Biblical Church Revitalization

by Brian Croft

There is a unique and special power and testimony in not just a vibrant local church full of life, but an old historic one that had lost its way, was on life support, and into which God saw fit to breathe life once again. Biblical Church Revitalization calls us to an intentional commitment to church revitalization in the face of dying and divided churches.

Genres: Ecclesiology, Church, Leadership, Christian

131 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2016

About the author

Brian Croft is Senior Pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Brian is the founder of Practical Shepherding, a non-profit organization committed to equipping pastors all over the world in the practical matters of pastoral ministry.

Reviews

[Mike Crews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful

I found this book both theologically grounded and practically inspiring. It ha stirred my mind as well as my heart and soul.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Dylan Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid book in this series. Full of faithful Christ centred nuggets of wisdom

[Daniel Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Biblical. Necessary.

[Connor Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely book.

[Nathanael Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read. Section 1 was a helpful foundation, good reminders for even thinking about the work. The second section provided lots to think about, and gave me lots to talk with my minister about. Very real challenges, very well addressed. Section 3 brought all this together, and it was good and profitable to hear Croft share his experiences in Church Revitalisation. Glad to have read, very beneficial.

[Robert Luff · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Helpful insights, but too short. My biggest takeaway is that the church I am pastoring is not (at least by this author's definition) a revitalization. We're just a small, healthy church that desires growth!
I highly recommend to other pastors Croft's podcast, Trench Talk (usually known by the name Practical Shepherding, the ministry from which it comes).

[Cory Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I’ve read on revitalization so far. Short and supplies great framework. The personal chapters really help a lot. A few areas in the book where I was left wanting more, but overall really enjoyed and look forward to reading other works by him or Practical Shepherding.

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

His account of the first ten years towards the end of the book are worth the price of admission alone but give confidence that everything that came before is born from a trust in Christ and experience.

[Cooper Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book! I think a church leader should read it even if there church is in a relatively healthy place because it’s theology on leadership is so well thought out! Very well done. I want to audit the course he teaches now at SBTS!

[Wood Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good and encouraging for all pastor's especially pastor's in church revitalization. This book is something helpful and pactful Please take time to read it.

[Evan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty stinking good. Practical. Honest. Encouraging. The conclusion of this book is powerful. Makes reading the whole thing worth it. The best of several of books on revitalization I have read recently. Beyond a shadow of a doubt written with the heart of a pastor.

[Andrew Gates · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Very basic. Maybe good for someone who's never heard of 9Marks and doesn't have any foundations for ecclesiology. But Andy Davis' is better and could be paired with Dever's Nine Marks.

[Carl Peet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure Gold

Man, what a book, biblical, honest and so so helpful, full of wisdom earned through years of faithful pastoral ministry, mistakes and all. Thoroughly recommend to any man engaged in the work of pastoral ministry.

[Ian Minielly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book on church revitalization. The biggest take aways should concern prospective church revitalization efforts.
1. Stay for the long haul
2. Expect pain
3. Do not underestimate what can happen in ten years compared to one, so go slow and teach and love.

Croft says throughout the first half of the book the importance to love the people you have and not the people you want. I agree this is necessary but as you read his story at his church you learn most of his problem children either died or left before the church turned around. He does take ownership that he also needed to grow and change, but I find it disingenuous he tells the reader to gut it out and over time if you survive to the point it happens, you will win the body and the church will grow, but you have to stay and weather the storms and love those who hate you.

The reality appears to be, problem members are often problem members for a reason and they are not going to stop being problems because you lecture them on biblical matters or pray for them. There are only a couple of options.
1. The problem members make the pastor and his family so miserable they leave and restart the process again and drive the church another peg towards dissolution.
2. the problem members grow tired of being unpleasant and leave on their own (least likely to happen)
3. the problem members die before they succeed in driving away another pastor.

The revitalizing pastor will experience a range of these and this is what Croft experienced before they turned around. The problems died and once enough of the problems died and new people outnumbered the problems the ship started turning, but there were still fights to be had. I enjoyed the book, mostly because it makes me feel better reading about someone else taking lumps trying to pastor. Misery loves company.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource on church revitalization, written by someone who has actually done it (and is still serving the church he revitalized). This book works from a solid biblical background and contains many practical applications. However, it is a little too short at 126 pages. Croft has a lot of wisdom, and I wish he would have spent more time fleshing out his material. In particular, the book shines toward the end where he talks about the personal characteristics of a pastor who perseveres through revitalization. I would have loved to hear more about this (perhaps even a book all its own!), and was disappointed when it ended. Likewise, the entire book is written from a Southern Baptist perspective. This is understandable given that the author’s church is SBC, but it takes a little translating for some of it to be as practical for non-baptists.
Overall though, this book is an excellent resource for anyone who is involved in church revitalization or is considering doing so.

[Matthew Kottman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was super-encouraging. I actually didn't learn much from this book, not because it doesn't have a lot of good things to say, rather I have given a lot of thought to the theme of church revitalization. It confirmed for me several things that I am focusing on. It is easy to approach church revitalization from a pragmatic approach. Make things more likeable for people and everything turns around. But this book focuses on loving well, shepherding well, praying well and of course preaching well. Make much of the word of God and its power to change people. Be focused more on church health than church growth. I love our church and what God is doing here and look forward to what the Spirit has in store in the coming years.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of the most helpful books that I've read on the subject of church revitalization. Croft writes in a way that can only be done when one has gone through the ups and downs of revitalizing. In the first part of the book, he does an excellent job of defining what church revitalization is. In the second section, he describes some of the major areas that need to be addressed in any church revitalization (including authority, leadership, membership, unity, and worship). Finally, he presents his actual story about the challenges of him seeking to take a divided church of 40 people and through God's power revitalizing them to a place of spiritual freshness. I'm very thankful for Croft's effort in writing this book that reminds us of God's power to bring life into dry bones.

[Justin Likens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book with practical helps on revitalizing an established church. There were only two reasons I rated it as four stars instead of five. First, there wasn't a tremendous emphasis on prayer. While there was a lot of mentions of depending on the Holy Spirit, it didn't truly talk about how we do that. Second, I wish I would have had this book during the first two years of my current pastorate. I could have avoided a lot of mistakes that I made. But that isn't the author's fault. Regardless of how long you have been at the church, this is a great read on the necessity of church revitalization.

[David Nalley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me commend this book to you. While I am not a pastor in the middle of a church revitalization, this may be one of the most heart stirring books on pastoral ministry I have read. Written from a desire to glorify God, written from his own experience, and written from a heart that loves his local church, Brian Croft has given a gift to the church.

Many times while reading this book, I had to stop, reflect, and pray. My eyes were opened about ministry, and I pray I will be able to use what I gleaned from this book throughout my life of ministry.

This will be a book I go back to over and over throughout my ministry. Get this book, read it, and apply it. You won’t be sorry!

[Taylor Lassiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book before entering pastoral ministry, and it hits different nearly four years into my current church. Croft refuses "pragmatism" and "purism" and advocates for faithful pastoral ministry. I would have liked more specifics on a few seasons of ministry and a few more specific "steps" for pastors to follow, but I greatly appreciate the call to faithful pastoral work. The book's second half details Croft's revitalization journey, and when I read it four years ago, it seemed outlandish. Now, my story almost exactly parallels Croft's experience, and I've learned through the wisdom of time. A must-read for any Pastor, especially one newer in ministry or taking a new church.

[Jake Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a part of a church going through a revitalization process for almost 3 years now. I am deeply encouraged by this book. I am not a pastor but a small group leader and someone who cares deeply about the welfare of our people. Not only is this an absolute MUST READ for pastors going into revitalization situations, it is a MUST READ for any pastor even if they are going into or already leading a congregation of hundreds of people seemingly thriving. There are phenomenal pastoral gold mines in this little book. Read it.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to pastor a God-glorifying, Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-empowered, Gospel-driven, and Bible-shaped church? Prepare to suffer to see it happen. Be a pastor before you’re a visionary. Care for the hurting sheep among you before executing your vision. Remember you too are a sinner in need of Christ.

This is a short, easy-to-read book that hits all the key points of church health in enough detail to be helpful for any pastor. I would recommend people read this book before any of the larger and longer books on revitalization or marks of a healthy church.

[Audrey Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, especially since I’m in the midst of being part of a church revitalization currently. I am very thankful for the insights this pastor has shared, as he himself has been a leader at a church during revitalization.

I think most of all the book helped increase my patience in the midst of the struggles and hard work of being at a church like this. There’s much to be said for those with the fortitude and endurance in seeing a church go from declining or almost dead to seeing it become vibrant and thriving.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. I gave it four stars because of the author's insistence that the Southern Baptist form of church leadership is the only biblical way to go. But there is so much other good stuff, it is worth the read. The last section was the most meaningful to me as he shared his personal experience in church revitalization. It was vulnerable and transparent. And it showed that he had written the book from experience, not just principle.

[Brit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every bit of Croft's book. It's an excellent, short, easy-to-read resource for pastors who are working in church revitalization. Written humbly--lacking the arrogance of a pragmatist who outlines the plan with which he succeeded and suggests you do the same--Croft's work lives up to the title: he sticks to the biblical elements of church revitalization. I highly recommend this book for anybody in pastoral ministry, and especially for those in dying and divided churches.

[Jason & Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't recommend. Croft does make some good points, but overall is heavy handed with its SBC leanings and all other thought processes and books written on Church Revitalization are somehow not scripturally sound.

If this was the only book you had access to, then go ahead. But the reality is that there are others out there that are much more realistic to their approach while still being based in scripture.

[Peter LeDuc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pastor Brian Croft gives a raw, vulnerable, and personal testimony of the difficulties and joys of church revitalization. He calls for courageous pastors to step up—men who are secure in their identity in Christ and able to embrace their own weaknesses, men who will do the hard work of loving and leading despite hostility and hardship. Biblical. Practical. Encouraging.

[Billy Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Biblical Approach

I'm a pastor coming up on my eighth year at the church where the Lord had placed me. I wish I had read this book when I started. We've come a long way but still have a long way to go. This book was a great encouragement for me to stay the course-- to preach the word, to pray, to love the flock, and to not give up.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested in church revitalization, I'd recommend this as a good entryway to thinking through some of the complexities involved. The book is encouraging both in its philosophy of ministry, but also in the real-life story of how Brian led his own church through a tumultuous turn from dying and into a healthy church.