BCNE News
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When staff become stuck in church revitalization
Staffing issues in church revitalization can be frustrating. There are seasons when your staff can become stuck and set in their ways and thinking. This can result in barriers that stop the church from moving forward. Typically, when a new staff member joins a church staff team, there is a sense of excitement. They are fresh with lots of new ideas, but over time that excitement can begin to wane.
Restarting your revitalization team in your church
The fall is a great time to begin revitalization in your church. It is a time for a fresh start, new calendars, a new school year, and to reset your outlook. It is a perfect time to set sail into new beginnings and horizons. When revitalizing your church, you must choose to move ahead. Some pastors will most likely coast into the fall and not give a second thought to how to leverage the school calendar to bring people together and reset the vision after the summer break.
Nimble Church: Part 2
Senior-level pastors of theologically conservative churches seem to be particularly myopic about church revitalization. We tend to see only one legitimate answer to the question, “What do we need to do to revitalize?” We don’t tend to be very inquisitive.
Revitalizing Your Summer 2022
Summer means different things to different people depending on the stage of life you are in. Summer in New England means we get to enjoy sunshine and amazing sunsets, longer nights, gathering opportunities, connections in our local communities, and don’t forget vacations. But in the life cycle of a church, summer is also a clear pathway into the fall.
Nimble
Authentic church revitalization is extremely difficult to pull off. Frankly, it’s unrealistic. If your church wants to authentically revitalize, you’ll need to 1) thoroughly and impartially analyze what is currently broken, 2) reform your church governance structure to guarantee bold, clear, and accountable decision-making, 3) identify a clear and unique local commission, and 4) make the necessary high-risk changes to your church practice and function.
“Camping out” on the path to church revitalization
When we come to the subject of church revitalization, there is a natural tendency to camp out. This is less than optimal because revitalization is all about continually driving forward with indomitable courage and iconoclastic temperament. Camping out is the opposite. Camping out on a path toward revitalization is the equivalent of attempting turn-by-turn board game strategy in a live online game. It ends up being hopelessly artificial.
Making Easter a comeback
According to the National Retail Federation, "80 percent of Americans celebrate Easter and will spend an average of $21 per person on sweets such as chocolate, jellybeans, and more." This tells us that most people are thinking about Easter and what they will be doing on that weekend. The question is, are these people willing to walk through your church doors on Easter? If not, why not? Now is the time to ask these questions.
Authentic revitalization
Revitalization is appropriate for three categories of churches: those dying or already practically dead, those languishing and failing to thrive, and those growing and happening for the wrong reasons. For all three categories, revitalization is definitely possible. But it is not likely. Surprisingly, I think it is most unlikely for the last category, for those churches growing well or fast but for less than the best reasons.
Boston church and its network make largest ever donation to BCNE
In celebration of the 40th anniversary since its founding, the Berkland Baptist Church network of churches (including Antioch Baptist Church in Cambridge, MA) has made a special gift to the Baptist Convention of New England in the amount of $1 million. This donation represents the single largest gift ever received by the BCNE and will be used to fund church planting, church revitalization, and collegiate ministry.
10 ways to recognize the need for church revitalization
Church revitalization is the ongoing process of bringing a church back to health and vitality. It is when a church that was once spiritually dead is brought back to life. Church revitalization takes a unique, visionary leader who is passionate, patient, humble, and willing to work hard. Sometimes you may use different strategies to accomplish revitalization, but the main goal is to get every area of the church functioning with vitality.
Steps to building resilience
A pastor must focus on building excellent health and wellness practices into their daily routine. Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint, and you need to train for it with this in mind. The goal is healthy longevity which can only be achieved through practicing good physical, spiritual, and mental hygiene. Let’s look at some basic practices.
Revitalize the heart through giving
Revitalizing a church involves cultivating revitalized givers. People give to vision and movements, not to traditions and personal preferences. Although there are many methods of giving, the giving principle never changes. The Old Testament threshold giving is 10% to God as the starting point. However, in the New Testament, you see examples of sacrificial giving and generosity by believers through the local church to accomplish God’s gospel mission in the world.
Three tactical strategies for church revitalization
Revitalization takes an engagement process of continual thinking and planning for renewal and how it will impact your life as a pastor. Most scenarios of church revitalization are not as extreme as mine; however, all church revitalizations bring unique situations, obstacles, and challenges. Regardless of your situation, there are practical insights and strategies you can use as you enlist in this vital work.