Building momentum for church revitalization
It has been said that your church zip code is not an accident, and neither is your position in the church. God has placed you to speak into the brokenness of your community and capture your town for Christ. However, sometimes we do not feel like we have the momentum to do so.
The good news is that the people in your church can actually be the key to getting moving forward. Think back to high school physics when you learned that to gain momentum you need two things: mass and velocity. In religious terms, a church gets moving when a number of people buy into Jesus’ vision (mass) and decide to act on it (velocity).
Why do we lose momentum?
Lost momentum can come from a number of different areas. Sometimes it happens when a leader becomes discouraged. By the way, discouragement is something every leader will have to deal with. In the Bible, Nehemiah, Haggai and Paul all dealt with discouragement.
We can also lose momentum when we aren’t following God’s path. This could be because we’ve become distracted and lost our focus on the ministry God has called us to. It could also be because we’re dealing with failure – trying to bring our own plans to fruition with our own strength and expecting God-sized results.
Our attitudes can also lead to lost momentum. Are you discontent or ungrateful in the life and ministry God has given you? Are you exhausted, tired or running on an empty tank? If so, it’s unlikely your church is sustaining momentum.
How to build momentum
What can you do if you recognize that you’ve lost momentum? Focus on things that will build momentum. Here are my top ways to increase forward movement in a church that wants to experience revitalization. Think about how you, as a pastor, can make these suggestions part of the fabric of your life – then think about how you can lead your church to adopt these new attitudes and actions.
Develop a team of leaders around you.
Pray for a renewed passion and vision. God wants to work through your church, and that’s exciting!
Remember that the only things that matter are the things that matter for eternity.
Look for quick wins – small things your church can do that will make a difference and encourage people to get involved.
Create a 90-day timeline to make small shifts in the way your church ministers. Small tweaks can bring great peaks.
Serve others by speaking into the brokenness of the community and families.
Share stories of changed lives. Put God’s work on display through testimonies!
Preach for life change, not in anger. Speak about the life and hope Jesus offers to your congregation.
Celebrate any and all renewal in the church.
Plan events that can serve as both a celebration of small gains and an opportunity for evangelism or outreach.
Build a pathway to stir renewal in your people so they can stir the community around them. What are the specific steps you would like members to take, and what order should they take them in?
Recruit volunteers to fill small roles that require lower levels of commitment. A volunteer who gets a taste of serving God may be willing to serve in bigger roles in the future.
Speak about revitalization throughout the church body. Explain the need for the church to develop new life to fulfill God’s mission.
Show members why you are pursuing revitalization, explaining the mission and vision of the church to build a high-energy culture.
Repeat your vision over and over. Repetition of key ideas builds a culture.
The truth is you do not have to feel stuck in this season. You can find momentum in your church and move from comfort to catalyst and get people excited for what God wants to do in you and through you.
Gary Mortiz serves as the church revitalization director at the Baptist Convention of New England.