It has been my experience that every church is going through a process of revitalization in some form or another. I have never met a pastor who did not want their church to be healthier or to grow. Every church that I have served in tirelessly worked to be more useful for the glory of God.
We pushed because we knew church health and the salvation of souls hung in the balance. We worked hard in revitalization because we knew that churches that revitalize well, in most cases experience biblical growth and churches that do not work at revitalization end up in stagnation and death. Church revitalization must be a constant work of every church leader. But what does it look like to revitalize well?
After leading churches in the work of revitalization and working through countless hours of materials on church revitalization, I have found three things to be imperative for the work of revitalization. Here is the second step.
Step 2: Seek God’s Word in Revitalization
God’s Word plays a vital role in revitalization. God’s Word has been used in the process of revitalization by many leading their congregations to new health (Ezra 6:18; Neh 8:1-12). The primary way to apply God’s Word in revitalization is first to look to the Word for guidance.
Apply The Word Personally & Corporately
Church leadership should ask, what are we doing that is against God’s word? If there is anything there, they must stop and repent of it. Leadership must then extend this to the congregation. Is there a brother or sister that is living outside of God’s will and is not addressed with the Scriptures? After all, we know “that a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1Cor 5:6-7). Therefore, we must practice biblical, loving church discipline for the restoration of our brother, the health of the church, and the building of the body (Matt 18:15-20). If a church is going to seek church revitalization, they must be committed to God’s word personally.
Align With The Word In Ministry
The leadership should then ask, what are we doing outside of God’s word? We live in a culture of consumer Christianity, and church leaders are tempted to incorporate anything into their church that may attract new members. But for the church that is in need of revitalization, they must clear out what is non-essential and focus on what the Lord would have them do. There is a great benefit for the church that obeys the Lord. Ministering through an evangelism program will always produce more profit for the kingdom than a coffee bar. Churches will do everything under the sun in the name of ministry, but churches should focus on what the Lord would have them do.
Communicate The Word Passionately
Finally, leadership must ask, are we communicating God’s word? There is nothing like the pure preaching of God’s Word to bring life and vision to the people. Preachers who desire to have healthy churches must preach God’s word to their people. They are not to add to the Scripture their own opinions or logic. They are merely to read the text and share God’s truth from it. The Scripture must drive their sermon.
God’s Word is vital and necessary for both the believer and the church. Will you commit with me to seek the Word of God?