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Church leadership can be surprising—especially in revitalization or replanting efforts. Today we discuss some of the surprises we’ve heard and how to work through them.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM ED
I am in the early stages of a church revitalization in a larger church (350) that has been in decline for 12 years from their peak of 750. I’ve been surprised to discover that the church members are open to change but It’s become clear to me that the staff is not. What are some other surprises I may discover as I continue?
Episode Highlights:
- Sometimes, a staff doesn’t want change even when it’s needed because it may mean jobs disappear.
- Don’t assume that the “old guard” in the church will always be resistant to change.
- Your denomination is not a silver bullet for turnaround in your church.
- Pastoral care is critical in a revitalization. The congregation has to know the pastor loves them.
The seven surprises we cover today are:
- “It’s a lot tougher than I thought it would be.”
- “It takes a lot longer than I thought it would.”
- “Some of the ‘old guard’ church members are a lot more helpful than I anticipated.”
- “The denominational help is not a magic bullet.”
- “The depth of hurt in the church is much greater than I first realized.”
- “This work is not nearly as cool and fun as I imagined.”
- “I am amazed at what God has done in five years.”
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
- ChurchReplanters.com
- ChurchAnswers.com
- Replanter Assessment
- Find more resources at the Revitalize & Replant page at ThomRainer.com
Submit Your Question:
Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church and Reclaiming Glory.
what do I do, when I find that my pastor is not open to change and neither is the members, but always talk about growing. they are stuck in the past of a 70 years old small town church. my back ground checking has led me to find that they have run over 35-50 avrg. attd. for worship we are currently at 22 for last 2 years.
thx steve
The “denominational help” and, in my case, the “outside help” is a topic that comes up all the time. People inside and outside the church say all the time that we need outside help to succeed. A big cause of this mentality is that the congregation has been told by so many for so long that they are no good and cannot do anything.
I’ve taken the approach of encouraging the people and trying to build their morale. With or without outside help, the congregation needs to regain their confidence and believe again that they can do something for God.
Today’s post is mostly accurate. I’m almost two years into a revitalization as an intentional interim of a Baptist church of about 100. The church has mostly older members who are greatly concerned to bring in younger families and have been 100% supportive of structural changes. Our denomination (Conservative Baptists) has been very helpful. At the outset then came in and did a health assessment that pinpointed some serious weaknesses and made recommendations which were unanimously embraced. The CB leadership continues to encourage me and the leadership to continue with the process. I strongly affirm the last comment on the need for pastoral care. Just making hospital visits and on elderly at their homes and opening my own home for regular hospitality was not something that they were used to. Showing practical love like this has gone a long way in getting support for the vision and core values that I have helped them develop. The two years I’ve been there has been a wonderful time of bonding and seeing people coming together with the common mission of outreach and disciplemaking. My biggest concern is that these things are so embedded in the DNA that when I leave, they will call someone who shares those values and not come in with a different vision.
And John, I’m not only right in this same boat with you, brother, but mine is way smaller and feels mostly like they’ve already arrived and won’t do anything.
We need prayer, help, and direction. .. badly. .. and they seem to not love me when I beg them to let us do these together. Their quote “You’re asking us to do things we simply can’t do! “
I am called Pastor ALEX Nteganira from Africa, country is Rwanda – Kigali.
The church is called “Jesus is the Lord Temple”.
My view about replanting a church, needs to be intentional. The pastor himself needs to understand the problem and how to go about it. In our context the congregation always say that they are unable but the pastor has to identify a few members that are ready to move with him for hospital visits, evangelism, having fellowship in homes and this will bring a great harvest with time. As you continue modeling, others will join you with time. This may take some time but God is always at work for His glory.
As the primary church tech and media lead for our local church, one of the greatest frustrations I feel is when proposing a change in our current music styles and increasing the use of technology to reach the unchurches. Even though I am a part of the “GenX” era, I still consider myself to relate more to the millennials. What is sad, is that I have a very deep-rooted concern that if they do not change their current ways of thinking, they will be a part of the statistics of the churches who have dwindled away into nothing. As odd as it is, I am currently writing an article on this very thing on my business website. I enjoy listening and watching your material. May the Lord Jesus continue to bless you and that you have the desired impact that will cause today’s churches to see the necessity of changing their current ways of thinking.