Indicators of the Need for Revitalization

As you know, in Southern Baptist life over the last several years, much needed attention has been placed on church health/revitalization. Many churches get defensive around the word “revitalization”. But in a real sense, all churches need to be in a constant process of revitalization. However, some churches are at places where they need to go through an intentional process of revitalization. 

The initial question is: How does a church knows if it needs revitalized? Most church members, if they have any spiritual discernment, know this instinctively. They know by observation, and even feel, that the church is in decline…that a spirit of apathy and hopelessness has taken grip. However, there are some factors, both objective and subjective, that can be observed that indicate that a church needs renewal. 

First, there are the numerical indicators of decline. Generally speaking, over a five-year period if there is numerical decrease in metrics such as, baptisms, worship attendance, Sunday school/small groups, and missional involvement, then the church is in steady decline and in need of revitalization. There are exceptions to this. For example, a church that has begun the revitalization process, a church that is transitioning itself to become more effective, or a church that is tightening up its membership process will often find, at least initially, that its numbers will decline while at the same time the church is becoming healthier. 

Second, a church needs revitalization when its members value its preferences over mission - over reaching the lost! This is a significant issue among some SBC churches. Preferences are lifted to the level (and sometimes above the level) of doctrine and gospel. What are these preferences? In some churches they generally center around music, programs, times and number of church services, preaching styles, bible translations, leadership structure etc. The point is, in a dying church many members have prioritized personal preferences above any interest to fulfill the mission of the church.

Third, dying churches tend to be program dependent for stability and growth. What I’ve discovered in working with declining churches is that they are often looking for a “silver bullet” to turn them around. Generally, for Southern Baptists, this means a new program or a new dynamic preacher. The problem with this is that keeps them from dealing with the real sin issues in the church and making the difficult changes to become healthy again. In addition, normally the programs are of a past era that are no longer effective. Furthermore, for the program dependent church, they fail to see that a purely attractional methodology that was once effective is no longer connecting to the community. 

Fourth, lack of flexible governing structure. Many of our church constitutions and governance styles prevents the church from making decisions in a timely manner and unbiblically ties the hands of pastors and church appointed leaders to lead the church. Southern Baptist churches are congregational, but that doesn’t mean congregational control. God appoints and the congregation affirms leaders to lead the church in accordance with Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The extreme democratization of our churches and the outdated burdensome restrictions of some of our constitutions create disunity, eliminates needed flexibility, and guarantees continued un-health.  

Fifth, a church in need of revitalization generally lacks biblical unity. I say biblical unity because unhealthy churches can unify around preferences, traditions, nostalgia, or even the status quo. But generally, a church that becomes inwardly focused inevitably begins to turn on itself with divisions and arguments among church members. These carnal and sometimes demonic divisions will kill and suck life out of the church. When the church becomes “the peoples” then Jesus will eventually agree and let them possess it!

Sixth, no meaningful membership process. A common characteristic of a church in need of revitalization is a membership process that lacks any standards or expectations of what it means to be a member of one of Christ’s church. Generally, there is a lack of any real examination of a member candidate as to the genuineness of his/her salvation. In turn, too often unconverted people are becoming members of our churches with full voting rights and some even become leaders in the church. In addition, the unwillingness to carry out church discipline (sometimes even for the most blatant sins) in accordance with Matthhew18 grieves the Spirit and minimizes His work in our congregations. 

Seventh, a church in need of revitalization generally has no compelling vision. Churches in decline generally just exist week-to-week without any clarity as to why they exist. Maintenance over mission is their ongoing reality. Ask a member of a church in need of revitalization what uniquely identifies their church as distinct from other churches and you’re likely to get a blank stare. 

Eighth, a church in decline is generally aging upward. Because of the church’s resistance to needful change then it becomes increasingly difficult to reach younger generations. Therefore, the aging congregation no longer fits their community’s primary demographic. Unless a way is found to reach younger people, then the church will age out to eventual death. 

Ninth, normally, a church in need of revitalization has a discipleship problem. Too often our discipleship is superficial and haphazard. It lacks scriptural depth and practical application. It is almost always absent of any expectation of reproduction (making disciples). The sad result is some members with long tenure in our churches with little spiritual discernment and maturity. 

Tenth, another indicator of a declining church is deteriorating facilities. This is not always the case. Sometimes unhealthy churches will put more emphasis on maintaining its building than investing in reaching their community for Christ. However, in general, the physical structure will follow the spiritual shape of the church. A dated facility, potholes in the parking lot, leaky roof, shabby and antiquated nursery etc. are indicators of church headed in the wrong direction.

Eleventh, the last sign of a church in need of revitalization is they are increasingly unrelatable to their communities. Because of their reluctance to biblically contextualize the gospel, they create unnecessary hurdles for people to cross to hear the gospel. In a sense, they are hiding the gospel from the very people they are commanded to evangelize – sometimes in the misguided defense of not “compromising with the world.” Often the declining church can even begin to blame the community for their decline. They are irritated that the community is no longer attracted to their church and excuse their decline by blaming it on the deterioration of the world, the decline of the nation etc. They mistakenly believe that the community is there for the church instead of the church being there for the community.  

There are many other signs of a church in need of revitalization. Not every church in need of revitalization will necessarily have all the above indicators. However, if any of these factors show up, then that is something that needs to be addressed. In a sense, every church needs to be in continual process of revitalization. 

If you think your church may be hitting some of the above indicators, then I am available to lead your church’s leadership through a visioning process that will deal with issues of revitalization. If you want to talk about that process, please contact me.

In His Service,

Dr. Wes Rankin
Director of Missions
Concord Baptist Association
219-615-9774
615-890-6409
wes.rankin@concordbaptists.org
concordbaptists.org

Discipleship and Church Health

Although there have been recent trends within SBC churches of improvement in the understanding and practice of discipleship, there yet remains a discipleship deficit in many of our churches. The decline of our churches can be directly tied to a lack of Biblical discipleship among our members. Biblically, discipleship is multifaceted. However, in many of our churches, and in the thinking of too many of our people, discipleship is narrowly focused on informational intake in a classroom setting. And even with that limited view of discipleship, often the quality of that classroom experience is lacking due to an unqualified, and poorly prepared and motivated teacher. However, even with a qualified teacher and solid curriculum, if this is where discipleship ends, it leaves a hole in our discipleship that will inevitably lead to church decline. A discipleship that includes the biblical rational, relational, and missional elements are essential to having healthy growing disciples and a revitalized church. 

So, in the context of church health and revitalization, how should we approach discipleship? What are some principles and practices that need to be applied as we think about discipleship in our context?

First, clear up the myths of discipleship – There is probably nothing as misunderstood in our churches as the subject of discipleship. As already alluded to, many think discipleship is a class you take or a church program you attend. Learning the content of Scripture through taking a class or being in a small group is important as it aids in the rational aspect of discipleship. However, it is insufficient in and of itself, and can in fact lead to prideful knowledge without practical application. Another myth is that discipleship is something extra or optional to the Christian life. But discipleship is part and parcel of being a Christ-follower. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in his classic The Cost of Discipleship: “Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” Discipleship cannot be compartmentalized to Sunday morning Sunday School class nor just the intake of Bible knowledge. Discipleship is a lifestyle that affects all areas of the disciple’s life for all of life. 

Second, teach a theology of discipleship – Not only do we need to clear up myths, but we need to make sure that our people have a biblical understanding of what a “disciple” is and what “discipleship” involves. The theological implication is that all believers are disciples. Non-discipleship Christianity is a misnomer. The practical implication is that all believers are on a pathway of discipleship. Unless we lay the theological groundwork, then diverse unbiblical views will reign and a discipleship strategy for your church cannot be developed.

Third, put the gospel at the center of discipleship – Too often our discipleship has been focused on behavioral modification - external moralistic change instead of inward spiritual transformation. This results in either self- righteous pride because we’ve made the external changes or condemning guilt because we’ve not been able to perform. However, it does not result in transformational discipleship. Only when we keep the Gospel at the center - that is, when we abide in, dwell on, and stand in awe of that Christ has done for us, then true spiritual victory will come. Gospel-centered discipleship is an antidote to a moralistic centered discipleship. 

Fourth, integrate a “make disciples” culture in your church – Many SBC churches historically had a “make decisions” strategy that emphasized “praying a prayer” but not calling would-be disciples to follow Christ. However, we never see Jesus doing that. He called people to discipleship – to count the cost to follow Him (Lk 9:23; Lk.14:27-28). This was not His call to a deeper level of commitment, but His call to salvation. The Great Commission is all about making disciples, not merely concentrating on counting decisions. In fact, in the Greek text, the only imperative (command) in the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19-20) is “make disciples”, not “go” as is commonly understood.

Fifth, connect your evangelism and discipleship – We often separate evangelism from discipleship, but Scripture does not support this false separation. Discipleship refers to the whole process of “disciple making” - from conversion to sanctification; from evangelism to “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Evangelism informs discipleship and discipleship informs evangelism. That is, evangelism and discipleship operate more as a cycle – evangelism is undertaken with the goal of discipleship and discipleship should in turn prepare disciples for evangelism. 

Sixth, emphasis a holistic view of discipleship – As mentioned earlier, too often discipleship is seen only through the lens of informational transfer, while leaving out the other aspects of discipleship, i.e., lifestyle, application of spiritual disciplines, community (biblical fellowship), service, mission and evangelism. A lack of a holistic view of discipleship leads to incomplete or non-discipleship. Especially emphasize and attempt to incorporate the community, iron-sharpening-iron relational aspect of discipleship. Interdependent relationships within the Body of Christ are necessary for growth as a disciple.

Seventh, develop a discipleship strategy for your church - Biblical discipleship and disciple making cannot happen haphazardly or accidently, or even naturally. Intentionality is required. There must be a plan, a strategy, an approach, as it were, in place or disciple making will not become a lifestyle. Without a full-fledged commitment and a well thought through strategy, disciple making will only be a pipe dream – a fleeting good intention. 

Eighth, emphasize reproduction as an essential ingredient in discipleship and incorporate it in the church’s discipleship strategy - Many times our discipleship is not working because we’re locked in a closed system. That is, we’ve reduced spiritual development to an in-house non-threatening experience…we talk to ourselves; we interact about ourselves, and we address issues about us! This reproductive aspect of discipleship is not going to be produced by programs and preaching…they are good and necessary, but they are limited in their effectiveness in producing disciples that reproduce. The life of discipleship is one of reproduction with a relational investment in the world. We are not truly discipled until we’re connected back to the world making disciples. 

The danger for our churches is either they will continue with an incomplete and faulty view of discipleship, or they will latch onto “the discipleship movement” somewhat superficially without counting the cost of what it really means to establish a discipleship culture in their congregations. Discipleship is the heart of the Great Commission, so if we’re not striving to make it central in our churches for the glory of God, then we’re severely lacking in being a New Testament church. However, we must understand that discipleship is not some neat package that we can easily implement in our churches like installing software on our computers! No, it is messy, costly, always a work in progress, upsets the status-quo, and requires on-going attention. That is, establishing a disciple-making church is a reorientation of the hearts of the people and the culture, ministry, and direction of the church. But it is not an option if we want to be Great Commission churches!

If you need assistance in designing a discipleship strategy for your church, please contact me. May God grant that the churches of the CBA embrace disciple-making with a full-fledged commitment to His ultimate glory!

 In His Service,

Dr. Wes Rankin
Director of Missions
Concord Baptist Association
219-615-9774
615-890-6409
wes.rankin@concordbaptists.org
concordbaptists.org

Benefits of the Resurrection

Winter is yet straining to hold its grip as the temps at night have dipped into the upper 20’s - but we get brief and hopeful glimpses of spring. As we move into April, we’ll finally see the conquering of the coldness and deadness of winter with the budding, the blossoming, the warmth – the new life of spring! After a year like no other with the Covid caused life disruption and upheaval, the thought of spring speaks to more hope and opportunity than normal. The seasons not only have purpose for God’s natural order, but also obviously serve as meaningful metaphors for God’s spiritual order. Spring is a metaphor – a sign – of the new life available to us in Christ through His resurrection from His winter – death. 

 Obviously, it is appropriate that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the spring. Spring speaks literally and figuratively of new life and fresh hopes. Jesus’ resurrection shouts with an unmistakable and loud voice, that reverberates around the world and in the hearts of men, that new life and fresh hope is here…winter is fading and spring is arriving! 

So the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just symbolic of new life…it is the only basis of new life and hope. It is at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian. As John Stott said, “Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion. The concept of resurrection lies at its heart. If you remove it, Christianity is destroyed.”  However, how does the resurrection of Jesus bring about new life and hope? Volumes of material could be written on the benefits of the resurrection to the believer, but here are a few.

 First, obviously the resurrection brings regeneration – the new birth. Jesus referred to this as being “born again” in John 3. This act of God occurs through the resurrection of Jesus. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).  The resurrection provides more than new aspirations or ways of looking at life – it provides a new divine spiritual transformative life that changes everything! Those who were once spiritual dead have been made alive through the resurrection.  The result is a new heart implanted in us by the Holy Spirit!

Second, the resurrection means justification. Justification gives us legal status before God as righteous. We are not righteous in ourselves, but we have been given Jesus’ perfect righteousness, i.e., His perfect righteous has been credited to us. That’s what the resurrection does for us. The Cross takes away our sin; the resurrection gives us imputed righteousness. Paul said, “Jesus our Lord . . . was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification”(Romans 4:24–25).  

 Third, resurrection life gives us freedom to serve. Before we knew Christ, we were bound to the law and the law brings bondage and death (Romans 8:2). However, through the resurrection of Jesus, and our resurrection with Him, we have been freed from the law and bound over to the resurrected Christ. Again, Paul writes, “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4). It is only as we have experienced the liberating power of resurrection life that we are truly free to serve God in joy!

Fourth, His resurrection gives us authority. Paul says God has already “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). In a mysterious, but real way, believers are already in heaven sharing in Christ’s authority. We are not defenseless victims of the wicked spiritual forces that are raging against us…we share in Christ’s authority to trample over all the forces of evil. Jesus said, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” (Luke 10:19).

Finally, new life of resurrection means union with Christ. Believers through the resurrection are one with Christ. That is, everything that belongs to us became His (our sins) and things that belong to Him became ours (His righteousness, spiritual blessings). That is, through our union with Christ, He received some things He did not deserve (death and punishment), and we receive some things we do not deserve (resurrection and approval of God). All the blessings and privileges of being a child of God are ours - “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Through our union with Christ, we have all that we need “for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Salvation is more than just believing facts about Jesus, but it is living in vital unionwith the resurrected Christ!

These are just some of glorious benefits of new life that come to us through the resurrection of Jesus. The spring like new life comes to us not only for our benefit, but also for the benefit of others. Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). We’ve experienced resurrection life not to selfishly bask in all of salvation's benefits, but to share this new life with others. As we move into this season of new life – of Easter hope – of post-pandemic life (not there yet, but it’s coming) - let us who have experienced resurrected life, passionately proclaim it to others!

In His Service,

Dr. Wes Rankin

Director of Missions
Concord Baptist Association
219-615-9774
615-890-6409
wes.rankin@concordbaptists.org
concordbaptists.org 

Church Health and Evangelism

Hello CBA Pastors/Leaders:

We are at a place where hopefully we’re starting to see the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. We’ve been through one of the toughest years that I can recall in my several years of ministry. The combination of dealing with the ebb and flow COVID-19 restrictions, increased racial tensions, the extreme polarization and political partisanship, and even the divisions we see among ourselves within the SBC has made this an incredibly difficult year to navigate ministry in the local church. However, the best way to unify Southern Baptists is a renewed and healthy focus on the Great Commission. As an association, leading up to the SBC Convention in Nashville on June 13th-16th, we will be providing opportunities for training and encouraging specific evangelistic activities. Dates and descriptions of these opportunities are provided on the other attachment to this email.  

However, I’d like to address how evangelism is related to church health/revitalization. That is, does evangelism create church health or does a healthy church evangelize? What I would say is that to attempt to do evangelization without working simultaneously on the internal spiritual health dynamics of the church will be ineffective and short-lived. Evangelism cannot sustain itself from an unhealthy church culture. It’s not that evangelism awaits a fully revitalized/healthy church, but that evangelism cannot operate out of a vacuum — there must be the conditions set in which evangelism can naturally spring forth. Evangelism (or more specifically, an evangelistic program) cannot be seen as the “silver bullet” to turn the church around. However, evangelism must be part of the revitalization process. A church cannot be said to be healthy until it rediscovers its passion for Great Commission evangelism.

Therefore, in the context of church health and revitalization, how should we approach the evangelistic task? That is, what are some principles and practices that especially need to be stressed in our churches as we think about evangelism in our context? 

First, the pastor/leader must model evangelism - The “principle of the leadership lid” says that people will rise no higher than their leader. Although there are exceptions, this is generally the case. When we as leaders are not involved personally in evangelism, our people will not either.  As Tim Beougher says,

  As we begin the process of church revitalization, we need to pause and conduct an honest  assessment of our lives. Are we really living as though we are “on fire” for the Lord, or  is too much of our life lived at room temperature?[1]

 A revitalized pastor will set the evangelistic tone for the church. That doesn’t mean that each pastor will have the same skills, opportunities, or fruit as it pertains to evangelism. Some have an evangelistic gift that drive their evangelism more than others. However, all should be actively engaged in seeking opportunities for gospel conversations and setting an example before their congregations of an “On Mission” lifestyle. 

Second, balance evangelism with discipleship - Often as Southern Baptists we look at the Great Commission in Matthew 29:18-20 and we say, “We got to get on with evangelism…we got to get out and reach our communities for Christ…” And that certainly is true…and I wish that all of our churches would say, believe, and do that. But the Great Commission is more than just about evangelism…really it has two tracts. First, growing as disciples and second, making disciples - our going deeper in our relationship with Christ (discipleship) and our going further in our communication of Christ with our world (evangelism). Evangelism that is absent of a holistic discipleship is a violation of the Great Commission and can lead to false converts or superficial disciples.

Third, remind your people of lostness - Often times in churches in need of health/revitalization people have lost that sense of awfulness concerning the lostness of human beings. Emphasize over and over again the spiritual condition of lost people…that they are separated from God and without hope. One of the dangers we have today is what is called practical inclusive-ism. That is, we cognitively believe John 14:6 (I am the way, truth, life no one can come …), but we don’t practice it. We act like it is not true and that others who don’t embrace Jesus are going to heaven. Emphasize the utter lostness of humanity without Christ.

Fourth, train people in sharing the Gospel - In declining churches most people are not sharing the Gospel. First, it’s important that our people are trained in what is the Gospel message. Make sure they have a good grasp on the Gospel. In fact, I believe it should be a part of a church’s membership process to not only have a prospective member explain their personal encounter with the Gospel, but also to be able to articulate the Good News. Second, your people need to be trained in practical ways, how they can have gospel conversations. 

 Fifth, change the evangelism approach - Evangelism should not be seen, especially in modern times, as a one-sided presentation. However, it needs to be approached as a two-sided “relationship cultivating” conversation. That is, it is essential to treat people like friends, allow them to talk and ask questions, give them time and space to consider the truths shared, and set the tone for further conversations. A good evangelistic tool that helps with this kind of approach is: 3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide. Also, the Gospel Conversations with Sam Greer clinic coming May 24-25th will emphasize this approach to evangelism.

Sixth, look for practical community ministry that can lead to evangelism - We need not be afraid that we’re slipping into the social gospel if we look for ways to meet community human need and when possible connect them to having gospel conversations. As Andrew Davis writes:

            Missional churches find ways to connect with the surrounding community in which ministry to the body and soul are well-harmonized and properly proportioned. These  ministries become a fruitful matrix of relationships in which the gospel can easily be shared.[1]

Seventh, establish a missional approach to evangelism - Somewhat like the above principle, a missional approach to evangelism emphasizes a “go, be, and tell” approach rather than relying totally on the program approach of “come and see.” Some of the old approaches of evangelism that counted on people being attracted to a church building or event are not as effective today.  We need a missional approach that puts the church in the community instead of depending on the community coming to us.

Eighth, emphasize that church members take ownership of their mission field - Generally in an unhealthy church, the members have outsourced evangelism to pastor/staff, programs, or mission organizations, e.g., IMB, NAMB. However, every believer has a mission field that can be evangelized, e.g., workplace, neighborhood, workout place, children’s activities, sports teams, etc. Your people need to be trained to think like missionaries on a foreign field and to see their daily world as their unique mission field that they are responsible to cultivate for the gospel.

Ninth, make reproduction as part of the DNA of the church - The significant problem with much of the discipleship done in our SBC churches is our disciples were never expected to reproduce themselves. Disciple making requires personal investment of one’s life into another person’s life. This is what disciple making looks like. This is God’s grand scheme to reach the world — disciples discipling others who will in turn disciple others.[1] Relational discipleship was Jesus’ method of winning the world to Himself.  Although Jesus had the crowds and spoke to the masses, that is not where He spent most of His time and energy. He quietly poured His life into twelve men, eleven of which would go on to multiply themselves many times over. As Dr. Robert Coleman again says, “Jesus staked His whole ministry on twelve men. He was not trying to impress the crowd, but usher in the kingdom.”[2]

Lastly, evangelism is about the glory of God - When reintroducing evangelism to a church in need of increased health/revitalization, we must stress its correct motive — the glory of God. Too often in our churches the motive for evangelism was tied to lesser or non-biblical motives, e.g., church growth, survival, etc. However, the ultimate motive for evangelism is the glory of God…that He would be glorified through the salvation of individuals. Jesus said to the woman at the well that the “Father seeks people who will worship Him in Spirit and Truth.” As A.W. Tozer said about this passage, “Jesus is not primarily seeking workers or witnesses, but He is seeking worshippers…” We must have a healthier motive for evangelism than just pragmatics or guilt if it is going to take root in our churches — it must be the glory of God! 

Churches in need of renewal have often become inwardly focused and more concerned about their comforts and concerns than they are about their community’s lostness. Evangelism is an antidote to the inward focused and self-centered consumerist mentality. We need a radical confrontation with the Cross of Christ where we die to our self-focus tendencies and learn to take up His Cross and follow Him on mission, individually and corporately, into the lives of the multitudes of people in our mission fields. Renewed churches will return to the centrality of the Great Commission. May it be so with the churches of the CBA!

In His Service,

Dr. Wes Rankin

Director of Missions

Concord Baptist Association

219-615-9774

615-890-6409

wes.rankin@concordbaptists.org

concordbaptists.org

 
[1]http://equip.sbts.edu/article/church-revitalization-begins-personal-revitalization/ [1] 2 Tim. 2:2

[2] Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Grand Rapids, MI, Revell, 1972), 91.[1]Davis, Andrew M.. Revitalize: Biblical Keys to Helping Your Church Come Alive Again (p. 205). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.