Newsletter #59
On Church Revitalization
I’m attending the Missouri Free Will Baptist Ministers’ Retreat this week. Pray for the encouragement and instruction of what will be perhaps as many as 80 pastors, church staff members, and deacons.
Additionally, as I’ve been in the midst of a busy season of hospital visits, funerals, bereavement care, and counseling with couples, this week’s newsletter will be shorter than usual.
The Hardest Part of Church Revitalization?
Church revitalization is a topic on the tips of a lot of tongues these days. Browse various publishers’ catalogs and you'll see there's certainly a supply-and-demand dynamic at work. People are talking about revitalization because it’s a major need. Others talk about it because they have ideas about how to do it and not do it.
I'm not without opinions on this subject. I’ve written about them in a few places previously, including at the Helwys Society Forum. Two of my major concerns about the subject are (1) how clearly we’re developing and articulating what we mean by church revitalization, and (2) recognizing the possible range of situations this term could legitimately describe. For me, this is a crucial way to start the discussion.
However, in broaching the subject again, let me pose a question to readers: given what you know personally or have heard secondhand about the ministry of church revitalization, what would you describe as the hardest part of revitalization? To word it differently, what are the two biggest obstacles to overcome in this ministry effort?
I raise these questions not merely to raise them. I’d love to hear from everyone in the comment field below (or through email). I suspect that how one answers this question could be very revealing about the general attitude toward this type of ministry. It could engender some constructive conversations that deal not only with the things we all agree upon (which could undoubtedly be valuable), but also the areas where we differ.
For starters, I could see several potential answers being given:
-A lack of men and women willing to lead this type of ministry effort.
-A lack of financial resources to fund these ministries.
-The heightened interest of some in starting new ministries rather than dealing with established ones (see Newsletter #55 for more insight on this tendency.)
-The constant setbacks that seem inherent to this work.
-The inability of churches to acknowledge their need for revitalization.
Obviously, such a list could grow much, much longer. I’m trusting readers to help me with their feedback as it will both serve the larger dialogue about revitalization, but also stimulate my own thinking (and future writing) on the topic.
Let me go on the record with what I think are the two hardest parts of revitalization.
First, sincere repentance. Second, strategic patience.
On the first, I don’t see how any ministry (or individual) could begin to experience God’s renewing, reviving power, leading to spiritual fruit, without a full-throated, authentic acknowledgment of wrongdoing. We must be honest about the reality, scope, and nature of our sin. Even then, we’re only engaged in confession. We haven’t made the full turn associated with biblical repentance, which involves a complete changing of the mind, leading to a change in action.
When I say sincere repentance, I'm thinking of what's needed to begin an earnest revitalization effort and to sustain one. Such an effort is a process that unfolds over years, not months. Therefore, seeing repentance as a way of life for individuals and churches is essential.
The second greatest difficulty in revitalization isn't unrelated, but it deals mainly with the lead pastor and leadership team. They realize that intentionality is required in any true turnaround effort. Often this requires drastic steps that, in a healthy work, could be allowed more time to unfold. The heavy lifting often happens more quickly in the most problematic revitalization ministries, given the urgency of the situation.
Nevertheless, not everything can be done hastily or by fiat. Notice how often the New Testament commands and commends patience—both bearing with troubling circumstances and troubled people. We don't get to ignore such passages just because we're doing “church revitalization.” Even if the dynamics of change and decision-making are (and must be) somewhat different in such ministries, strategic patience is non-negotiable.
Knowing when, how, and why to wait requires wisdom, a prophetic ability to see both the near- and long-term simultaneously, not to mention other spiritual virtues.
So, I'd love to hear from you! Email me at jacksonwatts@hotmail.com or leave a comment below.
Follow-Up:
In last week’s newsletter I reflected upon the life and legacy of missionary Carlisle Hanna. Two days ago, his funeral was held at my home church in Turbeville, South Carolina. You can view the service here. Well worth your time.
Currently Reading:
David Pietrusza, 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents.
Quote of the Week:
...the odds of a poor Christian in Nigeria, or a middle-class Hindu in India, or a rich kid in a stable two-parent nuclear household in Korea becoming trans is pretty small. It is in Western countries where white kids with activist, secular parents in an environment of progressivism and, usually, bullying, abuse, or neglect, prompt a child to transition. It is a response to external pressures. That suggests not a change in a species or a change in physical attributes but a mental issue.