Leading Church Revitalization

In the midst of the deep discouragements that can come our way in ministry, there is one thing that will keep us encouraged and focused on Christ: The Gospel. The Gospel protects us from flimsy self-dependence and the idol of oth- ers' approval. It keeps us rooted in God Himself so that we will not run after things that we think will satisfy us or give us value. The gospel is what sustains us through good times and through bad times, through mountaintops and through valleys. Nothing else can satisfy us in ministry—not a bigger church, not writing a book, not launching more community groups, nor whatever else we think will give us the satisfaction, joy, and peace we long for. Only the gospel will satisfy.

If you don't control and manage your schedule in ministry, everyone else will. So, how are you doing managing your schedule? This is a struggle for many pastors. In this episode, we want to help you think through how to strategically make the most of their time each day in order to be the most fruitful pastor you can be. We will consider several key strategies to help you grow in this area.

“How well do you manage your schedule?” This is a question I often ask pastors and church leaders, especially those who are feeling discouraged or burned out. It's amazing how interconnected the management of our schedules are with the joy and peace we experience day to day in ministry. In this episode, our focus will be considering what it looks like to build a healthy schedule, for the good of your soul, the good of your family, and the good of your ministry.

What does it look like to handle conflict in a God-honoring way? Whether criticized or caught up in a conflict, we are sinful people rubbing shoulders with other sinners. Fortunately, we follow a Savior who dealt with the same struggles and can sympathize. In every circumstance, the principles are the same. Christ shows the way forward. Here are eleven principles and tips for handling conflict biblically. 

While conflict is inevitable in our ministries, the question for us is, how will we lead through the conflict that comes? Let's consider for a few minutes how you deal with conflict as a leader. What is your conflict style, your personal disposition, and your approach toward disputes both big and small? What is your default?

Being criticized is never fun. It never feels good. In this episode, Part 2 of a series dealing with criticism in ministry, we will consider a number of unhealthy, as well as, healthy ways to respond to criticism when it comes our way in the church. May each of us look at our own hearts and humbly ask the Lord to help us become pastors and leaders who deal with criticism in God-honoring manner.

I've never met a pastor who really loves to be criticized. And yet it's a painful reality that we all experience. For this reason, every pastor must consider how we will respond to personal criticism in our ministries. In this episode, part one of a two part series, we will consider five reasons why, though never enjoyable, we shouldn't be shocked when criticism comes our way.

As pastors and leaders, raising our kids in the church should not be a threat to their wellbeing but a huge opportunity to help them grow in their love for God and their love for the body of Christ. But how does that happen? While there is not one magic bullet, let's consider several keys to loving and leading our kids well in the church.

Our #1 ministry in church revitalization is to our wives. God's design for husbands is to sacrificially bleed and courageously lead their wives toward increased holiness and joy in Christ. That takes sacrifice, that takes intentionality, that takes courage, that takes boldness that only comes from the Holy Spirit. Let's talk about how to love and lead our wives well.

Once we have prayerfully considered what it would look like to be faithfully committed to a local church, and are convinced we should do this, the next step is to consider how we do it. What are some of those pieces that will help us not only to sustain the long haul, but to enjoy it, and to love it—not just for ourselves but for the church and for our families? Here are eight strategies for cultivating a heart for long-haul ministry.

The reality is this: when we look at churches that are healthy, vibrant, and growing, it is incredibly common to see a pastor (or pastors) who has been serving that same congregation for many years through both the good times and the bad. This is especially true in a revitalization context where it takes perseverance to lead a dying or declining church back to health. It takes time to see the healthy fruit of a revitalized church. In this episode we will consider 10 reasons for long-haul ministry.

In this episode, we will consider five strategic ways a church can begin to make an impact on their community through their building. What might these look like for you and your congregation? We will also address seven potential obstacles or challenges you might face leading this kind of change.

Many declining churches have been blessed with a building that has been used for effective ministry in the past and can be used for effective ministry once again in the future. However, right now, much of the building sits silent and untouched throughout the week. In this episode, let's consider four reasons why declining churches ought to seriously consider pursuing new ways of redeeming their empty building space for Gospel ministry.

In our last episode, we considered some of the unique challenges, as well as some of the unique opportunities, for youth and children's ministry in a church revitalization context. In light of these, let's get really practical in this episode and consider eleven core strategies to help you develop and build a healthy, biblical ministry to kids, teenagers, and their families.

How does a declining church effectively minister to children and teenagers? This is the question we are going to explore this week and next on the podcast. While there are no doubt unique challenges that come with ministry to children and teenagers in a church revitalization context, there are incredible, unique oppor- tunities as well.

Last week we considered why pursuing an evangelistic vision is so important in church revitalization, today we're going to look at how to actually do this. How do we mobilize a congregation for this type of strategic, evangelistic ministry? Let's consider a simple, but doable strategy called I:3.

One of the great challenges in church revitalization is that oftentimes, dying churches have lost their vision and passion for sharing the gospel with a lost and dying world. Even for a pastor who is passionate about gospel proclamation, it can be hard to motivate a weary congregation. As a result, some pastors start to give up or start to wonder if it is really worth all the effort. Today let's consider 6 reasons why it IS worth the effort to mobilize our churches to evangelize the lost.

Let me state something obvious: Ministry is all about relationships. For this reason, it is crucial that as replanters and revitalizers we are committed to consistently build relationships of love and trust with as many people as we can in our community. This is at the heart of networking, which is the topic we will be considering on this episode. How do we grow as effective networkers?

Reaching a community effectively begins with the hard work of getting to know the “ins and outs” of that particular neighborhood. This is why community exegesis is so important. However, it's not enough to simply know about the community; you need to take the next step and begin to serve there with the love of Christ. 

One of the challenges (and sad realities) in church revitalization is that a dying or declining church has most likely become a non-factor in their community. People don't care about what's going on in the church; those in the neighborhood may not even know that the church is doing anything anymore! This should really bother us. In fact, this ought to be one of the reasons why we want to see a church revitalized in the first place; to see a congregation become a lighthouse for the sake of the gospel in a community that desperately needs it! If this is going to happen, we have to get serious about getting into the neighborhood. To help us do this well, there are three words I want to discuss over the next 3 weeks on the podcast that can help drive and direct our community engagement: Know, Serve, and Network. The bottom line is this: In revitalization, knowing, serving, and networking are critical to loving your community with passion, persistence, and purpose. 

One of the ministries that struggles the most in many dying and declining churches is the Christian education ministry. This ministry is critical in helping our people love God and love people with all that they are. Today on the podcast, I want us to consider a Three Step Strategy to help you and your leaders reimagine and relaunch a clear vision and direction for the Christian education/Sunday School ministry of your church. You can do this.

What do we do about the Christian Education or Sunday School ministry in a dying or declining church? Hear me well, I believe it's vitally important that Christian education play a central role in our churches; the question is what should it look like and how can we help it to be most effective. In this episode we will consider 7 challenges that come with trying to revitalize the Christian education ministry of a church.

Maybe you are like me. I've been part of all different kinds of small groups over the years, and I've loved each of them in different ways. But what I can tell you is that some were much more healthy, vibrant, and alive than others. As I've reflected on what I think sets these groups apart, I really think you can boil it down to eight things. Let's talk about them.

Creating environments where people can care for one another and grow deeper in the Lord together is critical to the health of any congregation. This is where a strong community group ministry can be helpful. On a practical level, how do you design and lead effective community groups in your church? In this episode, we will consider some of the nuts and bolts that are needed.

On this episode we are going to name nine potential threats to transformational, biblical community in the local church. These are things we need to be aware of as leaders, because they are going to be constantly working against our attempts to lead the church into true, Christ-centered, God-glorifying fellowship.

My guess is that, like every struggling congregation, there are many areas that need help in your church, many areas that could use your time and attention. However, you can't focus on everything, especially at the beginning of your ministry at the church. So, what is most important? Where should you put your energy? I would answer that question this way: Along with building relationships of love and trust with the congregation, spending time in intentional prayer, and beginning to live on mission in the surrounding community, it is critical for you to focus on making Sunday mornings the best experience it can be. Let's talk about why this is and how to make it happen.

Today is Part 2 of a two week episode where we are talking about how to practically develop and lead a clear ministry strategy in your church. Where are you taking people? How are you strategically and purposefully helping them to grow as disciples of Jesus? What is your game plan? This episode is designed to help you answer these questions and more.

A common issue faced by many dying churches is that they've lost their sense of purpose and vision. They might have some strategic phrases listed on their website. They might even have a hodgepodge of ministry offerings. However, at the end of the day, these churches often lack a cohesive and compelling vision and ministry strategy that propels them to passionately and joyfully reach their communities for Christ. As we seek to revitalize churches, we want to lovingly reorient them to the mission of God as articulated in Scripture. As we open Scrip- ture together and relearn God's plan for His people, we can begin to create a vision and ministry strategy for our own church that reflects God's big plan for his people. Let's talk about how to do this well. 

Many dying and declining churches have lost sight of what membership should look like and how members should function within the church. These churches can be quick to lower the bar of membership just to keep people around, but this ends up backfiring for the health of the church. To correct this, one of the first things that we must do is evaluate the membership process and instate a new strategy that is in line with where the church is headed.

One of the biggest issues that we see in dying and declining churches is a lack of strong leadership. Who is in charge? It can get pretty messy. Individuals who should not be in leadership, are, and those who might be more qualified leaders, aren't. Well, the Bible clearly lays out for us the two primary offices of leadership that the Lord has ordained to lead the local church. One is that of pastor-elder, and the second is that of deacon. Churches are led most effectively when qualified pastors and deacons are working together with humility, joy, and unity. In this episode, let's talk about how you can raise up strong pastor-elders and deacons to help serve and lead your congregation.

Pastors. We need them. Big time. Strong, humble, visionary yet convictional pastors can be tough to find in the church these days. And yet the need for these types of leaders is greater than ever. This is particularly true when it comes to helping replant and revitalize dying churches. As we watch record numbers of congregations closing their doors each and every week all across our country, we are constantly reminded of the leadership crisis in which we find ourselves. We need pastors who can lead healthy change in a declining church with passionate vision and a shepherd's heart. The question is: Where do we find them? In this episode we will talk about how your church can raise up and send out the kind of pastors and leaders dying churches desperately need through the development of a church revitalization internship or residency. Yes, YOUR church can do this!

Let's continue to talk about seven key ingredients for developing leaders in our churches. Last week we looked at 1-4, today we will consider 5-7: #5. Give freedom to try and fail, #6 Saturate with encouragement, and #7. Give feedback.

Most of us feel on a gut-level that developing and deploying leaders is the right thing to do. But just because we share that conviction doesn't make it easy. How do we do it? Where do we begin? This week and next we will be considering seven important aspects of creating a leadership development culture in your church.

Regardless of the size of your church, we as pastors must be intentional to make the development of healthy leaders a top priority. Here are five reasons why.

So, what exactly does it look like on a day to day, week to week basis, to lead a declining church with the Word? Let's get practical and consider several different ways we must lead.

As with any struggling organization, in order to lead change effectively, we must first determine who or what holds the power, authority, and greatest influence in a congregation. Remember this: whomever or whatever has the most authority and greatest influence in a church is the “force” that actually makes change a reality. We can have the greatest vision, the clearest strategy, the finest programs, and the best communication and still not be effective in leading change in a healthy way, if power and authority lie in the wrong place or in the wrong hands.

Declining churches need pastors who faithfully preach the Word of God, week in and week out. Today we talk about some practical ways to continue growing as a preacher in church revitalization.

Particularly in churches needing to be revitalized, God uses the faithful, expositional preaching of His Word to bring real hope, real conviction, and real transformation to a congregation. The benefits of expositional preaching are many...for today, let's consider five of them.

God's people need to be fed good food from God's Word that comes through the weekly diet of faithful, expositional preaching. So, what exactly is expositional preaching? And why is it so important? Let's talk about it....plus, let's consider 5 types of sermons that fall short.

Revitalized churches begin with revitalized pulpits. Healthy, God-honoring church revitalization cannot be sustained over the long haul apart from the steady anchor of a faithful, biblical pulpit. This episode is the first of several, in which we will be talking about the importance of preaching in church revitalization. Today we talk about the most important thing....what do we preach?: We preach the Word!

Dying and declining churches desperately need God to move in power! This is why our responsibility as leaders is to spend alot of time on our knees, praying for God to do just that. In this episode we continue to talk about different ways we as pastors and churches must pray in church revitalization. We then consider three ways to practically mobilize our people to prioritize prayer.

Church revitalization begins in one place: on your knees in persistent prayer. This week and next we will consider twelve specific ways we as shepherd pastors must pray for our lives, our leadership, our congregations, and our ministries. Many of these prayers are critical in any area of pastoral leadership, but they are especially significant in a revitalization context.

The top priority for any pastor or leader going into a church replanting or revitalization context is to build trust and win the hearts of the people who are already there. Sadly, many fail to do this very thing. And as a result, hurt, distrust, and division ensues. In this episode, let's talk about several sure ways to build or lose trust with a congregation.

On this episode, we talk about three important ways a pastor can build trust with a congregation. These include: 1) intentional, conistent encouragement, 2) clear communication (especially when it comes to leading changes), 3) and making meaningful visits to the sick and hurting.

When it comes to earning trust and credibility as a pastor, sometimes the best way to learn is by discovering what not to do. It is for this reason that this week I want us to consider five sure ways to lose trust and credibility in ministry. These are 5 things to try and avoid at all costs!

For many pastors, meetings are one of the least favorite parts of the job, and you might want to write off the meeting I am about to describe. However, I think you will find that developing and instituting a regular shepherding meeting might become the most important meeting you have in your life as a pastor. Let's talk about what this meeting might look like for you and your leaders.

Along with knowing, feeding, and leading the flock, biblical shepherding involves protecting the flock. Our people are in need of protection. In Acts 20:28 we read these words for shepherd leaders: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” Let's consider 5 specific strategies to help us better protect the souls under our care.

Shepherd pastors are called to lead. A biblical, visionary shepherding model intentionally includes three key leadership components that must be integrated into any effective shapherding strategy. Let's talk about them.

God's people need nourishment for their souls. For this reason, they need shepherds who will feed them good food from the Word of God. While as pastors we must work hard to know our people and their needs on a personal level, knowing the flock well must lead us to take whatever steps necessary to feed them well. This includes both the 9 month old and the 90 year old.

There is nothing quite like the ongoing, committed, loving relationship between a shepherd-pastor and the sheep under his care. This is why it is so critical for pastors to establish regular, personal contact with each individual sheep in order to know them well. In this episode, we discuss three key strategies for this.

Just as every good recipe in the kitchen has its key ingredients, the same is true in our churches and in our shepherding strategies. Having a plan is good, but having a few key building blocks in place can help us to not just have a plan, but a good plan. We must begin by first clarifying these key elements of any effective shepherding strategy. Each of these is vital to helping assure a congregation is shepherded well, according to God's design.