastor of Your Leaders First?

Steve Smith

p. 36

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction Matt Henslee

p. 42

Revitalization Begins in the Pastor’s Mind Bud Brown

p. 44

The Leadership Link: Revitalization Leaders Who Are Themselves, Revitalized Michael Atherton

Discerning the Starting Point of Church Revitalization Desmond Barrett

p. 62

p. 56

Creativity in Kid’s Ministry p. 38 Bill Hegedus

It Must Beign With Prayer and Repentance p. 68 Steve Sells

Where does Church Revitalization Begin? p. 52 Jim Grant

Thriving or Surviving: Making the Most of Your Wages p. 74 Rodney Harrison

Diagnosis Before Therapy: Measuring Your Church’s Vital Signs p. 60 Mark Weible Four Practical Ways in Providing Hope in a Revitalization Effort p. 66 Desmond Barrett

Following the Schorched Earth Pastor p. 78 Rob Myers On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! p. 80 Tracy Jaggers 5

THE

CHURCH

Revitalizer Volume 7, No. 2

The Church Revitalizer Is published bi-monthly by Renovate Publishing Group 1906 West Lee Road Orlando, FL 32810 Email: ChurchRevitalizer.guru

PUBLISHER Executive Editor Dr. Tom Cheyney Associate Publisher Mark Weible Associate Publisher Circulation & Marketing Ashleigh Cheyney

The Church Revitalizer Q&A: What is The Church Revitalizers purpose?

To help churches that need to be reinvigorated and renewed effectively receive help in issues that revitalizers face everyday. Articles, resources, and information are gathered from authors all over the country who have been through, or may currently be in, the revitalization process and we want to share their knowledge.

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Where Do you Begin in Church Revitalization?

By Tom Cheyney I know that the first place to begin discerning a churches ability to be revitalized is in those quiet moments with the Lord seeking His will about the church. It is the go-to when the subject is so hard that it overwhelms us at the enormity of the task. And while we have articles declaring that prayer is the initial step, of which I am in full agreement, there are a few things which would be close seconds. Might I suggest that the beginning place for church revitalization is twofold? It is the discernment of whether the specific church is a good candidate for revitalization and secondly are you, as its leader, a good applicant for the task of revitalization?

Every church in need of revitalization should be assessed in regards to its ability to be revitalized. Every pastor/leader should be assessed as to their core values to see if they have what it takes in their wiring to be a successful church revitalizer. While the world changes all around the local church, it fails to remain on the cutting edge of relevancy and is left with a message that is out of date, out of touch, and out of step with the things the Lord desires to impact a community. When this happens, it is time to conduct a few assessment’s in order to consider the church’s options for advancement and renewal. Conducting an all-inclusive assessment appraisal of a church’s individual ministries, actions, and attitudes is an indispensable part of any church revitalization procedure.

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Assessing the Local Churches Ability to Be Revitalized Every church needs to, at times, observe where it is going and from where it has come. Whether it is the setting of milestones or benchmarks, the local church just can’t sit around and be immovable in the world in which we minister. Motionless churches and motionless church members are often the two critical ingredients towards the steady decline of a local church. There are two vital assessments The Renovate Group utilizes in working with plateaued or declining churches seeking to be revitalized. The first assessment is The Church Passivity Assessment. The Church Passivity Assessment looks at the church from an adverse point of view. It is designed to uncover the top five weakest areas within the local church. The result of taking this assessment is for the leaders of the church to determine in to which of the four grids does the local church fall.

Level One: Indicates a high degree of passivity within the church which could challenge revitalization efforts. They are negative and will struggle with change and the effort required to revitalize a church.

Level Two: Indicates a low median degree of passivity within the church and that the church leans more towards being against revitalization and change than in favor of revitaliza-

tion and change. Their neutrality leans towards those who speak against the effort of renewal. This group is not open to change and will usually balk at such efforts.

Level Three: Indicates a high median degree of passivity within the church which implies that the church leans more towards being in favor of revitalization and change than against revitalization and change. Their neutrality leans towards those who desire to see the church revitalized and changed. This group is open to change but not seeking change.

Level Four: Indicates a very low degree of church passivity which suggests that the church would be open to church revitalization and renewal. They are very positive and awaiting someone who will lead them through the revitalization process.

rough estimate as well as a discussion starter for church leadership teams. The Growth Readiness Assessment Profile is to identify perceptions related to growth readiness factors.

Assessing the Pastors Ability and Potential to Lead the Church Through Renewal Every struggling church and church revitalizer want to start out well in their revitalization effort. An accurate assessment of a church revitalizer’s potential is essential in a field where much is at stake, whether it is the health of a church revitalizer’s family, identifying the right revitalizer, or launching the revitalization effort at the right time within the right church that is willing to work with the right church revitalizer. Unless you really like pain and frustration as a church revitalizer, you do not want to attempt to revitalize a church without being equipped, gifted, and specifically called by God to do so! Since revitalization is a minimum investment of a thousand days it is critical that your church begin its journey well.

I receive calls from churches all the time asking me for some of the first things they ought to do in starting a church revitalization effort out strong.

So, what would be the very first thing I would do as a potential church revitalizer or as a local church needing to be revitalized? I would assess the pastor’s ability and potential for revitalization. Before you invest sums of money, time, and volunteers it is best to conduct an indepth assessment of a church revitalizer. This will establish whether or not they have the skills to do the work of revitalization, but also to discover if they have the critical core values necessary for being the leader of the revitalization effort. Just as each culture assesses certain things in our daily lives by a standard, God has clearly laid out the standards by which leaders in the church must be evaluated by and held.

“Before you invest sums of money, time, and volunteers, it is best to conduct an in-depth assessment of a church revitalizer.”

The second of the critical assessments The Renovate Group utilizes in working with plateaued or declining churches seeking to be revitalized is The Growth Readiness & Change Willingness Assessment. The Growth Readiness & Change Willingness Assessment is designed as a part of The Renovate Group’s Congregational Health Assessment Guide.

There are six assessments within this guide. Each one has been developed to ascertain specific insights into the state of the individual church. In the field of Church Revitalization and Renewal this assessment evaluates the level of stress and pain church revitalizers can anticipate from any renewal plan they propose to implement within a church.

Renovate has utilized this tool for years with numerous congregations in North America. Recently, Terry Rials (Founder, ChurchRevitalizer.com) and I (Renovate Founder & Directional Leader) have modified and updated this assessment tool for greater effect for the local church. There have been hundreds of discussions that have taken place with the churches we have worked with and their revitalization leadership. The Change Readiness Assessment is designed as a practical tool for church leaders to ascertain how much “pain” they can expect from any improvement plan they intent to implement in a church. This has been field tested in numerous congregations around the country, but is not based on hard research. The goal is primarily to use it as a

The goal of a church revitalizer is to see the church turn around its declining status and begin to be regenerated into a lively church with a new vision and mission for reaching a target area with the Gospel. Initial steps

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include slowing the exodus, while beginning to reach new adults who willingly desire a relationship with this renewing church. The goal is for the church revitalizer to be able to regrow the church to significant strength allowing it to survive and flourish. If the church has fallen to below the necessary critical mass of 50 adults, the initial work is to work towards regaining a solid group of adults which can undergird the work of revitalization.

New from The Renovate Group is the Church Revitalizer Top Performance Profile Assessment. The CRTPPA has been developed for local churches, associations, districts entities, and denominations to qualify candidates for their potential success in turning a church around through revitalization and renewal. Most of these groups really do not have financial resources to squander so pre-qualifying candidates is essential. This Core Values Index (CVI) decreases the cost of hiring unqualified pastors that would deplete the necessary funds for the revitalization of a declining church. It aligns these candidates with the tasks and jobs that are required to restart and revitalize a church. By discovering the skills, talents, and competencies of these candidates you can discover the likelihood of success in the revitalization of a church. Groups that have limited funds to invest in revitalization need to discover and deploy only the best performers in the Church Revitalizer Top Performance Profile Assessment.

The assessment provides a quick and easy way for prospective church revitalizers to discover if they are better prepared to serve as a church revitalizer or as a church revitalization team member. We have partnered with Exos Advisors to use their patent pending algorithms to find Core Value patterns in existing top performing church revitalizers. This validates and proves that the resulting CRTPPA will consistently identify new future top performers in the field of church revitalization, while screening out a vast majority of future low performers.

How this Works When a church’s revitalization team is searching and considering the calling of a church revitalizer to lead in the revitalization and renewal process, the prospective candidate is sent an email with a link to the CRTPPA. The assessment is then completed by the candidate and their score is automatically received by The Renovate Group and will be shared within seven days of completion with the candidate and the local church.

The report will be compared with the top church revitalizer profile assessments across the country. Those

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candidates which assess as a high potential for the successful revitalization of a healthy church are then recommended to local churches that are plateaued or in decline. The calling church will still need to qualify the candidate in the areas of: character, doctrine, financial stability, and experience which is done on the local level. To find out more or to take the online assessment, go to: www.RevitalizerAssessment.com Reliable and valid assessment tools may be found, and permission granted to use, at no cost. Generally, these tools are made available as paper copies that may then be freely used by the church. The Renovate Group has a set of six assessment tools for the local church to utilize. These assessments are: The Spiritual Dynamics Assessment, The Church Viability Assessment, The Church Passivity Assessment, The Change & Growth Readiness Assessment, The Staff Fit Assessment, and The Church Revitalizer Assessment.

You may contact either creator regarding revitalization coaching, mentoring, training, or consulting.

Tom Cheyney is the Founder & Directional Leader of the RENOVATE National Church Revitalization Conference (RenovateConference.org). Some of Tom’s books include: The Church Revitalizer as Change Agent, Slaying the Dragons of Church Revitalization: Dealing with the Critical Issues that are Hurting Your Church; and Church Revitalization in Rural America: Restoring Churches in America’s Heartland. Tom lives in Orlando, Florida with his wife Cheryl and travels all over North America assisting declining churches by bringing revitalization and renewal to the congregations.

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Creating a Roadmap for Change in Your Church

By Lee Kricher In 2003, the church to which I was called to pastor was an aging, dying church. After years of declining attendance, we were on the verge of closing our doors. The average age of our church attendees was over 50 years old - more than 15 years older than the average age of our community. I knew that prayer would provide the foundation of hope for our future as a church. I also knew that we had to change some things.

We did not have to change our core beliefs and values.

They were not the problem. The problem was that our approach to church was stuck in the past. Our services, programs, ministries and practices were perfectly designed to reach – and only reach – the people who were attending our church at that time. While preserving our core beliefs and values, we had to find a way to make the changes to our services, programs, ministries and practices that were needed to reach people we were not reaching – particularly the next generation.

We did not approach our church revitalization with just a short-term goal of experiencing a season of increased attendance, but rather with a long-term goal of building

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a lasting, multi-generational church. That is why, as is covered in detail in the book For a New Generation: A Practical Guide for Revitalizing Your Church, we created and implemented a Change Roadmap that included five change leadership principles or strategies - Adopt a New Mindset, Identify the Essentials, Reduce the Distractions, Elevate Your Standards and Build a Mentoring Culture.

Adopting a New Mindset At the heart of the Change Roadmap is Adopt a New Mindset. We knew that none of the other strategies would gain traction without a significant change in mindset. Paul wrote, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2) We often apply this only to individuals, but it is also applicable to churches. Here are a few examples of changes in thinking that were needed in our church: • We had a mindset of “All we need to do is fervently pray for young people to come back to church and they will come back.” That had to change to “We will fervently pray AND make the changes needed to reach young people in this rapidly changing world.”

• We had a mindset of “God doesn’t care about numbers so we shouldn’t be overly concerned about the empty seats in our church services.” That had to change to “Every empty seat in our church represents a person in our community who is far from God.” • We had a mindset of “Even though we don’t have a high quantity of people, the people in our church are high quality people.” That had to change to “There is not one person in our community who is lower quality than the people in our church. Their value is determined by the price paid for them at the cross.”

• We had a mindset of “Those ideas to reach young people may work for other churches but they would never work for us!” That had to change to “God, give us open hearts and minds to embrace the changes we need to make.”

• The most paralyzing mindset we had was “If it was good enough for us, it is good enough for our children.” That had to change to a question “What will it take to reach the next generation?”

Changing our Mindset From the moment I was voted in as pastor, I considered every message to be a critical opportunity to help our church adopt a new mindset. I spoke regularly during weekend services about God’s heart for the next generation and our responsibility to build bridges. I challenged church members to start thinking in terms of doing whatever it would take to reach the young people of our community.

I also spoke regularly about the fact that every empty chair in our church represented someone in our community for whom Christ died. I pointed out that the value of people we needed to reach was determined by the value God placed on them – the shed blood of His Son. I did not use weekend messages to criticize the past or to criticize those who disagreed with change. Instead, I tried to cast a positive vision about what the future could hold.

We did other things to shift our mindset. Our board members took field trips to healthy, multi-generational churches. We initiated church-wide small group Bible studies with the topic of reaching outward instead of looking inward.

As it turns out, adopting a new mindset was the quickest and easiest of the five strategies on our Change Roadmap.

We saw a tangible shift in mindset within a few months.

people who were attending our church in 2003 left within the first two years. To my knowledge, they all went to other churches in the area. I did not view those who left or criticized our changes as bad people or selfish “change resistors”; they just didn’t resonate with the new direction we were taking.

Fortunately, most of our church members stayed – and new people started to attend. During those two years the average weekend attendance more than doubled to 400 people. Within five years, our average weekend attendance exceeded 600 people. And 15 years after embarking on our revitalization journey, the average weekend attendance at Amplify Church grew to over 2,000 people.

Most importantly, we were transformed into a multi-generational church. The average age of church attendees matched the average age of the community served by the church.

Surrendering to the status quo is much easier than implementing change in a church. But, for us, accepting the status quo would have meant that we would continue to be an aging, dying church. I am glad that we considered the words of Psalm 78:4 – “We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.” And I am glad that we determined that it was worth investing the time and effort needed to bring revitalization to our church.

Visit futureforwardchurches.com/free-resources for free church revitalization resources.

Lee Kricher is the Senior Pastor of Amplify Church in Pittsburgh, PA, a church that experienced a dramatic turnaround from an aging, dying church of under 200 people to a church of over 2,000 people with every generation well represented. Lee is the author of For a New Generation: A Practical Guide For Revitalizing Your Church and founder of Future Forward Churches. You can contact him at lee@futureforwardchurches.com

What Happened Even though we used our Change Roadmap as a framework, our journey was not easy. About a third of the 150

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Centrifugal Buzz:

The Revitalizer’s Catalytic Tool

By Ken Priddy For a church to revitalize, something, or perhaps many things, must change. Stated another way, revitalization without change is impossible; change is the revitalizer’s catalytic tool. Yet, many church leaders long for revitalization while keeping all ministry programming in place and effecting little to no change in those programs. At best, improvements in ministry programming might be undertaken, but improvement does not constitute substantive change.

Rather, the focus of improvement is on continuing to do what we’re already doing, only better. Improvement will not spark revitalization. What’s needed is transformation in the hearts and minds of church leaders and congregations and transformation in the methods of ministry. In short, a church will not be effective in 21st century ministry while operating in a 20th century mindset with 20th century methodology.

The challenge is that people in general, and congregations in particular, resist change. Change is seen in multiple negative manifestations: change is a threat, change is uncomfortable, change might not work, change might drive people away, change is difficult, change is different, change is compromise; the list goes on and on. Have you ever considered that, perhaps, the most sweeping change ever known since Creation is the Incarnation of Jesus Christ? God became man as God the Son took on flesh and dwelled among us, living, dying and being raised to become the eternal first fruits of the resurrection. Unbelievable! Now, two thousand years later, we argue over music styles or whether or not to continue with Vacation Bible School. Really?! Surely, there is more, much more, at stake.

If you buy the hypothesis that change is the revitalizer’s catalytic tool, but recognize the adversarial truth that congregations resist change, how do we get there from here? What compels a change-resistant congregation to embrace the change it hopes to avoid? Change begins with URGENCY!

Urgency lives at the opposite end of the spectrum from complacency, resignation, ambivalence, denial, etc. Church analysts such as Lyle Schaller, George Barna, Ed Stetzer, and Thom Ranier have noted for years that over 80% of American Protestant churches are in plateau or decline, but an ear to the ground reveals no thundering hooves as the church charges toward doing things differently. It seems we are content with our mediocrity and loss of a voice in the American public square. There is little to no sense of urgency.

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John P. Kotter, noted business author, followed his bestseller, Leading Change, with The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations, written with co-author Dan S. Cohen. In both books, the Eight Stages of Successful Large-Scale Change are covered. Step 1, as explained in The Heart of Change, includes the observation, “Whether at the top of a large private enterprise or in small groups at the bottom of a nonprofit, those who are most successful at significant change begin their work by creating a sense of urgency among relevant people,” (p. 3). Further, they state, “The core issue in step 1 is not urgency in some abstract sense. The core issue is the behavior of people who are ignoring how the world is changing, who are frozen in terror by the problems they see, or who do little but bitterly complain,” (p. 6).

Sure, the context of Kotter’s writing is the marketplace, but people are people whether at work, at play or at church.

Nehemiah provides an example of biblical urgency. The glimpse into the prayers of Nehemiah given to us in Nehemiah 1 ends with his request, “grant him mercy in the sight of this man,” (Nehemiah 1:11). What, exactly, is Nehemiah asking of God the Father?

In the opening verses of the Book of Nehemiah, we find that Nehemiah has received a report concerning the Jews who had survived the exile and returned to Jerusalem. The report is discouraging, noting that this remnant of God’s people is

in “great trouble and shame.” (v. 3). Nehemiah’s response is that, for a number of days, he “wept and mourned, fasted and prayed,” (v. 4). We are not given a complete transcript of all that Nehemiah prayed during these days, but I think we can reasonably read between the lines. Nehemiah is heartbroken over the state of the remnant and the condition of Jerusalem, and he senses God’s call to do something about it. It seems that he determined to do something about it NOW, not next month, not next year, not sometime in the distant future. Why? Because the matter is URGENT! He calls upon God and we see throughout the remainder of the book that the hand of God was upon him.

To revitalize the remnant and their faithfulness to God in Jerusalem, there would have to be change from the status quo. The matter was urgent. Nehemiah seized the moment and spread his sense of urgency throughout the remnant.

God blessed and Nehemiah, along with Ezra and others, led God’s people to restoration of faith and worship and to rebuilding Jerusalem and even their homes. Change was the catalyst and urgency lit the fuse.

If the what that compels a change-resistant congregation toward embracing change is urgency, how do church leaders create this sense of urgency? The bottom line is that leaders need to lead the sheep and not follow the sheep.

Leaders must take people where they need to go instead of where they want to go, and, in the case of creating a sense of

urgency, there are two routes, the negative and the positive.

The negative route is the least desirable, but often is a starting place. This is more and more true the deeper a church is down the backside of the church life cycle. The urgency that a congregation is closest to sensing at this point emerges from the loss of people, a drop in giving, few visitors, little to no conversion or even transfer growth, and the accelerating downward trajectory of the church. This is an urgency born of, “we’ve got to do something and we’ve got to do something NOW to save ourselves.” While this is far from healthy thinking, it’s real and understandable, and if negative motivators can be leveraged to effect change, at least it’s a place to start. However, as soon as possible, negative motivators must be replaced by positive motivators or the revitalization effort will not sustain.

The positive route is one of conviction that is rooted in Scripture and the movement of God’s Spirit within the congregation. Leaders pour God’s word into their people, promoting obedience to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, and remind the congregation that God’s hand of blessing can return, that the future of this church can be honoring and glorifying to God while the light of Christ is shed upon a lost community outside. The harvest is always plentiful and will be found as more and more labor in that harvest.

Change is the revitalizer’s catalytic tool that makes a new future happen. The urgency of positive Scriptural motivators lights the fuse and sustains the effort through all the challenges that change is sure to bring. Challenging, yes, but so worth it!

Ken Priddy (D.Min., Ph.D.) is Founder and Executive Director of the GO Center, a training and consulting ministry committed to church vitalization and revitalization. Ken also directs LEADERTOWN: A Laboratory for Organization & Leadership Development. His thirty-plus year journey in church planting and revitalization has grown into a national presence among evangelical leaders. He’s an effective trainer and consultant, but perhaps his most significant contribution is his extensive development of training curricula.

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Before You Start: Does the Church Have What It Takes?

By Bill Tenny-Brittian Truth is, most of these kinds of articles start with a couple of Rah Rahs! to help get your motivation up about revitalization. If you need a shot of Atta Boys first, then go read some other article and then, perhaps, when you’re adequately positive-minded, then come back and start this article.

Because I’m probably going to burst your bubble from the first.

Revitalization is likely the most needed ministry for the North American church. With around 85 percent of US churches in some state of decline, you’re not likely to run out of work if revitalization is your calling or your specialty. That means, of the 350,000 congregations, 297,500 are struggling. That’s not exactly great news, but that’s nowhere near the worst news.

According to several studies, of those declining churches that attempt a revitalization, less than 20 percent will be able to achieve a sustainable turnaround. That means, short a miracle, 238,000 churches will continue to decline until they close their doors permanently. For some, that’ll happen this year, but for others it’ll take many years as they blow through their endowments, cut staff and ministries, go to a part-time pastor, and finally struggle to stay open with their dozen faithful church members before they finally vote to sell their building to someone who’ll turn it into a thrift store, bed and breakfast, or a single family residence.

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That means, currently, there are about 59,500 congregations that have real possibilities of actual turnaround. And since there are very, very few revitalization pastors who have the training, the skills, and the backbone to successfully lead an effective turnaround, they need to be very careful about choosing which church they try to invest their lives into. Remember, only 1 in 5 churches are revitalizable; that a successful revitalization project is typically a five to twelve year process; and few people have the energy to be able to turn around more than one church in their life times.

That said, presuming you’re feeling called to turn a dying church into a thriving, faithful church, then before you start out you’d better evaluate if the church you’re considering even has a hope and a prayer of turning around. Remember – you may only get one shot at this in your whole ministry life. Choose well.

Evaluating a Church’s Potential for Revitalization It would be nice to believe that every church has the potential for a turnaround, and in an ideal world that would probably be true. But we don’t live in an ideal world and I’ve had to help pick up the pieces of hundreds of broken hearted church leaders who invested in churches they “hoped” would turn around, only to discover they’d invested years of their lives with the knowledge they’d only belayed the inevitable by a few years or months.

So, before you decide to waste your calling, energy, skills, and resources on a potential turnaround, take the time to honestly evaluate the congregation to decide if it’s even possible. I’ve included five key indicators of a church’s potential for successful and sustainable turnaround. These are in order of criticality, although if a church doesn’t have high marks in all five, the chance of a successful turnaround diminishes significantly.

1. Prevailing Culture Jim Collins rightly suggested that culture eats strategies for breakfast and lunch. I cannot tell you how many pastors I’ve worked with who have developed really great strategies to turn their churches around, only to have the culture take those plans, shove them down their throats, and gleefully choke the life out of them.

Discovering a congregation’s prevailing culture isn’t exactly easy, and yet if you’re going to successfully lead a revitalization then you’ll need to know just how malleable the culture is. Of course, the truth is that if the church had an evangelistic, church-growth culture, they wouldn’t need you. You’re not looking for a near-perfect culture, but one that you can transform.

ence, is a part of that – but don’t forget that marketing is not the same as evangelism. And that’s where the importance of the church calendar comes in.

The calendar should be peppered with events designed to reach the unreached. For instance, if the only weekly worship service is designed for people who were raised in the church, then you’ve got your first hint where the congregation’s values lie … in the membership. Sure, “everyone is welcome,” but that doesn’t mean everyone (or anyone) will feel welcome when they discover the most contemporary musical instrument is a pipe organ and that the service is littered with words that make no sense to them (introit, invocation, doxology, communion, benediction, narthex, chancel, etc.). In addition, look for calendared events that an unchurched person might feel comfortable at. Is the congregation already doing “outreach” events that put members in the presence of potential participants, or is everything about fundraising and/or fellowship?

“It’s easy to tell the world that obedience to Jesus is the church’s key practice, but if their budget and calendar doesn’t demonstrate those words then, bluntly, the words simply aren’t true.”

Start by looking at the church’s core values. A church’s core values are seen in two places: (1) Where the church invests its money; and (2) How the church invests its time.

Where they’re not found is in the words of church leaders and especially not in the promises of a church’s search committee. They’re also not found in the church’s publications or website, though you may find hints of the values in the church’s social media interactions. It’s easy to tell the world that obedience to Jesus is the church’s key practice, but if their budget and calendar doesn’t demonstrate those words then, bluntly, the words simply aren’t true.

When you look at the budget and calendar, look for ways in which the congregation is investing in reaching the lost for Jesus Christ. Of course, the church is likely spending most of its funding on staffing and maintaining their building, but a goodly portion of the budget should be designated and spent on evangelistic and disciple-multiplication practices.

Marketing, including maintaining an active online pres-

The second place to look at the prevailing culture is how long the church has been in decline. The longer a church has been in a general decline, the more “normal” the culture of decline feels. Vital churches that are reaching people have a culture of expectation and hope.

Congregation’s that have been in long-time decline tend to have a culture of defeat, exhaustion, and futility. “We tried that” is a common refrain. Further, there are few stories of recent life transformations, conversion baptisms, or new heroes of the faith.

Again, remember that if the prospective church had a great culture, revitalization probably wouldn’t be needed. However, if a church’s core value is “It’s all about us” and if it’s more concerned with survival than revival, then it’s an unlikely candidate for turnaround.

2. The Decision Making Process The second key to evaluating a church’s potential can be found by looking at the church’s bylaws and speaking with the board chair (or with the ministry staff ).

In a turnaround church, decisions that are contrary to the prevailing culture and seem incongruous with the church’s

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tradition will have to be made. For instance, it may be necessary to change the Sunday schedule in order to add a worship service designed for younger adults. Sure, it would be easy to add that service at 7:30 a.m. … almost no one would object. On the other hand, when you tell them that the church’s beloved 11 a.m. Traditional Worship Service is being moved to 9 o’clock in order to reach Michael and Jessica Millennials, the church’s leadership will likely move heaven and earth to stop you. And that’s when the decision making process is important.

There are a couple things to remember. First, Robert’s Rules of Order aren’t scripture nor scripture based. There is no democracy in the Bible and the only two “votes” in the New Testament go very badly: One put Jesus on the cross when the mob outvoted Pilate, and the other vote sank the ship (Acts 28).1 In fact, there is not one time in all of scripture where the majority ever gets it right. Not once. If the church demands majority rules, it’s not a legitimate prospect for turnaround – because if the majority was right, again, they wouldn’t need you.

Fact is, you’re probably stuck with some sort of a majority rules situation. However, the question is what it is the majority rules. In a near-perfect system, the congregational vote only approves the lead pastor, annual nominations, and the budget. And the board only deals with budget and setting policy. The day-to-day decisions are made by staff or by ministry teams who are charged with staying within budget and the church’s doctrines, but otherwise pretty much has free reign on decision making.

The above congregation is structured along the lines of John Carver’s Policy Governance model and is more common in larger churches than in smaller churches. For a successful turnaround, this is probably the best practice available. However, it’s not been widely adopted in declining churches because it gives significant decision making control to staff and to small teams – something that’s abhorrent to many long-time members who believe they are entitled to approve any and all decisions.

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3. Change Ability “We’ve never done it that way before” has been the death sentence of many thousands of potential great ministries.

The second is like unto the first: “We can’t afford that.” On these two excuses hang almost all of the failures of the church.

Seriously, the primary reason for the US church’s decline is the unwillingness of the churches to endure, let alone embrace, the changes necessary to reach those far from God. Before you take on a revitalization project, you’ll want to take some time to evaluate the church’s response to change … because without significant changes, the church will not – cannot – be turned around.

There are a number of ways to determine how well a church might endure change, but the best way is to rely on Dr. Charles Ridley’s axiom: The best indicator of future performance is past behavior.2 In other words, if you listen to the stories of how the church faced change in the past, you’ll get a pretty good idea of their change ability for the future. However, the truth is, although almost everyone likes the idea of change, no one likes the reality of change, especially when that change makes an impact on them. So, don’t be alarmed when you hear stories about resistance to change – it would be unlikely that you’d hear otherwise. What you’re listening for is the church’s response to change.

• Did they simply vote against it? Or was the change undermined in some way?

• Was there a significant church conflict that resulted in membership losses? Or is that conflict still raging?

• Did they allow the change, only to subvert it later? Or did they fire the leader who brought the change?

• And how significant was the change?

When evaluating a church’s decision making process, look to see how decisions are made. Policy governance is clearly the best option. However, a church with a small board has potential as well. If you only have to convince five to seven people to do what’s best for the future of the church, you probably have a good chance. A church with a large board that expects to be consulted on day-to-day operations, or a congregation that is a majority rules democracy, has almost no chance of a turnaround. You’d be best looking elsewhere.

There are many other possible scenarios and questions you may want answered, but by understanding how tolerant the church is to change you’ll have an idea about the risks your taking in bringing real and lasting change to the congregation.

1 No, Matthias was chosen by lot, that is, by literally throwing dice.

2 Charles Ridley made this statement many years before Dr. Phil made a similar observation.

4. Risk Tolerance Similar to Change Ability, the church’s toleration for risk is a key factor in whether or not you should invest your life into the congregation. To turn a church around, the leaders will

have to engage in, or at least approve of, some “risky” behavior. They may have to approve a deficit budget in order to make tech or staff upgrades. They may have to step out of their comfort zones in order to connect with people very much unlike them. They may have to start a second worship service, even though they don’t believe they have the resources to support it. And it’s guaranteed they’ll have to do things they’ve never done before. Some of the risks will pay off, but many more will crash and burn as the leaders try different ideas to reach those in the community for Jesus.

Again, Ridley’s axiom comes into play here as well. How the church has engaged, or refused to engage, in risky ideas will give you an idea about their tolerance. However, another way is to weave potential ideas into a conversation then watch the faces and listen to the responses.

Recently, a pastor I was coaching floated a tenable idea to his board. The leaders listened, but then refused to allow the pastor to implement the idea. “That might work sometime, but let’s wait until later to try that.” The problem is, the church doesn’t have a lot of time left … change will have to come very soon if the congregation is to survive, let alone thrive. Time is almost always working against you when it comes to a turnaround because few churches have the available resources to survive the time it takes for the culture to be renewed (see #1).

5. Available Resources Bill Easum, one of the fathers of the church turnaround movement, opined that it can take over twelve years to change a church’s culture from decline to growth. However, depending on the responses to the previous four issues, the basics of a turnaround can become effective in three to five years. The culture won’t be “set” for some time to come after that, but it’s very possible that a church with a history and culture of decline could see significant growth sometime between years three to five.

The problem is, if the church is struggling with waning resources, especially funding, a five year window may have more months than the church has money. Too often, midway through a church’s turnaround process, the church will become obsessed with dwindling resources and will begin slashing budgets in order to stave off what seems to be the inevitable. The sad reality is, though, is that those cuts more often than not seal the inevitable.

It takes significant resources to wholly effect a turnaround in most churches. Typically, new tech is going to be required. Additional staffing is in the cards. Building remodeling is typically needed. An online presence needs to be established and promoted. Marketing will be required. Sal-

aries need to be maintained. And the list goes on. All of that takes significant financial resources.

But funding isn’t the only required resource. A turnaround needs willing hands, hearts, and bodies who are able to do the necessary work. If the congregation is too set in its ways, too comfortable with who they are, or if they’re too tired and worn out, a turnaround will be doomed from day one. Not only will you need a strong core of supporters, a turnaround requires a congregation with a near-unlimited supply of energy and enthusiasm. They will not only have to “see” the vision, they’ll have to buy into it with their whole hearts and be willing to invest their time, talent, treasure, and testimony over several years.

The hardest part about a turnaround is the time it takes – and three years sounds like nothing at all, until you have to live through 1095 days without seeing much progress – and in fact, seeing more people leave than come. It takes a hearty core of the committed to not just endure the wait and the work, but to maintain their energy and enthusiasm.

And yet, without this, the turnaround will be virtually impossible.

Conclusion If you’re committed to being a Revitalizer, then you must recognize that the cards are stacked against you. The vast majority of churches will not be willing or able to do the work, make the investment, and tolerate the risk and changes necessary to experience turnaround. In fact, as mentioned earlier, 80 percent of all churches that attempt a revitalization will fail because they’re unable to meet one of these five criteria. If you’re called to be a Revitalizer, at least have the good sense to be honest enough to know you’re not the savior. You can’t create ex nihilo, that is, something from nothing. If a church doesn’t have what it takes to fully engage in a turnaround, leave it for a loving hospice pastor who can gently lead the church to a dignified end. YOU tap the dust off your feet and invest your life in a congregation that has the potential to bring life to hundred, perhaps thousands, in need of Christ.

Bill Tenny-Brittian is the managing partner of The Effective Church Group.

For over thirty years, The Effective Church Group has been equipping churches and church leaders so they can be successful in reaching their mission. He is the co-author of The Role of the Senior Pastor and also teaches Pastoral Leadership for Phillips Seminary with an emphasis on leadership.

The Starting Point for Church Revitalization Is Not Prayer...

It Is Focusing on the Needs of Others. Here’s Why...

By Bob Whitesel The first inclination when writing on the starting place for church revitalization will be to focus on prayer. That is most likely (and rightly so) because we want to remind ourselves that we can’t do it without Christ’s help.

often heard leaders say, “We want to ensure this church lives on by younger generations coming to it.” And while this is laudable, this will be in adequate to successfully revitalize a church. That is because of two reasons.

I’m not suggesting that prayer is not important for church growth or even that it should be postponed. It is! But I’m suggesting we first must understand what we’re praying for.

Reason A: Younger generations quickly pick up on a church’s desperation to survive. They’ve experienced and rejected churches that are not interested in meeting their needs, but rather interested in preserving the church’s aesthetics and culture, to which the younger generations may not relate.

Therefore, the first question that must be asked before church revitalization is, “Whose needs is a revitalization effort intended to meet?” In fact, in church revitalizations there are three needs that often come into play. And after 30 years of consulting church revitalizations, I have come to believe if you pick one of them, you will succeed. But, if you pick one of the others, you will usually experience failure.

1) Meeting the needs of a church’s congregation. Often church revitalizations are launched because a church wants to survive. Members remember its illustrious history, the close bonds of friendships that were forged there and the many good things accomplished in their past. And they want to preserve these legacies for future generations. I’ve

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Reason B: A church’s desire to retain a legacy, even a good legacy, can overshadowed the real purpose of revitalization: to introduce more people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Luke 10:1-16).

2) The second misguided, but common, starting point for church revitalization is to focus on meeting the needs of the revitalizer. The revitalizer may feel that they want to start anew with a new type of church. This is similar to what motivates many church planters, i.e. the leader wants to grow an organization that they can form over in the vision they reimagine. They want an organization that they be-

lieve will be easier to lead, more like they want and filled with people like them. But this focus will also usually fail.

That is because revitalizing a church, like church planting, is a missional effort that usually requires us to be challenged and uncomfortable. James states, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way” (2:1-4 MSG).

talking to a similar agricultural society, prepared them to endure hardships in mission by utilizing an agricultural metaphor: “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.

Do not move around from house to house. “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.” (Luke 10:1-12, MSG).

“I’m not suggesting that prayer is not important for church growth or even that it should be postponed. It is!

But I’m suggesting we first must understand what we’re praying for.”

We must expect and be satisfied with the pressures and pains that come from serving Christ in missional activities. Regrettably some people today don’t look upon leadership as a missionary might.

Missionaries know that they are going to sacrifice what is comfortable and familiar, in order to bring the Good News to people in need of it. Missionaries I know are leading threadbare, uncomfortable lives in service. Yet, when it comes to a church revitalization, we often want the most comfortable and potentially successful neighborhood in which to revitalize a church or plant one. Rather we should be looking at those with the greatest needs, putting their needs first and putting ourself last.

Reason C: Meeting the needs of non-churchgoers. This is the reason that leads to successful revitalization. A revitalization effort by its very name focuses on revitalizing an organization. But perhaps instead we call it re-focusing an organization. We all know that it doesn’t take long after a church is planted or even revitalized, that it begins to focus inward and mainly on its own needs. When that happens the church increasingly becomes focused on programming, staffing and churchgoer activities that make its congregational life more comfortable.

But, a church that is revitalized must first become refocused. That happens when the focus is to turn our eyes to the harvest and seeing its need. My father grew up on a farm. He knew that when the harvest was ripe you stopped everything else you were doing, even going to school, and went into the field until the harvest was complete. Jesus

Thus, I’ve found that a church revitalization starts by a profound and persistent refocus on whose needs are you called to meet. Then your prayers can be focused.

Bob Whitesel is an award-winning author/consultant on church health and growth.

He has been called “the key spokesperson on change theory in the church today” by a national magazine, co-founded an accredited seminary (Wesley Seminary at IWU) and created one of the nation’s most respected church health and growth consulting firms: ChurchHealth.net

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Don’t Squat with Your Spurs On: 8 Steps to Dreaming Bigger

By Ron Smith “Attempt great things for God, and expect great things from God.” -William Cary, 1st modern missionary

one time, “Where are you headed?” The student said, “To lunch.” For a lot of people, that’s their goal in life.

The Living Bible version of Ephesians 3:20 states, “God, by His mighty power at work within us, is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of – infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.”

A close second to no dream is to have a low dream. Most pastors would readily admit to having hopes and desires for the ministry. Most of the hopes and desires can really be described as a low dream. Low dreams are safe dreams but at least they are dreams. A low dream is safe for a couple of reasons. One, it provides an outlet for a pastor to announce that he has plans, but these plans aren’t so ambitious that they demand change. And two, a low dream creates low pressure and low pressure does not attract as much criticism and reduces the footprint of failure.

Notice it says God’s able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of. The ability to dream is a God given gift. God has given us the power to be creative, to dream, to visualize and to plan.

Everybody needs a dream. I have found that one of the big problems in leadership is that when you get into ministry you often start off with big dreams. But as you get into that ministry, your dreams shrink to the size of the situation. Probably the very first time you got involved in ministry you could foresee great things. Yet as we go on, circumstances tend to shrink our dreams. Let’s review the types of dreams that exist.

Unfortunately, the most common dream is no dream. That’s right, the average person does not have a dream for their life.

I have discovered that the average pastor does not have a dream for the ministry in which they serve. Now, they may have ideas, or programs, or ministries, but they lack dreams.

For many people, their only goal in life is just to make it through the day. What is your dream? To get home at night.

It is reported that Chuck Swindoll asked a college student

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Having the wrong dream is third on the list of dreams. It is so easy to create or impose the wrong dream on a church.

The pressure to grow is real. If I am not careful, I can create the wrong dream. Driven by self and the right desire to fulfill what a calling I can give most of my time to creating something that may not be God’s dream for the church.

Running really close to all of these dreams is a vague dream.

This is a pretty dream to understand because it really aims at nothing while voicing itself to aim at something lofty.

This type of dream says, “Let’s position ourselves to be used

by God.” This sounds great, but it’s very vague.

The type of dream we need to have is God’s dream. The heart of this dream is begging God to reveal what I could not create, contrive, or develop on my own. This dream says, “God I am yours. How do you want to use me?”

How do we obtain such a dream? Let’s walk through 8 steps to dreaming bigger.

Step six: Plan for Problems and Obstacles “Don’t go charging into a battle without a plan.” Pr. 20:18 (GN)

Step one: Ask God “A man is foolish to trust himself. But those who use God’s wisdom are safe.” Pr. 28:26 (LB)

“A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them. The simpleton never looks and suffers the consequences.” Pr. 22:3 (LB)

Sounds so simple to ask God. Yet, for all the simplicity most of us don’t ask God – “Lord, show me your plans.” Get on your face and ask God what His plans are and His vision for that church.

Ask yourself this question, If this things dies, it will be because…? From here list out the possible scenarios that will bring death to the project.

Step two: Ask Google “Every prudent man acts out of knowledge.” Pr. 13:16 “What a shame – how stupid – to decide before knowing the facts!” Pr. 18:13 (LB) Here is where you do your homework. You need to be asking, “What do I need to know about this dream/desire/plan?” One of the major causes of failure is uneducated enthusiasm.

Step three: Ask Godly People “The more advice you get, the more likely you are to win.” Pr. 24:6 (GN) There is value in wise counsel. Surrounding yourself with godly counsel is crucial and necessary. At this step is where you ask, “Who is the wise counsel in my life?”

Step four: Gather Information and Prioritize “An intelligent person aims at wise actions, but a fool starts off in many directions.”

Pr. 17:24 (GN) What are the next steps and action items?

The secret of effectiveness is selection. Selection in life is the name of the game. You don’t have time to do everything, so you have to learn the difference between the important and the urgent. The difference between that which is helpful and that which is life changing.

Step five: Count the Cost “It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.” Pr. 20:25 One of the reasons we do not dream or dream low is the cost involved. If we take the time to consider the cost, we are actually better prepared in the area of expectation. Considering the expectations lowers the fear factor, reduces the criticism, and allows for development. There is a cost to everything. No one coasts through life. There is a price to be paid. The better spend is on God’s dream over no dream.

I want to encourage you, never ignore a problem. Never ignore a problem because a problem will never ignore you. It’s just going to hang around. You’ll find each other eventually so you might as well meet the problem on your own timetable. Nobody’s 100% successful. If you think you’re going to be 100% successful in ministry, you’re setting yourself up for a big disappointment.

Step seven: Face Your Fears “Fear of man is a dangerous trap, but to trust in God means safety.” Pr. 29:25 (LB) Fear is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of humanity. If there’s no fear, you don’t need any courage. You are never really legitimately courageous unless you’re doing something that you’re scared to death to do. You can’t really say you’re courageous unless there’s an element of fear there.

Step eight: Stand Up, Step Out. Don’t Squat with Your Spurs On. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.” Pr. 16:3 There comes a point of decision where you’ve got to stop talking and start acting. You’ve got to begin. Once you’ve decided it’s worth the risk, you take off. You can’t get to second base without leaving first.

Take the step. Ask God to give you a big vision (dream) for His church, the church you serve.

Ron Smith is the Lead Pastor of WaterStone Church in Longwood and serves as Co-Leader of Renovate One Day Training as well as serving on staff of the Renovate Coaching Network. Follow Ron at RonBSmithJr.com for leadership material and sporadic blogs.

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Hear the Word of the Lord

By Terry Rials

Those of us who work in revitalization hear the same question again and again, “What do we do?”

First of all, there is a problem with the question because it begins with the wrong premise – doing. I would argue that the starting point for revitalization is listening. Honestly, we all listen to statistics, critics, experts, and even to our own selfish ambition, instead of listening to God. Most of our prayer time consists of talking. Some in this field believe we can turn churches around simply by changing the quality of our preaching. Where is the listening in our generation?

I often prescribe a 48-hour retreat for leaders, with zero human contact, whether in person or electronically, just to read the scriptures and listen to the Lord. I tell them to pray and listen. Read the scriptures and listen. Write down what God says to your heart and listen again. Nothing I have done in the field of revitalization has had a greater impact on the life of the revitalizer than getting him to cease

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striving and begin listening. I have walked dozens of men through this process and it is life-changing.

You as a leader are responsible for listening and leading, listening to the Lord and then leading His people. We have no right to lead if we have not listened to our marching orders. I know God speaks to His shepherds. Please do not take this to mean that God does not speak to everyone, He does, but I do believe He speaks clearly to His shepherds, who have a greater responsibility than do most followers. The consequences of shepherds not listening and getting things wrong have disastrous consequences.

So, what’s the importance of listening to the task of revitalization? Listening is important on many levels. I was reading this very morning from Isaiah 40.

The ending verse tells us that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and not faint.

Strength is definitely required for the momentous

task ahead of you. Another importance is waiting and listening until you have a clear direction before you act too hastily. Nehemiah waited, prayed, and fasted for four months before he broached the subject of rebuilding Jerusalem with his earthly king.

It is unknown exactly how long Nehemiah waited before he knew what God wanted him to do. My educated guess is that he waited until he heard from the Lord. Nehemiah was certain and even tells the people on three occasions that the hand of the Lord was upon him. Too often leaders start the work without a clear direction and end goal in mind. If this were a shooting sport, then it would go like this, “Ready, fire, aim!” The final reason I would give you for listening to the Lord is to get “us” out of the way. Our pride, our egos, our plans must all be out of the equation of revitalization. You know, never once has God ever asked me, “What do you want to do?” Instead, I am to ask God what I am to do.

I say it this way – the problem was that the sower’s aim was bad. The point of Jesus’ parable is clear, if the good seed is not properly sown, it does not yield a harvest. Jesus says that we had better listen, lest we experience the same result. John records Jesus’ instruction to the Seven Churches in the Revelation.

In each letter, Jesus instructs them to listen, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

God has something to say, something very important.

He even commands His people to listen to the word of the Lord. Failure to listen is disobedience, plain and simple. I am confident that some who will read this article will experience disappointment that I did not provide some essential to-do-list, the magical keys to unlock the mystery of revitalization. However, I believe that I have given you some very sage advice that prevents you from starting your revitalization journey badly. Do not worry about what to do. God will show you what to do in good time, in His time. Wait, pray, and listen because it is far more important to know exactly what God wants you to do and when the time is right to do these things. You only discover these things by waiting and listening to the Lord.

One more quick note - Jesus offers a hopeful “blessed are those who hear the word of the Lord and observe it.”

“Nothing I have done in the field of revitalization has had a greater impact on the life of the revitalizer than getting him to cease striving and begin listening.”

God expects us to hear Him and listen to Him (those two things are different). Consider this – there are two common statements in prophecy, “thus says the Lord,” and “the word of the Lord came unto me saying”. Together they introduce declarative prophecy in formulaic patterns. The combination of the two statements occurs 476 times in the prophetic books of the Old Testament. I would call that significant!

One can find this call to return in the Hosea, Joel, Amos, Zephaniah, and Zechariah, but by far, these occur in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel If you know your Bible history, you know the urgency with which God is calling His people to return to Him. How does God do this? He calls to His people through the prophets to repent and return, time and time again.

Sadly, they did not and they were destroyed.

Consider also, the call to listen in the New Testament. In the gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus concludes the Parable of the Sower with the admonition, “He who has ears, let him hear.” Interestingly, Jesus Himself refers to this parable as the Parable of the Sower, not the Parable of the Soils. There is no problem with the seed, and technically, there is no problem with the soil. It’s not the soils’ fault for being what they were. The problem is with the Sower.

Dr. Terry Rials has been in Christian Ministry for thirty-one years. He serves as the Director of Mission for the Concord-Kiowa Baptist Association in Western Oklahoma. He earned his doctorate (D.Min.) from Midwestern Baptist Theological in Church Revitalization. His dissertation project involved training associational pastors in the principles of revival and revitalization by equipping them to begin a revitalization project in their churches.

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Did You Remember to Become the Pastor of Your Leaders First?

By Steve Smith The report from one pastor who was leading his church in a revitalization effort was exuberant. Many adults had come to faith just in the last six months. The church auditorium was finally packing out after two years of hard labor and prayer. Long-time believers were engaged in effective outreach. New believers were being discipled.

Then, at the midpoint of the report, the other shoe dropped.

My friend informed us that the leaders of the church had issues with him. Though he asked for extra time to work with them at resolving these issues, they were unyielding.

To the shock of the congregation, they fired him.

By most measurements, you could claim that his church displayed many signs of being revitalized. But in spite of all his diligent prayer, effective evangelizing and disciple making, he had overlooked something significant. He had failed to become the pastor of his leaders and they tore the heart out of this movement of the Spirit.

Some version of this story could be yours someday. It happens to too many pastors. Research tells us that all it takes is a small but powerful group of 10 or less people in any church to decide you have to go. And so, you do go.

Reflect on these questions: • How well do I know the hearts of my leaders—the ones that were excited when I agreed to become the church’s pastor and said they want the church to be revitalized?

• Do I have their trust? Is my ministry helping them to grow in their walk with God? • Am I really their pastor?

These leaders possess as great a capacity to be your partners in revitalization as they do to upend your ministry and send you out the door—grieving the Spirit and ending what God is doing in your church. The first step in leading revitalization always starts with you becoming the pastor of your leaders. Its neglect will cost you if you skip it by assuming that they are spiritually secure when, in fact, they may have some serious unfinished spiritual business.

How do you become the pastor of your leaders? Clearly, I am not talking about your position. Being called ‘Pastor’ does not mean your leaders really see you as their pastor. It is not an age thing. It’s a heart thing.

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You cannot fix this with your preaching. You can be dynamic in sharing God’s Word and still not have touched the heart of your leaders. Neither will growing your church fix this. I know of a pastor who led his church from 40 to over 200 in attendance in two years, only to have his leaders split the church.

If you desire a better outcome, you have to be intentional.

You have to intend to become their pastor. Even if your first day on the job is long behind you, from this moment on you need to do what it takes to change this dynamic.

Change starts with this simple truth: Every believer has unfinished business which they need to surrender so they can be set free. Unfinished business is the spiritual, emotional, and mental baggage we continue to carry after we come to faith. It is the result of two things that are in our hearts that should not be there, but are there because of the effects of the Fall.

One is hurt in the heart. The other is sin in me. Throughout life, we are being wounded by others who believe they know what is good and evil. We stuff these hurts inside us and time does not heal them. Instead, we turn unconsciously to deadly sin—anger, appetite, lust, envy, greed, sloth, pride—to find comfort and emotional release from the pain. Hurt and sin combine to produce outward actions, beliefs, and attitudes that are not in keeping with Jesus’ character. Left unaddressed, Satan exploits believers’ unfinished business to divide, distort and destroy.

believers who openly display their brokenness. Or believers whose lives are in shambles because of sin. It is rare for me to meet a pastor whose first thought is that he and his leaders need this for themselves.

And yet, that is exactly where revitalization begins—at the leadership level. This is because transforming lives is not a necessity for the few. It has to be the spiritual culture of the whole church, including all leaders. There are no exceptions. Everyone in the church has to humble themselves before Jesus and acknowledge it is he alone who is able to make them whole in every area of their lives.

Experience has taught me that if you take this seriously, you will become the pastor of your leaders. Why so?

First, it will give you insight so you can pastor them well.

When you do not know where and why leaders struggle on their faith journey, you cannot speak truth into their lives. When Satan has more insight about their unfinished business than you, those leaders become sitting ducks for his lies. But when you and your leaders together learn to be a confessing community (confessing sin without being judged, but with compassion for each other), then you become the pastor they can trust to lead them.

The critical factor for the health of the churches I served was discovering how to disciple people so they would learn to address their unfinished spiritual business. It was the lessons God taught me on my life-long journey with Him that became the basis of the discipling course I teach called The Key to Deep Change.

Essentially, I disciple people how to surrender to the transforming work of the Spirit, which is the practical outcome of the gospel. Two indispensable truths at the core of this training are: 1. I needed to be transformed! I could not teach others about their unfinished business without being transparent about my own. I cannot pretend that I never struggled with surrender nor that God had an easy time with me.

Being open about my spiritual life journey has given hope to others that God can and will do the same for them.

2. Only God can heal people’s wounds and free them from sin. Guiding people toward true spiritual health means directing them to pursue true intimacy with God. No matter how much you know, you have no actual power to change people’s hearts. But God can and does change us as we each surrender to the Spirit’s work of empowering us to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus.

So often pastors who are just learning this process talk about how people in their congregation who are greatly distressed need this kind of discipling. They focus on

Second, it will give you authority to question where their resistance is coming from if and when it arises. Not every objection to your leadership is born out of inward brokenness. But when a leader responds irrationally to needed changes for the health of the church, you will find that you now have the pastoral authority to explore whether or not this resistance is a result of that leader’s unfinished business.

Pastoring your leaders does not mean you will never experience differences of opinion about the right steps for revitalization. But becoming their pastor will defuse a powerful tool that Satan has used against church leaders— their tendency to divide over outward issues instead of addressing the real inward problem in their hearts.

To learn more, explore my website: ChurchEquippers.com

Steve Smith is the founder of Church Equippers Ministries, serving churches by training them in transformational discipleship and church systems. He is the author of several books including The Key to Deep Change and The Increasing Capacity Guidebook.

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Creativity in Kid’s Ministry

By Bill Hegedus Every Sunday, we get an opportunity to teach kids about Jesus. This is such a blessing and an honor. We must be mindful of making the most of the opportunities we get.

Every Sunday matters, especially when it comes to sharing the gospel with kids. The responsibility that comes with that is vital to understand.

Each week we get to share stories from the Bible that help kids understand God’s love for them. So, approach it from the right mindset.

It is crucial to understand that our role is to teach kids the Bible and not teach the Bible to kids. There is a big difference between these two approaches. When you teach kids, the Bible helps make sure kids understand it. The other way, teaching the Bible to kids comes across as more of an informational class. Inspiration always triumphs information. It has a lasting impact when you do it from the stand-point of the kid’s ability to process and understand.

For kids or adults, understanding what the Bible says is the first step in the discipleship process. If they understand it, then they can make the choice to own it. Once they take personal ownership of their faith, they can live it out.

Making Biblical truths understandable is why being creative matters.

God is the ultimate authority in creativity. The beautiful world around proclaims God mighty power, compassion, and love. The word creativity comes from creation.

Creativity also takes time. It took God six days to create the world. There was time and intentionality to it. There was also an order to the process. You need to commit each week to be creative in how you teach the Bible to kids. It could be the difference between someone’s salvation and spiritual journey progress.

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Now in the secular world, one could argue that Walt Disney was the most creative man in modern history. I really like Walt Disney and I love his approach to story-telling.

He had such a way of putting you inside the story. He had many principles and practices that he used in his movies and TV shows. He would teach these to his employees at his Disney studios.

The interesting thing is a lot of his principles are actually biblically-based. The very principles of creativity and effort were here thousands of years before he was even born.

Quotes he would use with his staff that are now famous and hang on walls at the theme parks are strikingly similar to great bible verses.

Here is one example. This is actually my favorite quote from Walt “Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.” What a great quote, but I love the biblical version even more. In Matthew 5:16, it says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

I also love its counterpart in Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” The key is who we work for and the reason behind it. Walt’s quotes were meant to serve as inspiration in the entertainment industry. The bible verse is a declaration and command on how we should approach everything, including how we should approach our life, our job, and our ministry.

The great commission tells us to go and spread the gospel to everyone. We need to do this in the absolute best way possible. A method that makes the Bible come to life.

Walt was an entertainer. He wanted to create great experiences for families to have together. This is incredible; I think we should want kids to have a great experience at church. We don’t need to be just entertainers, but we absolutely must be engaging.

When it comes to kids’ ministry, think engaging, not entertaining. Fun with a purpose. We all know kids have short attention spans. They also love to use their imaginations.

Being creative in teaching in your kid’s service allows them to have a great experience. Kids are actually experiential learners by nature. By capitalizing on how kids learn best, it leads to higher retention. Our goal should be to have an engaging experience for them every week and this requires creativity.

Here are five things that creativity requires.

Being creative takes time. You often hear the phrase creative process. All process-es take time. Not only do they take time but also effort. You will have to be willing to go the extra mile. This might mean longer setup time on a Sunday. It might require more clean up from a game. But like I said earlier, the effort and time you put in could be the difference from someone’s salvation and spiritual journey.

The fourth and final key teamwork. Don’t do it alone. Creativity doesn’t happen in a silo. Creativity works best in groups. Having a few people as part of the creative process will help things be approached for multiple directions. One thing you could do is create a creative team. Create a group of people that meet once a month to talk over lesson plans, props to use, and stage design. This keeps every-thing from falling to one person. It helps give ownership to others on the team.

Every aspect of your Sunday service for kids should be using all four of these keys. Your environment is what the kids walk into. From the worship and the songs you sing, to the storytelling and small groups, these keys are not just for Sundays but for events too.

“Every Sunday matters, especially when it comes to sharing the gospel with kids.”

The second key is intentionality.

What we like to focus on is how our kids learn best. We need to get on their level. It also needs to have a plan to it.

Each week your lessons should help build on each other.

They should show an intentional plan or path of equipping kids with spiritual truths. These truths must also be relevant to where the kids are and what they experience on a weekly basis.

The third key is consistency. This can’t be something that is seasonal or just hap-pens at Christmas or Easter. You shouldn’t just save it for a great VBS program. The same level of commitment and execution needs to happen week after week. You never know which week kids are going to show up. In the world of single parents and joint custody, kids attend church less regularly. On average, we only get 30 weeks a year with kids and those are the committed ones. Consistency matters!

Just take the time and be intentional and consistent week after week. Invite others into the process, you can’t and shouldn’t do it alone. Evaluate what your ministry looks like creatively on a regular basis. Some great questions to ask would be: Would this be a place where a kid would be excited to go and would want to invite a friend? Is this easily understandable for their age? What can I do to make it stick in their hearts and minds? Am I offering time for them to ask more profound questions?

I saved the most important key for last. Prayer— Nothing beats the power of prayer. Submit your plans to God. Ask God for wisdom and direction. Ask Him to bless your plans. It always has to be about Him and not you.

Bill Hegedus is the Family Pastor at Bethlehem Church in Atlanta. Bill has over 15 years experience ministering to kids and families. His heart and passion is to help kids understand and live out a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Often described as a big kid himself, Bill uses laughter and innovation to do ministry in an exciting and memorable way kids enjoy.

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WHY SMALL GROUPS?

From the Old Testament to the New Testament small groups are used in very significant ways.

Small Groups have always been part of God’s plan to develop and grow believers. In modern times from Sunday School to the contemporary Small Group movement the churches that embraced small groups in a significant way experienced the most growth in evangelism and discipleship. Small Groups should be a fundamental strategy for every church that seeks to be a Biblically complete church.

OUR VISION – Why We Exist

To see every church develop significant small groups that are healthy and growing.

OUR MISSION – What We Do We come to the church and partner with the pastor and staff to evaluate the current condition of their Small Group Ministry and then develop a custom plan to renovate and reinvigorate their groups. Our plan includes developing comprehensive goals and strategies.

We also provide training and custom resources for the churches we serve.

www.DynamicSmallGroups.org

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A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

By Matt Henslee Eugene Peterson penned a classic book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, many years ago. We live in a day where we can pull a small rectangle from our pocket and have near-limitless access to near-countless mediums for information––instantly.

With the tap of a finger, you can read breaking news a day before it hits a newspaper, hours before it airs on a newscast, and often, minutes before it is “broken” on a major news network’s website.

Further, you can spend over an hour cooking a meal at home, thirty minutes waiting for your food at a restaurant, or just drive through your favorite fast-food spot and have it in your hands moment after you finish your order.

Instant gratification makes life incredibly convenient, but it carries a cost into our church ministries we ought to take into account.

The pastor knew this, of course, but the reminder cut him to the core.

Think about it; you can say, “I’ll have a number one,” and receive your order a few seconds later, but share the gospel with an unbeliever and receive only a blank stare. You can preach the greatest news of all, week in and week out, and stand during the invitation all alone.

He ended up preaching his message, thinking about resigning after the sermon the entire time. As everyone was leaving, he found himself face to face with the “little boy” that marked their only addition that year. The boy began to inquire about how he could become a preacher or missionary.

That is why it is helpful to consider Eugene Peterson’s call for a long obedience in the same direction. Peterson based his book on Psalms 120-134, the Songs of Ascents sung by pilgrims on their way up to worship in Jerusalem. There, Peterson finds encouragement for us as we learn to grow in worship, service, joy, work, happiness, humility, community, and blessing.

The response blessed the pastor, but that’s not the best part.

That call, a long obedience in the same direction, is helpful as a way to learn a new skill or working towards losing weight (and much more)––but I believe we find it most beneficial in our preaching the Good News.

Allow me a moment to illustrate why with a moving story I recently found during sermon preparation.

A Painful Reminder There once was an old preacher struggling to stay in the fight of gospel ministry. To make matters worse, one of his deacons criticized him moments before their worship gathering started. His criticism was a painful reminder, “Pastor, there has only been one added to our rolls this year...and it was only a little boy.”

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The young boy was Robert Moffat, a Scottish pioneer missionary to South Africa for over 50 years. Throughout his mission work in South Africa, Moffat opened mission stations, translated the Bible into the language of the people, and wrote two missionary books still encouraging missionaries today.

Interestingly, he was also the father-in-law of David Livingstone, the famed explorer and missionary to Africa.

Nevertheless, that old preacher was struggling. His sermons seemed to bounce off the wall and seemed to accomplish very little––aside from that little boy. Yet amid his faithful plodding, God was working. That old preacher might have been ready to quit, but God was only getting started. Because of that preacher’s faithfulness, the world has been forever changed.

I love my denominational family and have had opportunities to lead and serve in a variety of ways, but my chief desire is to love my family well, faithfully shepherd my church, die, and be forgotten. Still, God has also burdened me with a desire to encourage pastors who are barely hanging on by a thread.

You are not called to be Adrian Rogers; you may not have the reach of Billy Graham; you may never find yourself on the conference circuit––and that is okay. You are simply called to be “(insert your name here), faithful preacher of the Word.”

That is all. And all of that is all God requires of you.

You might not realize this, but it is not your job to build your church. It is Jesus’ job, and there is no foundation other than Him. In fact, should you build your church on the foundation of your brilliance, your personality, or anything of you––what happens when you leave?

Instead, if you will put your faithfulness on the altar—along with your desires to grow a platform or build a name for yourself—and follow Paul’s encouragement to Timothy to “preach the Word...with great patience,” Jesus promises to take care of the rest.

Remember that as you enter the Study during the week and approach the pulpit on Sundays. Just be faithful.

If that’s you, allow me a word (or a few). If you are like that old preacher, wondering if you are making a difference, keep reading.

Stay faithful If you are struggling, press on. You are called only to be faithful––you have to remember God is still working, even when we cannot see what He is doing. Your faithfulness may not get noticed in your denomination. You might get passed over on committee appointments or the conference circuit. What is more, you may not know your reach in a lifetime.

If you have preached 10 sermons or 1,000, with little or no response, and see a baptistery filled not with water, but with cobwebs: press on. It might feel like you are spinning your tires in mud, but while you are spinning faithfully, God is working.

And one Day, one glorious Day, you’ll know.

On that Day, all of the tears, all of the seemingly wasted sermons (listen: there is no such thing if you will preach Christ), and all of the frustrations will pale in comparison to what God accomplished through your two mites of faithful exposition.

Paul charges us in 2nd Timothy to “preach the Word.” Notice what he did not say. I have looked it up in every version of the Scriptures I have––none of them translate Paul’s words to “Hit a home run,” or “Wow them with your brilliance.” He said, simply, “Preach the Word.”

Leave a legacy of faithfulness I shared the story about that old preacher being used by God to send Robert Moffat into missions and onto changing the world and learned some missionaries our church supports have friends descended from Robert Moffat. Get this: they are missionaries, too.

In fact, they sold some land to another missionary couple I served alongside years ago. It is still used today to continue to advance the Kingdom as a training ground for pastors and missionaries. All because one faithful preacher on the end of his rope decided to stay in the fight. He was faithful to preach the Word and had no idea his influence would end up being incalculable.

Yours will be, too, my brother.

So, preach the Word and leave the results to God. He is working, far more than you realize. The results may not be as instantaneous as we expect in our instant society, but a long obedience in the same direction is all God requires.

Matt Henslee is the pastor of Mayhill Baptist Church, a church in the middle of nowhere in southern New Mexico. He is a D.Min student of expository preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, co-host of Not Another Baptist Podcast, and managing editor of LifeWay Pastors, 2nd Vice President of the Baptist Convention of New Mexico, and co-author of Replanting Rural Churches.

Just preach. God will handle the rest.

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Revitalization Begins in the Pastor’s Mind

By Bud Brown If you want to lead church revitalization, start by learning what you’re getting into. Scour large case studies and avoid single church case studies. Look for transferrable principles.

Take a normative and reliable personality profile (avoid “typing” instruments) to review with an experienced consultant.

Determine what training you will need to be an effective revitalization leader. Then launch into a personal and professional development plan.

And make sure you understand why church revitalization is a different animal.

Church revitalization, church planting, church restart, church growth, and church health are related. They use similar vocabularies and principles. But there are crucial differences. Church planting produces new disciples who gather to form a new congregation from scratch. Church restart gives birth to a new church when another congregation gifts its resources to the new one. Church growth implements principles proven to increase the number and the rate of new conversions through evangelism.1 Church revitalization restores life to a plateaued or declining church. Unlike church plants (or restarts), revitalization leads 1 Thanks to Anthony Svajda for his insightful article, “What is Church Revitalization?” Caffeinated Theology, September 13, 2018. https://caffeinatedtheology.com/what-is-church-revitalization/1 Accessed February 26, 2020.

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monumental change in troubled churches. This is an onerous task because these churches are often fearful and paralyzed.

The stultifying church culture inhibits conversion growth. Revitalization has a different purpose and requires different skills and mindset than the other disciplines.

Church revitalization leadership is a lengthy process of skillfully implementing change in a declining or plateaued church that results in conversion growth of the church and spiritual growth of the members. Revitalization leaders must be adept at leading change, creating momentum, managing difficult relationships, minimizing resistance, exercising church discipline, recruiting new leadership, differentiating one’s emotions, and persevering—perhaps for years—when signs of progress are rare.

But more important than these skills, you must gain a different mindset. Revitalization pastors see things differently than other pastors. They have a different view of the church, the members, and themselves. Church revitalization begins in the pastor’s heart and mind.

Different Mindset Revitalization pastors suffer a holy discontent over the status quo. They say, “Enough! I’m through pretending that things will be okay if the church just keeps on being faithful. We haven’t been faithful to Jesus. We haven’t baptized anyone in years. Everyone knows we’re going to fold without some

radical changes. I’m won’t preside over this church’s demise.”

A productivity mindset, a holy dissatisfaction, and compelling hunger to see the church flourish are essential distinctions between church revitalizers and maintenance pastors.

This motivates the revitalizer to study—with fresh eyes—what the Bible says about the pastoral office. Careful analysis of the biblical texts, considering the historical and cultural contexts, leads to a radical insight: pastors are, by biblical definition, change leaders. That Jesus places pastors (Ephesians 4:11) to furnish what church members need (4:12) to carry on fruitful ministry (4:13-16) means that pastors are deliberate agents of change! The pastor’s ministry should cause continuous, incremental change in the congregation and in the individual members. If you don’t see yourself as a change agent or if you question your ability to lead change, then study, training, and a mentor should be high on your must-do list.

Revitalization pastors are also realists.

They realize people balk at change. As in Jesus’ day, disciples today are self-selecting; they may stop following Jesus (John 6:66-67) and not tell you why.

Rather than taking it personally, release them graciously. Recognizing the self-selecting nature of the Christian walk, revitalization pastors recruit the early adopters and influencers rather than trying to hang on to those who are reluctant to follow. They’re aware that if they win over 15-20% of the congregation, chances are excellent they will prevail. As a mentor taught me, “Don’t bother trying to win everybody to the cause. Work with those who’ll serve Jesus. Preach the gospel to the rest.”

guides their approach to ministry. They are aware of how the church evaluates them. This helps them navigate perilous situations wisely and confidently. But when the chips are down, the Lord’s judgment is far more important than the church’s.

The church pays the pastor’s salary, which is their duty to the Lord (1 Timothy 5:18). But the church is not their employer.

They don’t suffer the insults of rude members, the intimidating bullies, or the heavy burden of the church’s welfare for the sake of a meager pay stub. They endure because they answer to a higher call.

The scriptures impose clear accountability on pastors. “They (spiritual leaders) keep watch over you as those who must give an account... (Hebrews 13:17).”“To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder... shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care.... And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:1-4). A sober fear of the Bema Seat judgment motivates the revitalization pastor. They suffer the consequences if the church rejects their leadership. Whatever the church might do, it pales compared to the joy that awaits the faithful pastor at the Bema Seat.

“The church pays the pastor’s salary, which is their duty to the Lord (1 Timothy 5:18).

But the church is not their employer.”

Most pastors find this counterintuitive. “If the church is in jeopardy, why would you risk upsetting people?” they may ask. “Keep everyone on board. Don’t alienate people. We can’t afford to lose anyone.”

That is the formula for failure. Pastor, you’re not there to keep everyone happy. The only person you need to please isn’t on your membership list. He doesn’t sit in the auditorium on Sunday. He’s looking down from heaven. Therefore revitalization pastors hold people loosely and don’t panic when they drop out. When a member resists change, the wise pastor will say, “Brother, I’m sorry this church is no longer comfortable for you. It is a painful loss; I feel it. But please understand we’re doing our best to follow where Jesus is leading. If you don’t care for where we’re headed, please let me help you find another church. May I refer you to some friends of mine who pastor other churches in our area?”

Conclusion Church revitalization starts with the pastor!

Pastor, do you have what it takes to lead church revitalization? Has the Lord led you through suffering that produces perseverance? Do you see yourself clearly enough to put “beneficial distance” between yourself and the church’s emotional system? Can you recite the best ministry practices that lead to church growth by conversion? Who is helping you master the skills you need to implement those practices?

This publication’s many contributors would help you develop the skills to lead revitalization in your church. I know my ministry colleagues at Turnaround Pastors would!

Now that you know where to start, it’s time to get into the blocks and wait for the starter’s gun!

Bud Brown has ministered in a wide variety of settings, from small rural to mid-sized suburban to rapidly growing megachurches. He has trained and mentored international students, intentional interim pastors, doctoral students, and now serves as president of Turnaround Pastors (www.turnaroundpastor.com).

Accountability also distinguishes church revitalizer’s mindset.

They care about the Lord’s assessment of their ministry. This

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The local church is the only organization that can facilitate eternal hope, lasting change, and total transformation in the lives of people and communities everywhere.

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Where Does Church Revitalization Begin?

By Jim Grant The topic of Church Revitalization has been a subject of interest for several years now. Most people are familiar with Olsen’s American Church in Crisis often quoted statistic about plateaued, dying, and dead churches. While the information from Olsen may be a little outdated, the question of what to do about the epidemic is still relevant for anyone in such a ministry position. I have done enough research on the topic to discover that every denomination is struggling to stop the churches from closing their doors. There are multiple reasons why a church will die, including the location, past church history, and leadership issues.

As a result of the emphasis given to the number of churches closing, various philosophies, approaches, and tools have been developed in hopes of finding the root cause of the epidemic.

I appreciate the high level of interest and energy given by so many, including my own denomination to find a solution.

Church revitalization does not have an easy solution. There are too many variables to investigate and filter through to determine a common cause among the churches. While there are no quick fixes or answers, when a church does find new life again, the results are remarkable.

Some of the variables that must be taken into account before starting any church revitalization project include age of the church, age of the congregation, past church history (successes and failures), community demographics (growing or declining in population), and is current leadership capable of leading the process.

Often church revitalization enthusiasts are eager to do the research, conduct community and church surveys, and crunch the data in hopes of uncovering the hidden secret to turning around a failing church. In our current technological age, a researcher can find just about any information to diagnosis a perceived churches condition. The conclusion may point to a problem that is geographical as well as spiritually. Do not misunderstand me, there must be suffi-

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cient homework accomplished before settling on a course of action. Life has taught me that one must be careful with statistical information alone. Church revitalization is not a one-dimensional issue.

If a church is to begin a revitalization process, it first needs to know where to start. But more importantly, to know where the church is headed. Church revitalization inherently carries with it the idea that the church now languishing was, at some point, successful and alive. Even having said that, the question comes to mind – what does it mean to have a successful past? If a church cannot identify a time when it was healthy and accomplishing Kingdom work, then it may need to start with a Strategic Planning Team to develop a clear vision or concept of what it means to be a New Testament church. Strategic Planning directions and guidelines are beyond the articles scope.

Church revitalization is about causing renewal within the life of redeemed people and the churches current dilemma. Revitalization is more than revival. I have pastored four churches. I may not be an expert, but I have found some steps that will help determine a successful church transformation. First, every church is different, its context, its people, and its particular ministry for the Kingdom of God. There have been enough attempts at reviving dying churches to provide a plethora of books documenting the success story.

Secondly, revitalization is absolutely difficult work. As with any work within the church, one can expect opposition and discouragement along the way. Church revitalization requires diplomacy and perseverance.

Thirdly, revitalization requires the right leader. Even though so many churches are experiencing warning signs of decline and death, not every pastor is a revitalizer. Revitalization is as much about the pastor/leadership as it is about the overall church. There are churches that would rather die than change. There are also pastors that would rather change pastorates than embark on the struggles of chang-

ing a church. Scripture is filled with examples of resistance to God’s will, in particular the nation of Israel. Often a position of comfort is sought. This should not sound so strange; individuals and church acquiesce to a point of their comfort.

Long before thoughts of studies and demographic analysis is attempted, there has to be clear direction from the Lord Jesus that the leadership is called to the work of revitalization. Specifically, is the pastor the right person? This question cannot be easily answered. According to Luke 14:28; before attempting a work, consider the cost beforehand. If the pastor/leadership is not willing to invest at least five to seven years towards the work, do not start. The work will go unfinished and the people will become further discouraged, hindering any future work. Many reading this article now are trying to determine if they are called to revitalization.

This is a pertinent question that must be asked with a peace and clear understanding from God. Word of caution: revitalization will not be like anything you have done before!

The bible character of Joshua is an example to many potential revitalizers. There was much that Joshua had to consider about his new position as leader of Israel. As ministers of the Gospel, we are under obligation to the One who called us.

Right now, many pastors find themselves in less than the best of church health situations. Our faithfulness in the difficult times will reflect God’s preparation of us for the task.

Pastors, we are in difficult times. It is our watch and we must be found faithful.

Joshua had to reflect on what God had been doing in his life.

Joshua was a valiant warrior. He had experienced great victories and witnessed the powerful presence of God. While he was part of the disappointing “committee’ that chose not to enter the Promised Land, he didn’t quit or give up.

He stayed faithful for forty years in the position of Captain of the Israeli army. Before Moses dies, he is anointed as heir apparent to lead Israel to the Promised Land. This is quite a change of positions, no longer is he the executor of the plan, he is the Vision Caster. Wonderful words of encouragement and challenge come from God to Joshua. (Joshua 1:1-9) The leadership changed but the goal remained the same. Forty years in the Wilderness did not alter God’s goal. Israel was always supposed to inhabit the Promised Land. God still commands churches to fulfill the Great Commission. Pastors and leadership will change, but God always remains the same.

Those encouraging words from God “As I was with Moses, so I will be with You” (Josh 1:5) are for us.

Joshua was given a task to do that had the outcome already determined. The LORD said, “I am giving this land to them.”

(Josh 1:2) There would be fighting, but Joshua was told that no man would be able to stand against what God was doing. Joshua did not let the circumstances and past dictate the future obedience and work of the Lord. We may all find

ourselves from time to time in situations that seem impossible – but do not fret; God is still on His throne and we have been called to shepherd His Church. Three times in Joshua 1, Joshua is told “Be strong and courageous.” While it is imperative that churches and pastors remember what happened in the past, they cannot let it paralyze them. Now Joshua could have struggled in the shadows of Moses or he could accept the new role as “Valiant Leader.” Additionally, Joshua had fought many battles in the typical manner of warfare. Right from the beginning, Joshua and the people had to trust in unorthodox ways – God’s ways.

So, where does Church revitalization begin? It begins with the Pastor. Before a pastor embarks on revitalization, he must look at himself. Leadership must switch from being caretakers to risk takers. There are many qualities that have been used to help identify if someone is a church revitalizer.

God looks for only one – being a man after God’s our heart.

God will build His Church. If God has called you to revitalization, do not look for another church. What I am trying to say is that church revitalization is difficult, but when God is in the church the church has a future. There are no easy answers, and no quick fixes. God called us to shepherd His Church, so let’s model our own Good Shepherd and be willing to lay down our life for the sheep.

But revitalization cannot remain with the pastor, it must become a church wide urgency. There must be a heart felt change for the lost and unredeemed in the community, city, country, and cosmos.

A changed heart means: 1. Repentant heart over sins and rebellion 2. Passionate for the lost 3. Broken over community, church, and city 4. Begins with leadership 5. Have a holy discontent 6. Reading and obeying God’s Word 7. Praying without ceasing 8. Desire for intimacy with God Jim Grant is the Executive Director of the Galveston Baptist Association.

He is an Air Force veteran, retiring with twenty-five years of service.

His extensive travels allowed him the unique opportunity to serve in a full spectrum of churches with various styles and ranges of spiritual health. He has a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Ministry degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological seminary with a concentration on Church Revitalization.

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The Leadership Link:

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Revitalization Leaders Who Are Themselves, Revitalized

By Michael Atherton Just saying the word “leadership” will bring about a variety of responses from people. Some will immediately see themselves as a leader while many others will try and minimize their role as a leader. For many, the topic of leadership brings about a tremendous sense of fear and trepidation; regardless of whether you are in ministry or not. After all, there are many different definitions, theories, models, and books aimed at this extremely complex discipline. While some will embrace feelings of confidence for past leadership victories, others will retreat in embarrassment for a past leadership failure. Still others may tune out due to lack of leadership experience or they see no relevancy of leadership in their own daily lives. The simplest way to determine if you are being an effective leader is through one word…Influence! We all have leaders that have let us down and more importantly leaders we aspire to be like.

than a financial balance sheet. The lost in our community are in desperate need of churches who have strong leaders with an unwavering commitment to our missional call.

For this reason, in this article, I want to leave you with many different questions that will help you to assess and consider your leadership capacity and effectiveness. Spend some time thinking over these questions and assessing if you are the leader that you want to be; that the congregation you serve needs you to be. For this we know, before we can even consider the prospects of leading revitalization, we need to be leaders who have been revitalized ourselves.

“Better leadership will inevitably render effective personnel management, clearer vision, more production, better time management, happier customers, and increased revenue.”

To be sure, corporate America is consumed with leadership competency and efficiency. Better leadership will inevitably render effective personnel management, clearer vision, more production, better time management, happier customers, and increased revenue. As increased revenue often motivates corporate America, it makes sense to invest time and money in leadership development. Yet, within the Church, there can be a bit of a lethargic view concerning the value of maintaining strong leadership. The possible reasons are many: diminished resources available for leadership development, a lack of desire to seek development, not enough time to invest in leadership development or we simply do not know how to develop leaders. Yet, we must acknowledge that the stakes for the Church are so much greater

1. Great revitalization leaders understand the need to speak the truth in love. Because speaking truth without love is hurtful and divisive.

Speaking love without truth is delusional. But truth in love is edifying and productive.

2. Great revitalization leaders never run out of time for what is “first.” You may not have time for “second”, “third”, or “fourth.” But, if you start with what’s most important, there will always be time for what needs to be “first.”

3. Great revitalization leaders are identified more by what they do than by what they say.

4. Great revitalization leaders recognize that integrity is a leadership lifestyle 5. Great revitalization leaders understand that though days may be dark and our job may be daunting, our God is great!

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6. Great revitalization leaders know that God uses insignificant places, people, and events to accomplish his profoundly significant purposes.

7. Great revitalization leaders remember that God never promised to build our church, He promised to build His church.

8. Great revitalization leaders are great servants 9. Great revitalization leaders take less credit for success and more blame for mistakes.

10. Great revitalization leaders recognize that their public moments of ministry will only be as powerful as their private moments of devotion 11. Great revitalization leaders know that every time they open God’s Word, God opens His mouth and speaks directly into their life.

12. Great revitalization leaders know that love will open doors that logic can not even approach.

13. Great revitalization leaders lament that the joy of winning someone to the Lord is far more experienced in one’s imagination than by one’s own experience and therefore joyfully accept their call to be an ambassador for Christ.

14. Great revitalization leaders never confuse the methods of the church with the mission of the church. The mission drives methods, not vice-versa 15. Great revitalization leaders know that if one wants the opportunity to be found faithful in big things, they must first be proven faithful in little things.

16. Great revitalization leaders realize that Biblical problem-solving attacks problems, not people.

17. Great revitalization leaders know that vision strives to understand and reach tomorrow’s opportunities, while a vision-less church argues over fixing yesterday’s problems.

18. Great revitalization leaders value the work that happens behind the scenes.

19. Great revitalization leaders care about what is done, how it is done, and why it is done.

20. Great revitalization leaders recognize the need to reflect the characteristics of Christ more than the characteristics of culture.

21. Great revitalization leaders are great learners.

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22. Great revitalization leaders are dedicated to developing other great leaders.

23. Great revitalization leaders are always looking for ways to improve.

24. Great revitalization leaders are recognized by what they leave behind when they leave – like other prepared leaders, a culture of integrity, expectations for success, etc.

25. Great revitalization leaders consider not only the first consequence of a decision but all the subsequent consequences as well.

26. Great revitalization leaders help others to realize they can’t eliminate yesterday’s mistake, but they can work to prevent tomorrow’s mistake.

27. Great revitalization leaders realize that what we tend to deal with in a business meeting or committee meeting, the early church dealt with in a prayer meeting.

28. Great revitalization leaders understand that leadership is often lonely because leaders are often loners – leaders are better when they are in accountable relationships.

29. Great revitalization leaders recognize that though heaven may be more popular, hell will likely be more populated – and they simply can’t be okay with that.

30. Great revitalization leaders realize that wanting different results will not change the results, one must work hard to change structures and methods.

How are you doing in your quest to be a great revitalization leader? Though this list is not exhaustive as we consider the qualities of great revitalization leadership, it is a great starting place to evaluate if you are on the right trajectory in becoming the leader you want to be.

Michael Atherton has served as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of O’Fallon, O’Fallon, MO for 15 years. Leading a church in a church merger, he has learned firsthand the challenges of a revitalizer. Mike is the author of The Revitalized Church. Mike leads a Mentored Master of Divinity program at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and is past President of the Colorado Baptist Convention.

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Diagnosis Before Therapy: Measuring Your Church’s Vital Signs

By Mark Weible There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to church revitalization. Your church is not only an organization, but also a living organism. If your church is not healthy, you need a check-up before you get a prescription. But, what are the church vital signs and how do you check them?

How is your church doing? Are you growing, plateaued, or declining? Are you meeting budget? Are your members working together in harmony, are they following your leadership?

Questions like these are often used when we meet with fellow pastors. They are often used as informal diagnostic questions by friends and even church revitalizers.

They are asked as a means of gauging church health or progress. These questions and others like them can be helpful in knowing how to encourage a pastor or to get him the help that he needs. But, are we asking the right questions?

When it comes to church revitalization, it is easy to make some basic assumptions that are not always accurate indicators of church health or vitality. For example, we may assume that a church this is increasing in worship attendance by more than 10% per year is doing very well. However, that metric does not give us any insight into how well the church is doing in evangelism, discipleship and spiritual growth. We

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can go further and measure attendance and participation at other events as well, but what are the outcomes?

Conventional wisdom says that church attendance is good for people and the more that we expose them to church activities, the more spiritually mature they become. But, what if the church is unhealthy? Do unhealthy churches have a positive impact on people?

New research released last month by the Institute for Natural Church Development seems to indicate that, on average, the longer that a person has been a Christian and a church member the weaker they become spiritually and the less likely they are to grow.

This data was collected world-wide over a 20-year period from 2.3 million people in 86 countries. In a Facebook post, Christian Schwartz, the founder of Natural Church Development stated, “In order to fully grasp the explosive character of these findings, it may be helpful to translate them into plain English: The longer people are Christians (and church members), the weaker their spirituality, commitment, and eagerness to grow.�1 Since this data is collected from active church members, we know that it is not coming from unchurched or de-churched nominal Christians.

1 https://www.facebook.com/ChristianA.Schwarz

The data begs the questions: If simply being a church member doesn’t make a person a better Christian, what does? And, if church attendance is not an accurate measurement of church health, what do we measure? Let’s start by using our Bible knowledge and our common sense. While we may tout our church success measurements to our peers and denominational leaders, we are ultimately accountable to Jesus, himself.

Do you really think that Jesus is going to say, “Well done my good and faithful servant, you grew your church by more than 10% year over year?” How does Jesus measure our success? Perhaps Jesus is more interested in the quality of our disciples, their capacity for love, their servant-like attitudes and actions towards each other and their obedience to his commands of making more disciples and loving their neighbors.

times that lead them into deeper devotion to Christ.

6. Holistic Small Groups – Church members are involved in small groups where the truths of the Bible are shared, they care for each other and they reach new people for Christ.

“How is your church

doing? Are you growing, plateaued, or declining?

Are you meeting budget?

Are your members working together in harmony, are they following your

After 20 years of global research, Christian Schwartz and Christoph Schalk keep coming up with the same results. First, by focusing on church health, we can increase church capacity and therefore, church attendance. Second, healthy, growing, multiplying churches have the following Biblical qualities in common:

leadership?”

1. Empowering Leadership – Church leaders focus on equipping God’s people for the ministry instead of doing all of the ministry themselves.

2. Gift-based Ministry – Church members know their spiritual gifts and serve according to their giftedness.

3. Passionate Spirituality – Church members are learning, growing, and becoming more passionate about their love for God as the years go by.

4. Effective Structures – Church organizational structures support the mission of the church, not the other way around.

7. Need-Based Evangelism – Church members are involved in sharing their faith while ministering to the needs of outsiders.

8. Loving Relationships – Church members are in growing and deepening relationships with others where the love of Christ is shared in very tangible ways.

No one could argue that any of the above characteristics is not Biblical nor that Jesus would not be pleased with the outcomes of the actions based on these characteristics. So, backed up with Bible knowledge, common sense, and sound research, how would you answer or even ask the question, “How are we doing as a church?”

If you would like to know more about how to apply the principles of Natural Church Development or to request a survey of your church, visit www.renovateconference.org/natural-church-development or email Mark@ncdOrlando.com.

Mark Weible serves as the Church Planting Director of the Greater Orlando Baptist Association and the strategic Director of the Renovate National Church Revitalization Conference. Mark has a wealth of experience as a church planter and local church coach. Mark is passionate about church multiplication, renewal, planting, and coaching.

5. Inspiring Worship Service – Church members view the corporate worship services as inspiring

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Discerning the Starting Point of Church Revitalization

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By Jim Harrell One key to successful church revitalization/replanting is identifying the starting point. Where is this church currently at in terms of relationships, culture, history, leadership, theology, and mission?

Churches have needed revitalization since the New Testament church began because churches are made up of sinners who individually and collectively need to be sanctified. Typically, churches go through seasons of growth and decline. Unfortunately, sometimes the decline is not addressed and instead of growth the church continues to decline. The attendance numbers decline, the mission of the church fades into the background, and programs are dropped or held onto regardless of their effectiveness.

Those with less loyalty or stake in the game leave, which are often the younger people and change agents. The end result is what is found in many declining churches, a small elderly congregation with little hope of surviving long term.

Replanting/revitalizing a church can be complex, but understanding the starting point is critical. For most replant situations, it must begin with hiring a pastor committed to the scriptures, a pastor attuned to the 21st century culture and a pastor with the ability and patience to lead the church through change as the church learns how to communicate the gospel, live out the gospel and engage in effective mission, while growing to love one another and those in their community. This pastor needs to be a patient catalyst.

Depending on the duration of the church’s decline, there are three typical approaches for church revitalization/replanting based on the starting point: Revitalization: • The basic structures are in place, but the church needs to embrace the biblical mission and wrestle with how to contextualize the message for the 21st century.

• The church needs a revitalization pastor who will help them realign their programs and mission to address today’s communication preferences, cultural styles and complexities, in order to equip them to articulate the biblical message to their community.

Replanting: • The church has barely enough people and finances to keep church operating.

• It is stuck in the past, with an outdated model of church.

The service is traditional, with low energy, which meets needs of attendees but doesn’t connect to a younger demographic and is thus ineffective in reaching the community.

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• They need a replant pastor who can maintain unity and care for the congregation, while being a catalyst for new ministry and helping them navigate the significant changes required to most aspects of the church -- all of which are difficult but far better than the alternative of closing.

• The replant pastor needs to continue to minister to the existing congregation, often keeping their traditional service going but who also has the freedom to begin new ministries and services to functionally start a new church in the existing building.

Another difficulty that impedes understanding the church’s starting point is generational values and fears.

The typical replanter is younger and values what is new and hip, and is given to leveraging technology. The average member of a replant church is typically older and values stability, control, and history. There is deep meaning attached to each item in the church, to each event and each part of the event or service. Unless the replanter understands, both intellectually and emotionally, the value system of those in the church, the replanter is going to miss the real starting point.

Restarting: • The church doesn’t have enough people and/or money to be able to carry out the Sunday service of a typical church. The elderly congregation has neither the energy nor capacity to implement the significant change required to change the trajectory of the church from its steep decline.

• This can take several forms such as a merger, being enfolded into another congregation, or becoming a campus of a multi-site church.

• Note: since our focus at Overseed is on revitalizing/ replanting the church itself, we don’t go into other options such as legacy.

If the replanter is going to grasp the actual starting point of the church, they are going to have to spend lots of time with individual members of the church. It will take many hours of listening to their stories,dialoging with them about the church and the community until the starting point will begin to take shape. It is not something the replanter can just think through, it takes prayer, input from others, and the Holy Spirit giving insight.

Determining the Starting Point A common mistake seen among church replanters is their failure to do the hard work of discerning the starting point of their church. If the church replanter fails to grasp the starting point, then their plans and ideas are often unhelpful and typically face greater resistance from the congregation.

The difficulty of determining the starting point is compounded by language. For example, the replanter often hears members of the congregation stating their agreement with the replanter’s assessment that the church needs to grow. However, often their definitions of growth are very different. For some members, growth means bringing in just enough people to meet the budget but no more, since they like a very small church and the type of community that a small church brings them. For others, it means more people attend but not changing anything about the church or the worship service. For others, growth means going back to the glory days of old and re-introducing programs and ideas that worked fifty years ago. Almost always, the replanter’s definition of growth is radically different.

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Discovering the starting point of a replant church is time consuming and difficult. Overseed provides a revitalizer/replanter with two resources to help determine the starting point.

• Basic Stage of Church Decline assessment • “Exegeting the Local Church” Coaching Topic Email info@overseed.org for a free copy of these tools.

Jim Harrell is the Founder and President of Overseed, a organization that coaches Revitalization Pastors in New England through the difficult process of revitalization, so they can successfully lead their church to health and reach their community for Christ. He is the author of Church Replanter: Learning From Nehemiah’s Example of Leading Change When Things Are Really Broken. You can contact him at jim@overseed.org.

Four Practical Ways in Providing Hope in a Revitalization Effort

By Desmond Barrett Four practical ways in providing hope in a revitalization effort The juxtaposition of the bright red doors of the church called me to her, and the graveyard that sat next door spoke to my soul. Off in the distance, I could make out a headstone that read, ‘Church’ in big letters. While the headstone was laid for a dearly departed soul, it was a reminder that the church I was about to walk into was facing certain death. As the bright red doors opened, and the pastor greeted me, he asked, “Is there hope for my church?”

The simple answer is yes; there is always hope when serving the Lord. The question asked back was, “Is the church willing to do what is necessary to provide hope again?” Many are eager but struggle to lay down their desires for God’s will for the local church.

Four practical ways in providing hope in a revitalization effort.

Be prayed up The church is in a spiritual battle with the enemy winning.

Members are discouraged, the numbers dwindle, income is down, deferred maintenance has become the norm, and a self-filling prophecy has taken hold, closure is near. In a spiritual battle the church will lose, unless they fully surrender all to God. Numbers, finances, and the building itself must be given back to God in prayer. Not just prayer during a Sunday service, but a dedicated prayer time where the pastor leads the congregation in full surrender. The dedicated prayer time is three-fold. Pastor – Leadership Team, Pastor – Congregation, and each member of the local church calling out to God. While these can be done together, it should be done separately, as a reminder to God that your local church is bombarding heaven with prayers of renewal.

Be prepared for push back.

While some may confuse with their lips that they are willing to change, be prepared for pushback when you begin making changes. Change is not easy, and for a dying church, it is painful. Each program dismantled, each piece of furniture moved, is a reminder of what the church used to be. Do not be surprised when members begin to take the needed change personally. Amid pushback, the pastor has to draw his people back to prayer. He must explain the reasoning of why

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something is changing. When the member understands it is not about their wants or their desires, but God’s will for the church, that is when the members begin to release superficial things for the spiritual connection with God. Be proactive in developing relationships.

In a revitalization effort, change becomes the norm and causes members to cling more tightly to the past. With many of the familiar things uprooted, members need the pastor’s encouragement more and more. Even before a revitalization effort, the pastor needs to spend time with his flock laying the groundwork of vision, trust, love, and respect. There is no amount of time that one should prescribe to this task, but it should be an ongoing lesson of humility and forthrightness as progress increases with a unified front. The pastor should also be developing new relationships outside of the church so that new members can be welcomed in as a point of celebration during the onerous lifting task of a turnaround.

Be predetermined to stick with God’s plan.

Every day the pastor or the church will want to give up. Be predetermined to stick with God’s plan for the local church, even if it hurts. Withstanding the spiritual and personal attacks will not be easy, but trust the one who called you to the task (Jesus). Even before you start a revitalization effort, be determined not to give up during the godly work ahead.

If it is God’s plan and God’s will, he will provide all that the local church will need (spiritually, physically, financially, and relationally).

God has not forgotten the local church, he has not forgotten you, and he sees your need and has called you to lead it. Are you willing to be a piece of God’s work in providing hope in a revitalization effort in the church?

Dr. Desmond Barrett is the Lead Pastor at Summit Church of the Nazarene in Ashland, Ky.

It Must Begin With Prayer and Repentance

By Steve Sells It was at a pastors’ conference. The subject was: The one thing I can do right now to help turn my church around.

My first thoughts were that this was a strange and difficult subject. This subject is impossible to deal with because every church has a distinct set of needs. I felt as if I was being asked to supply a silver bullet for those hurting and hungry pastors in the audience. I am sure every Church revitalizer is often asked the same question in a different form. So, where does the average church need to start for revitalization to take place in the congregation? The more I thought about it, the more I was drawn back to two absolutes that cannot be ignored. They are individual and corporate prayer as well as individual and corporate repentance found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” What a promise for the church that needs revitalization.

Every pastor I know will affirm the power of prayer but many of them do not emphasize corporate prayer in their church. All my life I have been taught the importance of prayer. As a pastor for many years I understood the reality that the church moves forward on its knees.

The truth is that when Christians in the local church neglect prayer it affects the whole body. If the Christian neglects prayer, it will hamper the long-term growth, health, and vitality of the local church they attend. Some real self-examination needs to take place in the congregation concerning the importance of prayer. The question, “Is prayerlessness merely a human weakness or is it sin?” That question needs to be pondered and answered.

If we see it as sin, we will rightly deal with that sin. The fact is, when people pray together it is much less likely that they will be relationally unhealthy.

The question always arises from consultations with churches and pastors, “Why are we not seeing any fruit as a result of our labor?” I make the case that revitalization must include a real prayer plan that includes the leaders and loyal members of the church who want a moving of the Holy Spirit in the church. It is a fact that the spiritual health of a church always precedes numerical growth.

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The role of prayer in the early church is clear. There was a prayer priority in the early church directed in the book of Acts. We need to be reminded of Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The prior verse 4 gives the reason for the power coming. “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.” The priority of prayer is established in Acts 1-6. The early church prayed.

Then it is prioritized in Acts 6:4 “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”

Most churches that need revitalization rely on the things that bring some numerical growth and in so doing forget to do the most important and most lasting thing…prayer.

Prayer paves the way for success. Prayer changes culture.

Prayer gets the church body wanting and expecting God to do something miraculous. Strategy for revitalization is born out of prayer. Prayer kept the early church unified.

Their prayer gave them the power to do ministry. Prayer empowered the church with the Holy Spirit. Prayer will pave the way for the church to experience and new hope and renewal through revitalization.

The second major effort of the church seeking to revitalize should always be personal and corporate repentance.

Most pastors and laity would respond with, “I think our church has been faithful. What do we need to repent of?”

The church today in general thinks there is nothing for which they need to repent. But that is where they are wrong. 1 Corinthians 3: 18-21 says “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore, let no man glory in men.”

Paul gets to the heart of the problem with the members of the Corinth church. Paul was unable to speak God’s wisdom to the Corinthian church goers because they were too immature and too carnal to understand what he was teaching. Not only was the carnality of the Corinthians evident in their spiritual condition, it was also evident in the factions which existed in the church.

Many churches presently find themselves in the same condition. In such instances the church does not reach its community because it holds on to the old idolatry of the past. They are only comfortable with people who are like themselves. They view the church as a place where

their individual needs and their personal wants and desires are the priority.

Repentance is the theme of the message to the churches of Asia found in Revelation 2-3. One that stands out with clarity is the message to the church at Sardis. It is often called “the dying church of Sardis.” Jesus’ message in verses 2-3 is clear to the church: “wake-up, strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you received and heard; obey it, and repent.” There must be “remembering” before there will be “repentance.”

How then should the church seeking revitalization pray and repent? Pray for conviction. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal sin to the church. Pray for repentance. The church must repent and return to doing things God’s way. Pray for real revival. The church must corporately begin to pray that God will power His power as He did at Pentecost for souls to be saved. Pray for preaching that exalts Christ. Preaching the Gospel must be the central focus of any church that seeks to be revitalized. Pray for the community where you live. It may not look like you. It may not act like you. But you must love them anyway. Get to know their needs and pray that God will open doors of opportunity to minister to them.

Because the church is a spiritual organism as a living body of Christ the church must follow Gods purposes and plans. Prayer and repentance are where the church must begin its journey into revitalization. Plateaued churches need to get serious about this. Declining churches need to get intentional about it. Dying churches need to place prayer and repentance as their chief priority. Then the church can believe God for a tremendous transformation.

Steve Sells is the president and CEO of Operation Transformation church revitalization ministry in Salisbury, North Carolina. Steve has served in ministry for 43 years in North Carolina and Georgia. Dr. Sells is the co-author of the book With Greater Power. He seeks to help churches of all sizes experience new health and growth.

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The

Revitalizer LIBRARY

Thom Rainer’s latest book Anatomy of a Revived Church: Seven Findings of How Congregations Avoided Death is an excellent addition to the Rainer library of writings. In this newest work, Rainer identifies seven traits of congregations who have experienced revitalization.

The work is observation based and practical in application.

Presented in a more anecdotal than research-driven writing style Anatomy of a Revived Church was penned out of a response to a conference attendees’ conversation with Rainer concerning one of his previous works Autopsy of a Deceased Church. The conference attendee wanted to know how the church members could allow the church to close. Rainer, reflecting on a 2005 study published in a business periodical, writes, “If given a choice between life and death, most people and leaders choose death if life requires substantive change” (13). The newest work highlights what is happening in a church that is cruising towards closure accompanied by observations from churches who chose to do something to avoid dying.

You should read this book because it is written for the local church. There is a tone in this writing to speak to the local

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church leaders, not just the pastor. Many books focus on what the pastor needs to do to lead a revitalization effort.

Rainer’s work in Anatomy of a Revived Church, however, places the pastor and the congregation in the symbiotic relationship described in the Bible. Renewal needs leadership. But revitalization requires the congregation’s involvement.

You should read the book with other leaders in your church because it highlights issues that need to be addressed. Concerns that, while raised by the church’s pastor, are often only heard from someone outside the congregation. Rainer’s book will be your advocate of what you have no doubt already said.

Finally, this book draws much-needed attention to the role of prayer in a revitalization. Proposes a practical way of expanding the scorecard beyond buildings, budgets, and bodies.

His section of raising giving was profound and straightforward.

Rainer continues to add pages to church health and revitalization. He will not doubt, Lord willing, produce more work. Anatomy of a Revived Church is a good read. An insightful read. A good addition to the revitalizer’s library.

I would also like to recommend one book that addresses revitalizing yourself. Your Future Self Will Thank You; Secrets to Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science by Drew Dyck is a resource to help you grow. I propose three reasons why you need to read this book.

First, you are not the person you want to be. This book sheds light on why.

The central theme is that self-control is less than saying “no” and more about possessing right-oriented priorities.

While this work will not help you flush out your values, it will provide insight as to keeping first matters first.

Second, you are not the ministry leader you want to be. Developing a revitalized self will help position you to be a church revitalization leader. It has been said that a church will only grow as far as its leader grows. If the leaders lack self-control, the church will as well.

Third, the people you are investing your life into are not the people they want to be. They want to know how to live a life of self-control. They are looking to you to know how. This book will resource you to equip them.

Dyck flushes out the theme that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. Self-control then is more than you not doing

“x” or doing “y.” Self-control is not only about saying no to the ice-cream because you answered yes to the diet.

Self-control is evidence of the Holy Spirit at work within your life. Dyck writes, “Self-control, then, is about listening and obeying. It’s not self-determined.

It means submitting every decision we make to God. It’s about surrendering. When we do this consistently, it’s called self-control” (33). Self-control is about the Lord working in you, then through you. In your church and through your church.

Dyck is honest and self-deprecating in addressing the issue of self-control. He shares his struggles and the devastation that the absence of self-control has brought into his family. His approach is refreshing and well researched. When you finish, you will not feel guilty for not doing whatever it is you were supposed to be doing. When you finish, you will have a richer understanding, a different perspective, and thoughtful ways to act on the fruit of the spirit of self-control. Your Future Self Will Thank You; Secrets to Self-Control form the Bible and Brain Science is an excellent addition to the revitalizers library.

Rob Hurtgen is the Pastor of First Baptist Church Chillicothe, Missouri. He holds an M.Div from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree in Church Revitalization from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

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Thriving or Surviving: Making the Most of your Wages

By Rodney Harrison A study published in Christian Century confirmed what many already knew...pastors tend to make less than the median member in their churches.1 Often finances prevent otherwise willing leaders from staying long enough to make a difference. For those seeking to turn around a declining church, the challenge of paying the bills is often daunting.

Assuming you practice biblical stewardship through the tithe and offerings, the next step tied to financial sustainability is stewardship through reduced spending.

To improve your bottom line requires making more or spending less. Making more is often not an option. Whatever the cause of a church or personal shortfall, having adequate resources to see the church through the restoration process is critical to success. To that end, here are 10 frequently overlooked ways to reduce your monthly expenses without impacting overall quality of life. In fact, some of these savings may actually increase your family’s quality of life. As a bonus, at the end is a guaranteed step that will improve stewardship and, most likely, reduce your daily spending.

1 C. Kirk Hadaway and Penny Long Marler, Christian Century, What Pastors Get Paid and When It’s Not Enough, June 6, 2019 https://www.christiancentury.org/article/critical-essay/what-pastors-get-paid-and-when-it-s-not-enough, accessed October 28. 2019.

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1. Eliminate cable/satellite TV ($60-80). Since the launch of digital television in 2007, the number of free channels available on antenna TV has skyrocketed. Even at our rural Missouri homestead, we have over 50 channels. Sure, you will miss ESPN and other favorites, but the time not spent watching the game at home can be spent with family, friends or another hobby. The good news is that free TV includes plenty of children’s programming and classics from the past.

2. Eliminate streaming services, such as Hulu, Netflix, Prime, SiriusXM, etc...($10-25). Not only is the content of many shows less than circumspect, streaming services support habits such as binge watching.

3. Transfer your mobile phone to a $10 per line talk and text service ($15-80). My wife and I both have older iPhones.

We use PureTalk®, and our combined bill is $15 per month.

There are many talk and text services that are $10 per line.

Unlimited talk and text are still under $20 and can be the source of significant savings.

4. Shop around for lower cost car and homeowners insurance ($5-100). I annually compare prices with at least four major carriers. This past year, we saved $275 on car insurance and a whopping $1300 on homeowner’s by shopping around. Don’t forget, if you find a better deal, you can cancel

your current coverage at any time, not just when it is time to renew. Also, ask you carrier about better deals. Insurance prices are a major expense, so spend a few hours each year ensuring you are getting the best coverage for the lowest cost possible.

5. Set a goal and sell your clutter. Little used or unused sports equipment, tools, bikes, etc. If you need $500 for a car repair, sell $500 worth of stuff.

Most of us have stuff we don’t use that someone else would like. From unused sporting and exercise equipment to camping gear that has not been out of the garage for a decade, you most likely have stuff that could be sold on Craigslist or at a garage sale. Larger items such as underused cars, boats, motorbikes, and trailers not only continue to depreciate, they usually cost money in the form of maintenance, taxes and registration.

Many items pastors own are simply taking up space and adding clutter.

Nothing is more freeing than eliminating stuff. If you can’t sell it, give your stuff away. If no one wants it, throw it away.

cantly. For a family of four, the soft drinks or coffee will add anywhere from $8-12. Add tax and tip and you just raised the check to over $15.

10. Cancel magazine, newspapers and digital content subscriptions ($10-50). I love reading the morning news, but when our local paper raised the subscription price to over $35 per month, I realized an opportunity to save. I can still get all the news I need online, but the savings realized by canceling the newspaper, three magazine subscriptions, and one digital blog added up to nearly $50 per month in savings.

“...some of these savings may actually increase your family’s quality of life.”

6. Eliminate your corded phone ($2540). If you still have a land line, why?

7. Reduce utility costs— set a goal of saving 10% ($10-20). I was in the parsonage of a church revitalizer one summer. It was 94 outdoors and 70 indoors. I asked him what his electric bills were like and he expressed outrage. After we discussed establishing energy cost savings goals, he and his wife agreed on 78 degrees and adding electric fans in the living room and bedroom. The monthly savings was nearly $100 per month.

Many electric companies will assist with energy audits that will help you find additional savings. Make sure the older kids are part of those meetings.

8. Stop stopping at Starbucks ($20-100). This savory routine can add up to some serious spending. One $3 drink per day is $65 per month. A flavored drink and muffin comes in at $175 per month. Even the $1 coffee at McDonalds adds up to over $20 per month. A brewed coffee or K-Cup at home is about 30 cents.

9. Order water with dinner ($15-60). Whether grabbing fast food or enjoying a well-deserved sit down night out with your family, ordering water will reduce the spending signifi-

Implementing the examples above results in monthly savings of between $170-515. Add to this the savings jump start from selling clutter through Craigslist or a garage sale and you are well on the way to a happier and more sustainable budget.

I will conclude my insights on cost cutting with a sure-fire way for every reader spend less and live better. This is accomplished by implementing a pray-before-purchase practice. As a young church planter in northern Minnesota, implementing this practice reduced grocery and incidental costs significantly. From roaming the aisles of a big box store to looking at the latest deals on Amazon, asking God to grant wisdom and discernment before putting an item in the cart or clicking Buy Now will most assuredly impact your bottom line.

Dr. Rodney Harrison provides oversight to Midwestern’s doctoral programs, extensions, online programs and accreditation. He came to Midwestern following a fruitful ministry in church planting and missions in California, the Dakotas, and Minnesota. Prior to coming to Midwestern, he was New Church Extension Associate for the California Southern Baptist Convention. Rodney is the author of four books and has written material for LifeWay Christian Resources, The Revitalizer, and several academic journals.

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Following The Scorched Earth Pastor

By Rob Myers A pastor that leaves well is pretty rare these days. As we look at the national stats, it becomes very clear that there is a problem in the turnover of the churches in the area of all positions.

Youth directors last about a year and a half. Associate pastors last around two years, and senior pastors nationally average about four years in one place. Those stats say a multitude in and of themselves about the two sides of the equation: the staff and the congregation. The fact that cannot be ignored is that there are problems. The fact is that all God’s Churches have problems.

Case B: The pastor has been caught in a sexually compromised relationship and when confronted by the group to whom the sexual partner confesses his sin, he turns around and denies it.

Case C: The pastor has been found to have had multiple affairs and leaves the church under pressure, taking parishioners with him for a new church plant and marries one of the women he had an affair with.

Case D: The pastor has confessed his indiscretion to the body and has surrendered to go to a ministry of reconciliation.

The one piece of advice I can give to you from my own travels through the life of pastoring that will give you great wisdom is the following simile: people and churches are like icebergs, there is what you see on the surface, and there is the inverted Titanic-sinking mountain just under the water.

When you take on the church position, there is the presentation and then there is what really is. When you speak to a pulpit committee, you are usually speaking to the group of people which that congregation has entrusted their leadership to. I don’t care what kind of expert you think you are in the area of discernment. When you examine a leader, you will not be able to know his or her depth for at least one year, possibly two. Many churches will tell you what you want to hear for various and sundry motives (which is another article in itself ). The enemy fire of life will determine their leadership trustworthiness.

Let me first point out that scripture gives us in Timothy and Titus a Bible-based line for the qualifications of a pastor. To summarize, we have to ask ourselves, “Why would God care if the pastor is the husband of just one wife?” The simple answer is that with all that a pastor is going to have to go through, He, the Lord, wants them to be like Teflon. All charges against a pastor should just slide off because of their impeccable character. Pastoring is just too difficult to be dealing with an ex-wife, multiple children, and an extra set of in-laws. When a man of God is with someone other than his wife, he is resigning his position as pastor before God. He has fired himself long before the church will.

In Case A, B, C, and D, the revitalizer has to work from a position of strength with his own qualifications. In all these cases it is often a common occurrence that the former pastor disagreed with this Biblical position and has allowed it to filter into the overall staff and deacon body. You will find divorced and remarried associate pastors and deacons. The pastor couldn’t hold them to a standard that he did not agree with himself.

This is especially prevalent in many of the megachurches in our time. It is in fact a nation-wide problem. It is going to take a supernatural spirit-filled backbone to stand up to the onslaught of those who will take offence for divorced pastors and deacons. I would posit that it is better not to have deacons than have divorced deacons. Why violate God’s Word?

This is all leading up to the big question: What do you do to revitalize a church whose former pastor was forced out due to sexual immorality? Let’s point out the different cases we need to understand because each one has its own distinct set of issues and each variant of these cases have tremendous and distinct consequences and hurdles to overcome.

Case A: The pastor has summarily left his post, wife, and family to have an affair with another woman.

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Do you know better than He does about leadership qualifications? I remember filling out a questioner for my current church, a class B church. My wife read my stance on pastoral and deacon qualifications and said, “If you send this in, they will never have you as their pastor.” I sent it, they read it, and they brought me on as their pastor. Four deacons removed themselves on the issue from the deaconate upon my arrival only to stay for years serving in other areas of the church. I am forever grateful that they stayed, and I have never regretted my stance in the scriptures.

Case A churches are in my opinion one of the easier churches to gain a quick return to health. My first church was a case A. I spent significant time ministering to the family and the adult son who was emotionally injured and embarrassed. He had been the youth minister, and his mother had been a Godly woman. My wife and I were able to bring healing to the family and to the church. This took significant time and resources, but it was worth it. The hard part in a class A church is that the leadership becomes extremely skeptical of the trustworthiness of the pastor. Everything the pastor does is questioned and the benefit of the doubt is rarely given. The deacons used this time to entrench their power and I heard comments like, “You are our preacher, not our pastor,” and, “I have been here all my life, and I have seen pastors come and go, and I’ll be here when you are gone!” The key words for a class A church are: Out-love them and out-live them! This is a not a two-year assignment church. Give them ten years and the church will turn around, but you are going to have to love them so much that you are willing to wrestle the Biblical control back for the pastorate. Do a good job and the next pastor will thank you.

Class B churches are already fighting before you walk in the door. I have served in a Class B church. The pastor had an affair with a woman who was under the influence of a drug addiction. He got caught when she sobered up and told half the leadership. The pastor was confronted and then confessed.

The leadership called for his removal at a business meeting.

Then the pastor’s wife and friends rallied at the meeting to support their pastor, who was in their minds, not capable of such a thing.

He was fired and ran off. When I arrived at the interview at the church, we sat in a large group and as he stared people down around the room the interim pastor said, “We have no problems!” Zingers were flying in every direction. We accepted the call and I started by dividing and conquering. I called the fighting church to prayer. I took them verse by verse through the Pauline letters. Eventually the truth came out and set them free. Once unified the church grew rapidly and received my leadership because I earned it by leading them through the rough waters and not bailing on them. Within four years they reached over 700 in attendance. I out-loved them!

The Class C Church can be found all over the country. So much damage is done by these fallen pastors that it is hard to imagine why people would ever follow them, but they do.

Their followers have become attached to the personality and

have to overlook the glaring flaws that delegitimize their testimony. They have had to customize their theology and ecclesiology to adapt to their sin. How do you revitalize those who are left behind? This is a church where you have to get permission coming in to rewrite the leadership manual. To do this, everyone has to be brought along. A high accountability network has to be set up with the leaders. A church council works better than a board because it will have a better representation of the will of the people. The council becomes the sounding board to the senior pastor and his staff. An executive pastor will need to operate under the leadership of the senior pastor coordinating the future direction with the council. The pastor or revitalizer will succeed with transparency and open accountability with the council. This gives the senior pastor the ability to lead the church through the healing, and often legal, process. The council and pastor can present major decisions to the membership body as described by the constitution and by-laws. This system creates high-level trust quickly. This group is going to have to become quickly motivated to regroup and keep the other church from siphoning off more people. This church will need to feel like a restart and may need to rename itself in order to break with the past, especially if the former pastor was the originator of the church being left behind. The revitalizer has to be an eternal optimist and motivator.

The Class D Church is going to need to handle very much like the Class B Church. This is not the worst-case scenario and it often indicates a level of graciousness and spiritual maturity in the body itself. These folks are usually ready for new leadership. They have gone out of their way to be kind and forgiving to the former pastor and need to be commended for that. It is extremely important for these folks that the revitalizer is a forward thinker and is not focused on complaining about the mess the predecessor made.

In conclusion, there are no easy solutions for these situations.

They are going to take a lot of time and maximum flexibility from the revitalizer. If you do not have a strong independent continence, then these situations are not for you. If you are affable and need people to like you, then these are not good situations for you.

Rob Myers is the Pastor of Miami Baptist Church a turn around church located in the multi-lingual community in South Florida. Rob has been in ministry for more than 39 years. He has been in church planting and pastoral leadership for 36 of those years, which includes 15 years as the Senior Pastor of Miami Baptist Church. His is Adjunct Professor of Indiana Wesleyan University and President of Baptist World Charities. Rob has an earned Doctorate in Ministry Leadership from John Wesley University, a M.Div. from Southwestern Seminary and a B.A. From Palm Beach Atlantic University.

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On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

By Tracy Jaggers Years ago, when I ran relays and low hurdles, I was always thankful for the device that made a quick start possible. The starting blocks were a valuable tool to spring forward and get that early lead. When it comes to revitalizing a struggling or declining church, I find it beneficial to have a clear and decisive starting point. Too often churches wait until the church is on life support before seeking “medical” attention for their malady. The congregation and the leadership need to begin the revitalization process while the church is alive and vibrant. Seeking to redefine and redesign the group should be accomplished when the church is healthy and has strong resources. No one will ever arrive at their desired destination unless they first recognize there is a nobler place to be. Start when you sense the fire is growing cold!

I recommend every church to do an assessment of its mission and ministry effectiveness every year or two, just like you would ask a doctor to perform a physical to remain healthy and productive. The graph reveals the crucial point for this evaluation process – during the height of the ministry and

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structure stages. You should redesign before the apex of the bell curve. Determine afresh why God planted your group in your locale. Preach on why God planted your church in this location and what the purpose was for its beginning. Then, ask yourself, “Are we still accomplishing that for which Christ Jesus planted us? Are we still living up to His calling in us?” If your answer to these questions is no, then now is the time to start a renewal process. Get to it!

Start now! Seek to make an eternal difference, even if the risk is high and the resistance is almost excruciating.

Before the plateau stage is on the horizon, the church must begin redesigning the next three-to-five-year vision strategy. If the ministry is beginning to be mundane, now is the time!

1. Start when the church family is desperate for the Power of God. Nothing positive will occur when the congregation no longer expects Almighty God to show up and show off! How big are your goals? How big is your God? Plan big with a big God and you will be surprised what God will do.

2. Start when the body is desperate for the Presence and Person of Christ. If the family feels the curse of Ichabod (1 Samuel 4:21 – “The Glory of the Lord has departed…”) is written on their church walls, they will cease inviting friends and family to join them in this slow death march. When the family of God is desperate for the presence and person of Christ, others will see and hear of their zeal and be more inclined to join their quest.

3. Start when the leadership is committed to obtaining the favor of God, more than the accolades of humanity. What is most important to you, pastor? Do you prefer to be empowered by a Holy God, or are you more enamored with the dreams of being in some other church where everything is hunky dory, or the pastor of a larger church or being sought after by a denominational agency? Jesus warned us about such things: (John 12:42-43) Flourish where you are planted for the honor and glory of the Vinedresser (John 15:1-11)! If you are not committed to the right-here-and-now, then let someone else take the reins and lead His Bride to the pastures He has prepared for them.

4. Start when the Congregation is Desperate for Something Different.

Don’t change simply for the sake of change. Often when a church family sees that the church is struggling, it is past time for something to be done.

But when the congregants are crying out for a change, it is time to storm the gates of the status quo and make the adjustments necessary to get the church back on track. If you are not committed to join them, then find a new set of tracks.

7. Start when the members are beginning to be more concerned with maintaining the church facilities than reaching the lost souls of humanity. A passion for the lost is vital. We are not a museum; we are a ministry! Recognizing people are headed for a God-less eternity should instill a sense of urgency in the body of Christ; for such were we! The church must remain externally focused. Searching diligently for the lost sheep is the example Jesus gave us about His Shepherding Father. May we be known for leaving the building to rescue the perishing.

8. Start on your knees. This is where Jesus began the walk to the Cross. It is the primary starting point! The source of empowerment for Him, for the church and for every revitalization process is the same. Power is spelled P-R-A-Y-E-R! Isn’t it intriguing that the disciples asked Jesus early in His ministry to teach them to pray? They didn’t ask for training in healing, exorcising of demons, multiplying of bread and fish, or the ability to walk on water. They asked, “Lord, teach us to pray…” Prayer is the faucet that opens the pipeline to the blessings of God. If we pray, we can move mountains. If we pray, we can stand strong when the storms rage and when we pray, we capture the eyes, ears and heart of our Heavenly Father. Prayer changes me!

“No one will ever arrive at their desired destination unless they first recognize there is a nobler place to be.”

5. Start where you find the anointing and leadership of the Lord. Sometimes we find ourselves getting ahead of God. We may find in a Google search an answer that appears good and innovative, but is it God’s plan? Does our direction keep us focused on the best message ever proclaimed? Is the Gospel the source of our foundation? Do the lost people in our community see our love for God being displayed in our care and ministry for the people outside our church walls? Are we doing what Jesus would do if he were a physical member of the church we attend? If we are not living up to His example, then we need to renew our relationship to the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

6. Start when you are seeing bitterness, anger, apathy, defeat and despair. A negative, complaining and grumbling persona will destroy the church’s future opportunity for healing and revitalization. We need to have a CAN-DO attitude because we serve a WILL-DO God. If we gather together in harmony and unity (Matt. 18:20), desiring to do His Will, He will be there! Remember, we cannot be defeated when we are His! (2 Cor. 4:7-10)

9. Start when you are absolutely convinced the process, the race and the finish are not up to you. Revitalization and renewal are not about the leader, the congregants or the community.

It is about obedience to the Great Commandment, the Great Commission and our Great Savior, King Jesus. The process is to get His Bride ready for His return. To assist her in adorning herself with the fullness of the Spirit and being a co-laborer with her in proclaiming the Gospel to the nations. Revitalization is REVIVAL! If it does not lead us to revival, then it is not revitalization - it is merely a Band-Aid on a dead body!

Tracy Jaggers is the Associational Director of Missions of the Gateway Baptist Association, Edwardsville, Illinois. He earned his doctoral degree in Church Revitalization from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He writes for state and national revitalization organizations and speaks for state and national revitalization conferences and webinars. He is contributing author for the book entitled, Practical Tools for Reinventing the Dying Church. His website is: www.churchoverhauler.com

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