Three Phases of Church Revitalization: Phase One

A three-part series on what to expect and how to lead through revitalization.

I became the Senior Pastor of a rural Baptist church in East Texas in the early fall of 2014. To be clear, I did not take the position with a grand revitalization plan in mind. I don’t think I even knew much about the concept of “church revitalization” at that time. The pastoral search committee said they wanted “a pastor who would love the people and teach the Bible,” and I believed I fit that description well.

After about a year and half, however, it became clear that the organizational structure, the ministry philosophy, and the general health of the church were not (from my perspective) in good condition. I had already been preaching, teaching, building relationships, working to develop godly men among the church, and generally leading toward what I believe was and is a better way. But in 2016 there began some major difficulties in our church. To put it lightly, times got tough for most everyone.

Defining Our Terms

Church revitalization is a phrase with varying meanings, depending on the context and the person using it. I'm using the phrase to mean something like reform or revivify or rehabilitate.

It’s also important to note that I’m not talking sheer numbers. Some churches are unhealthy and dying, even though their attendance and budget numbers at present seem to indicate vitality and growth. Whether a church is large or small, increasing its members or losing them, it may be healthy or unhealthy depending on a host of other factors.

For more reading on what a healthy church is, I recommend THIS BOOK by Mark Dever and THIS BOOK by Jamie Dunlop.

I will outline here what I have experienced as three phases of church revitalization. Having also heard the stories of many other revitalizing pastors and churches, I believe these three phases are common, maybe even typical. I'll call these three phases (1) winning and losing, (2) razing and building, and (3) recalibrating and renovating.

The reader should also keep in mind that I am writing from the perspective of a senior pastor in vocational ministry. There are certainly other perspectives to consider, not least are those of the church members and other staff. So too, bi-vocational pastors, volunteer church leaders, and other churches nearby will all be affected by a local church’s revitalization. Everyone will have their distinct experience and perspective. And yet, I think the perspective I offer here may provide a generally helpful structure for anyone to observe.

Phase One: Winning and Losing

During this first phase, which may last for a long or short time, there are simultaneous wins and losses. I suppose that's true throughout the life of a local church, but I'm referring here to the peculiar sense that there are exhilarating advances and discouraging regresses (often occurring side-by-side). This phase is when there must be a lot of teaching on the fundamentals of what a church is and does. And there are bound to be some in the church who grow and thrive under such teaching, while others recoil and are frustrated by it.

In my own church, I used the existing calendar and took opportunities to explain why we do the stuff we do. By design and intention, some stuff did not get an explanation and defense because it was stuff we didn't need to be doing. However, there was a good bit of activity and function that many church members simply practiced out of habit, and some of it needed to be explained and embraced anew.

Sunday Mornings

The main opportunity for teaching is the Sunday morning gathering.

I preached expositionally. This helped church members acquire a taste for sound doctrine, biblical familiarity, and pastoral application. The simple and consistent practice of lifting the Bible up as the chief authority and the place we go to discover what we are to believe and how we are to live is powerful in itself, regardless of the topic.

I prayed sincerely and publicly. This helped church members learn to prioritize prayer, grow in their understanding of what prayer is and how to do it, and gain a perspective of their pastor’s heart that they might not otherwise have.

I incessantly invited further conversation. I stayed long after the service ended, I invited church members to talk with me about questions and disagreements, and I encouraged them to be more involved in the lives of fellow church members throughout the week.

Members’ Meetings or Business Meetings

Another built-in occasion for teaching is the regular members’ meetings.

For a congregational church, these meetings will already be part of the normal church calendar. However, these meetings are often be used to deal heavily with the minutiae and lightly with the more important matters. This is backwards, and it’s a big reason why a lot of church members don’t attend these meetings.

I began teaching on the important stuff during members’ meetings. When we had church members going in or out of membership, I taught on the importance of thinking carefully about what this means and why we vote on it. When we had a request for a “church letter,” I explained what the outgoing church member is asking us to do and why we ought to be more than a rubber stamp.

Members’ meetings are an opportunity to teach those members who are especially involved. The senior pastor can take 5-10 minutes of each meeting to teach on membership, church budget, ministry philosophy, conversion, discipleship, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and a host of other fundamental church health topics.

Personal and Mutual Discipling

Aside from the formal occasions, the next most important investments I made were among eager and teachable men.

I invited good men among the church to join me in thinking about, talking about, and considering more deeply what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a church, and what it means to lead a church well. Over time, some of these men became my strongest co-laborers in the work of revitalization.

During the early months and years, these conversations centered around getting to know one another and introducing the concept of intentional pastoral leadership. For many unhealthy churches, there is an assumption of pragmatism. It is revolutionary for good men to start thinking about the ways the Bible already speaks to church priorities, church leadership, and church function.

Winning and Losing

Not much change is likely to be visible during this period or phase, but the tectonic plates are shifting and the ground is shaking.

I remember having several conversations with frustrated church members who couldn't articulate what they didn't like, but they were sure they didn't like it. And yet, there were many other church members who seemed to feel a sense of eager anticipation for what they perceived to be a far more substantial and biblically-faithful ministry philosophy being implemented.

One particular Saturday afternoon (about 4 years into my pastoral ministry), 89 church members gathered for a special called members’ meeting to vote on whether or not I would be welcome to continue as their senior pastor. I was not being accused of any sin or misconduct. The cause of this meeting was simply that a sufficient number of members did not like the direction I was leading the church.

While church members deliberated in the fellowship hall, I was counseling with an 80-year-old woman in the lobby who stepped out of the meeting to talk with me. She was the mother of our church secretary, and she had become converted after years of her daughter (the secretary) patiently and consistently studying the Bible with her. The conversation was a great joy, praising God for His kindness in bringing her to faith. We baptized her into membership soon thereafter.

The vote was two-thirds in favor of keeping me as senior pastor, but that day was a microcosm of the sorts of joys and sorrows that often came side-by-side during those first several years. These were very hard days, and these were very good days, and the key to surviving this phase was simply deciding to stay.

If you are a pastor who is facing a season of hurt and despair, then pray for Christ’s help, and look around at all the good He is doing in and through you.

There are joys, brother, and the sufferings are not to be compared.