Church revitalization
8/10/10
It is easier to raise a baby than to raise the dead!
Comeback Churches
-many churches are flat to declining
-studied 324 churches
What principles from Comeback Churches could guide pastors and churches down the path of revitalization?
What are some barriers to spiritual growth?
-self-focused leaders and churches
-when it all about you it is hard to focus on Christ
-Experiencing God’s discipline
-past problems in the church keeping new people from coming
-Lack of radical faith/reliance
-can’t live off the faithfulness of people in the past
-Doing instead of being the church
-just going through the motions rather than living out faith
-Watering down the gospel/truth
-Distracted from our first love
-Ineffective disciple-making
-Irrelevant ministry
-if the 50’s come back, many of our churches are ready to go!
-Pride
Why become a Comeback Church?
-We don’t want our church to die. We’ll do what it takes. Will you?
Dirty Baker’s Dozen Churches – what is holding them back
1. Institutionalized church
2. Voluntary association church
3. Unintentional church
4. “Us four and no more”
5. We can’t compete church
6. Decently & in order church
7. Square peg in a round hole
8. Time-warp church
9. Tidy church – lost people can be messy
10. My way or the highway
11. Chaplaincy
12. The Company church – just following the denom
13. The play it safe church
Leadership is key to transformation.
60% of the comeback churches experienced revitalization after a new pastor came. The other churches who changed there was a change in the pastor that led them to change the church.
Staging a comeback
-the people have to be part of the turnaround – Acts 6:1-5
-Decide on a course of action – Nehemiah 2:11-18
-Proactive leadership – 1 Timothy 3:1
Take the initiative for change. For too long we’ve lived by good enough as is.
You cannot lead what you do not live.
You have to lead the church to be more passionate about their community than their comfort.
People never change until the pain of staying the same grows greater than the pain of change.
There is pain in change, but help them hurt for the right things.
Church can’t be about me, it is about God, and getting on God’s mission.
Church is not going to look like you remember it.
Make your senior adults become partners in the change, not obstacles.
TransformationalChurch.com
Comebackchurches.com
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