Church Revitalization...

The statistics concerning the status of the Christian church in north America are not encouraging.

In fact they are starkly discouraging. Why?

Because an honest appraisal reveals that the church in North America is in a sustained statistical free fall.

There are multiple evidences let me share two of them.

The first to testicle evidence is the unmistakable fact that the number of local churches in North America is diminishing.

To be specific if you take the number of churches in existence at the beginning of the year,

add the number of churches that were planted throughout the year

and then subtract the number of the churches that close that year,

the result is an astonishing net loss of churches.

Specifically there has been an average net loss of 3500 churches each year over the last 20+ years.

The second statistic is that of the remaining churches, 88% to 91% of them are dying.

At the moment our strategic response to this phenomenon is a call to plant more churches.

Well church planting is essential to the strategy for filling the great commission as evidence in the New Testament, the strategy isn’t working today. Why?

Let me suggest it isn’t working because there is another strategy

revealed in the New Testament and

employed by the apostles that is being neglected.

That strategy is an intentional commitment to church revitalization which, if employed, would result in fewer Church is closing.

The plain fact is that the Bible not only affirms church planting, and also affirms church revitalization.

So here are three biblical Church revitalization principles to initiate our journey together,

which intentionally and effectively promotes the strategy of church revitalization.

1. The objective is Church health not church growth.

Whether it is church planting or church revitalization, the objective is not statistical growth.

The objective is Church health.

Certainly statistical growth is a desired consequence —

more churches,

more conversions,

more disciple makers, etc.

But our ministry objective in church planting or church revitalization is not to be “big“ nor is it to be “small“.

We must dismiss both the notion that “big define success“ or that “small defines faithful“. Why?

Success is not the verdict if the church is “5 miles wide and 1 inch deep“

nor is faithfulness assured in a church that is “1 inch wide and 5 miles deep“

a better idea and more importantly a

biblical objective would be a church “body” that is spiritually healthy and

increasingly marked as both “deep and wide”.

2. Statistical growth is not the objective of church revitalization but is an expected consequence.

“So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.” ()

In acts 6:7 spiritual vitality is described as “the word of the Lord spread“.

Spiritual vitality then produces functional growth in the life of the church evidenced by:

prayer,

worship,

evangelism,

disciple making, etc.

Functional growth normally leads to statistical growth – “the numbers increased“.

So then what is the objective?

The objective of church revitalization is simply yet profoundly a

God glorifying,

Christ-centered,

Holy Spirit-empowered,

gospel-driven and

Bible-shaped church

expanding, not by church growth techniques but, by an

intentional commitment to a gospel disciple-making ministry as profiled in the church of Jerusalem in

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. ()

43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.

44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.

45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need.

46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts,

47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. ()

3. Church revitalization is not simply a desirable strategy but when united to church planting it is the apostolic model to “turn the world upside down“ for the glory of God.

There are 13 words recorded in acts 17:6 that I would love to hear one more time.

A pagan opponent of the gospel from the cutting of Europe

(less than 25 years after the ascension of Jesus) order them as an tirade of humiliated frustration – “these men who have turned the world upside down have come here too”.

We know “who” turned the world upside down – the Holy Spirit through the body of Christ.

We know “what“ turned the world upside down – the power of the gospel.

We know “what” turned the world upside down – the power of the gospel.

But what ought to also capture our attention as we

examine the expansion of the kingdom from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and

to the world is “how” they turn the world upside down.

The answer to that question is unmistakable if we examine the documented ministry of

the apostle Paul and his team

as they went city to city in the first missionary trip gloriously revealed in the book of Acts.

The Acts 13–15 record of the first missionary trip reveals a repeated ministry formula.

As the apostolic team entered the city they would engage gospel evangelism and discipleship making.

Next they would plant a gospel church in the city.

Then they would respond to prevailing needs in the city with gospel deeds of love and mercy.

Finally they would ensure the well-being of the new church by appointing gospel leaders.

If that was not possible they would leave a portion of the team behind until

indigenous leaders could be installed,

since the health and vitality of a local church is directly related to

the health and vitality of its leadership.

After the first general assembly of the blooming New Testament church the apostle Paul

in conversation with his mentor and friend Barnabas

outlined his proposed agenda for a second missionary journey in and 16.

Interestingly the agenda for the second missionary journey was

the same as the first missionary journey

except for one significant addition – church revitalization:

“...Let’s go back and visit the brothers and sisters in every town where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they’re doing.” ()

“He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” ()

“So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.” ()

The result of the second missionary journey is summed up in as “turning the world upside down”.

This was the result of God‘s providence leading the

apostolic team to do on

the second missionary journey what they did in the first missionary journey

– gospel evangelism and

disciple making;

gospel church planting;

gospel deeds of love and mercy and

developing gospel leaders,

except for one addition. On the second a journey they introduce gospel church revitalization as

they “strength in the churches“ planted on the first missionary journey.

In a word, by embracing the

world–shaking apostolic model local churches and denominations

would not only have an intentional commitment to planting

gospel–healthy churches but will also be

intentionally committed to the ministry of revitalizing churches.

That would result in an increased number of church plants because,

not only would we be closing fewer churches,

we would now have more

gospel–healthy mother churches is producing

gospel–healthy daughter churches

instead of today’s church planting, which in many cases is simply subdividing unhealthy churches.

By God’s grace may we once again hear the words “these men who have turned the world upside down have come here too”