Any local church can be revived through renewal, church health, and growth, no matter its size.
But how do we move a church from maintenance to mission?
Through patience and diligence. There are no easy fixes or silver bullets. It takes a long, faithful journey in the same Great Commission direction, and you are the leader helping your church fulfill what God has for them. This requires zeal to persevere, to never quit moving forward for the sake of one more person coming to know Jesus Christ and finding a full life within His church. Each step of the way, you will discover the vision and values shaping the communities around you and see just where God is at work in them and in those you lead to help reach them.
That’s where this guide comes in, to accompany you as you take each faithful step. Each section focuses on the building blocks needed to foster revitalization, the first and most important of which is spiritual renewal. Without this there is no revitalization. Your journey towards outward growth must begin with a journey inward, towards what God is doing in your heart and the hearts of those you lead. Both clergy and lay members must first be renewed in their faith, maintain their personal passion for Jesus, and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit prior to making any structural or cultural changes. Start there, and the rest of your journey can begin.
The book moves through current challenges in evangelism, preferences in worship styles, ways to foster transformation through discipleship, and strategies to build authentic worshipping communities, and it ends with how to explore the gifting and potential in your congregation to help to complete this journey together. Those who engage in church revitalization must be willing to face change, often head on, but they will find that the benefits will outweigh the challenges. Revive is a guide to help you and your church face these challenges together and give hope to those like you who are on the front lines of God’s harvesting laborers.
Each of the book’s five sections have questions designed for individuals or groups to discuss and apply these concepts to each leader’s particular context. Although it can be read in one sitting, this book was designed so that one chapter a day could be read over about six weeks to allow the concepts to sink in. This design makes it an ideal read in church seasons like Advent, Lent, and Easter during which a small group, or even a parish council or governing board, can discuss and apply it to their church.
There are no “quick fixes” in church revitalization, but Revive is a step-by-step guide to help passionate church leaders like you work in a way that bears the most fruit.