Reaffirming Revitalization
CONVENTION WATCH
by Bart Day The Rev. Bart Day (bart.day@lcms.org) is executive director of the Office of National Mission.
Wondering what delegates will be discussing at the convention? Here are some of the big topics.
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evitalization is a hot topic in American Christianity. As congregations decline in members, attendance and financial resources, leaders are looking for ways to reverse unsettling trends. But revitalization should not be a reaction to decline or the threat of decline. Instead, revitalization should be centered in doing the things that we are meant to do as the Church. With that in mind, the 2013 LCMS convention passed Resolution 3-08A that “reaffirmed that one of the Office of National Mission’s (ONM) priorities is church revitalization” and directed the ONM “to increase its ongoing focus on revitalization.” In January 2015, the ONM Revitalization Initiative was launched to assess and address the revitalization needs of LCMS congregations. After meeting with the staff of numerous districts to determine how best to assist and support districts and their congregations with revitalization needs, ONM began developing the re:Vitality program. re:Vitality is a suite of resources designed to assist congregations through self-assessment, action-oriented training and outreach-integrated witnessing. Key features of the re:Vitality program include:
•B eginning with the premise that wherever God’s Word is proclaimed and His Sacraments are received, there is vitality. •R ealizing that spiritual vitality is not, in and of itself, sufficient for a congregation to be viable. •R ecognizing that revitalization is not a human effort to bring a “dead” church back to life but the work of Holy Spirit to increase vitality through the Means of Grace. •E mbracing the understanding that revitalization is not a “new way of being church,” but being the church that we are in new ways. •P roviding practical resources for congregation leaders to determine and take concrete actions to make their congregations more effective in inviting, welcoming and receiving people from outside the Church. • Making workshop resources, including materials, available to LCMS congregations at no cost. The first of the re:Vitality suite of resources, “Connect To Disciple: Inviting, Welcoming, and Receiving People from Outside of the Church,” is available now. “Joining God’s Mission: Strategic Planning for the Congregation, Shepherding the Strays: Actively Serving Our Inactive Members” and “Members of One Body: Engaging Members Old and New” will be available soon. More information about re:Vitality is available at lcms.org/revitalization or by emailing revitality@lcms.org.