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 thro...

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 y...

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 bib...

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 culti...

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 heal...

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 em...

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&#39...

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 chu...

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...

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 edu...

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.