Church Revitalization

The Greatest Missions Opportunity is the Established Church

It has taken me many years to come to this conclusion, but I believe that one of the ripest harvests is the pews of churches in the American South. I understand that many people have “shaken the dust off their feet” and moved on from the established churches in the South, but I believe that this is a mistake. The question truly is this, have American’s heard the Gospel and rejected it or have they never heard the Gospel? I…

Regenerate Church Membership

Where do you begin as you seek to renew a church? There are so many issues from music to finances to leadership. Where do you begin? I would submit to you that the greatest need is a truly regenerate church membership. In Scripture there are sheep, wolves, and goats. If you are part of your typical church here in the South you will find that it is about 10-20% sheep, 10-20% wolves, and the rest are goats. Sheep are the…

The Key to Church Renewal

Before any church can be revitalized, you must settle one question: Who is going to revive the church, you or God? I believe that there is no greater offense to the Spirit of God than the spirit of dependence upon the flesh. The Word of God is clear. “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5.) There is nothing that God requires of us that we are actually capable of doing. We are without strength (Romans 5:6.) We are completely…

Church Health vs. Church Growth

Healthy churches will grow. Unhealthy churches can grow as well. Healthy bodies will grow taller and stronger. Unhealthy bodies will grow wider around the waste and weaker. Healthy cells multiply and divide. Cancer cells multiply and divide. This is very important to remember in church revitalization. The goal is a healthy church not church growth. The healthy church will grow in time, and the growth will be God glorifying and sustainable. A church may grow like a cancer cell, but…

Church Revitalization

In recent years the emphasis on church planting has been accompanied by a growing emphasis on church renewal. For the last twelve years, I have been part of two different church revitalizations. I am planning on discussing this process at length from start to finish. My prayer is that it will encourage each believer in Christ to help strengthen their local church so that it can be all that God has called it to be. What is meant by church…