In an earlier post first published on the Carolinas Church Planting Collective blog, I proposed three “faithfulness and renewal” essentials for Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) church-planting. The three essentials I outlined are missional clarity, proactive integrity, and compelling leadership. They apply equally well to church revitalization as they do to church-planting. But there is more that we can say about the important—albeit underappreciated and often neglected—opportunity presented by revitalization scenarios.
What follows here will specifically address the unique challenge of revitalization efforts in terms of what such works call the local congregation and broader church (presbytery and General Assembly) to provide. The three “Ms” highlighted below apply the “essentials” described in my earlier article.
MC
The first “M” needed in any revitalization work is the MC. This is not a Master of Ceremonies, but a Missional Champion. Like Barnabas, the MC is a “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36), and like the seven men who made up the first diaconate, the MC is “full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3).
The MC is someone who understands the importance and potency of missional clarity for the ministry vitality of a church. Also, the MC must be someone with established relationships of trust and considerable influence in the congregation. In most accounts of revitalization success with which I am familiar, the MC is an office-bearer (i.e., Elder or Deacon). An effective MC deftly leads revitalization efforts through the roadblocks of inertia and resistance that inevitably stand in the way of necessary changes. Even in Bible-believing Reformed churches, the work of biblical reformation can be slow-going and fraught with complications.
Are you in a potential revitalization situation right now? Who is your MC? If you are an Elder or a Deacon, might you be positioned to play this important, though informal and relational, role?
In my own experience, the MC at Antioch Presbyterian Church was aptly named Charles Champion. He was Antioch’s pastor for over 25 years, serving in a “part-time” capacity in his retirement. He quite literally championed the cause of moving Antioch back into mission status and under the care of a commission of Calvary Presbytery. He rightly identified this move as the right approach for the church in 2019, and he led the way in overcoming any resistance to the idea within the small but tight-knit congregation. Looking back on that decision at a pivotal time (immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic), Pastor Champion’s advocacy for a drastic change allowed Antioch to continue with bright prospects for the recovery and revitalization of its historic ministry. In other churches, the MC may be a Ruling Elder, Deacon, or influential woman in the congregation.
Note that someone’s positioning as the MC is not something that takes place overnight. Trust must be built, relationships cultivated, and commitment proved over time.
Money
When God called Moses into the cloud of His immanent glory on Sinai’s summit, He revealed His extensive plans for the portable sanctuary of the tabernacle, or tent of meeting. God spoke to Moses in seven lengthy speeches taking up a remarkably large portion of the book of Exodus. Moses was about to lead a building project of celestial significance. Where did God begin?
God opened His first speech to Moses with the words, “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me” (Exod. 25:2). He then proceeded to a detailed catalogue of precious commodities and common materials that the children of Israel should bring forward for the pending construction process. This pattern is then repeated in the account of contributions for the first Temple prepared under King David (1 Chron. 29:1-9) and in the record of the collection for the foundation of the second Temple project after the return of the exiles from Babylon (Ezra 2:68-69).
This may seem to go without saying, but church revitalization works need money for the building and rebuilding of a church, understood both spiritually and physically. Sometimes a revitalization work will include extensive renovation or “catch-up” projects on deferred maintenance of a physical facility.
In other instances, outside fundraising will be part of the proposal for standing up a renewed ministry effort. Consider some of the marks of a vital ministry adequately supplied with necessary funds: evangelistic campaigns into untouched neighborhoods, pastoral care by a qualified and committed minister, and regular weekly worship services led by a competent and trained preacher. In most revitalization works, both physical and spiritual needs are present (and pressing).
However, it is notoriously difficult to fundraise for revitalization works. Thus, some depend on sacrificial giving from within, “strengthen[ing] what remains” (Rev. 3:2). Others will completely close an existing church and replant or reorganize as a new mission work with entirely new people, new leadership, and a newly redefined approach to ministry that inspires the confidence of outside contributors to the work. It is the case that potential supporters more favorably regard replants than they do revitalization works.
If the PCA is to capitalize on the significant resources (e.g., strategic land, commitment to a community, shared history with a region) of struggling churches that need help, two things need to be true at the same time: 1) supporters of mission works (e.g., diaconates, missions committees, sessions, presbyteries, foundations) must consider where revitalization efforts rank in their lists of possible beneficiaries; and 2) churches in need of revitalization must clearly express their ministry need, ministry opportunity, and ministry willingness to “strengthen what remains” (Rev. 3:2) through corporate repentance and resolve to renewed obedience to God’s will for gospel ministry.
Churches considering formal revitalization plans might consider how most accurately to describe their situation. If what is needed is closure followed by a reopening under entirely new leadership, then it is likely that the church is facing a reorganization or replanting scenario rather than a revitalization. This was certainly the case in our situation at Antioch Presbyterian Church, which we consistently described as a reorganization work.
Manpower
Pastors of small and struggling churches within driving distance of large congregations will sometimes express a desire for “a few families” to help catalyze renewal. Who could blame them? On the face of it, this seems like a sensible desire and a possible means of meeting a sharply felt need. However, two comments are in order.
First, pastors laboring in revitalization works must take caution from Psalm 146:3, “Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.” Yes, we long for a more robust fellowship, a deeper bench of servant-hearted mature Christians, and a broader pool of support of all kinds (e.g., emotional, relational, spiritual, and financial). But let us beware of slipping into a mode of desperation that leaves us continually disappointed by individuals or families who fail to live up to unreasonable expectations. Remember at all times that “the church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum of saints.”[1] While we seek out partners in the work, let us “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33) by which we can first and foremost minister the gospel to those who darken our doors.
In connection with this first point, bear in mind that our automotive society deemphasizes considerations of proximity for all sorts of pursuits, church involvement included. As much as we might desire to have a parish ministry in our community, we must find encouragement that our churches are connected not only to our immediate neighborhoods, but also to wider “commutable” regions. Let us learn to bless the commuter that passes our church on his way to a like-minded congregation across town, even as we extend a warm welcome to the commuter that comes to our church from another county.
Second, officers in large and well-resourced churches should think creatively about how to encourage and mobilize church members to serve the Lord through revitalization efforts. This can look like short-term projects (e.g., workdays, conferences, summer camp programs, evangelistic outreaches), ongoing volunteer opportunities (e.g., teaching in an understaffed Sunday School, nursery rotation service for a season, regular building cleaning, musical accompaniment, ushering, audio-visual service), or responding to special fundraising projects (e.g., capital campaigns, augmenting a church’s income to support a full-time minister).
These are not small or insignificant proposals, but neither are they unfamiliar or unattainable. We frequently recruit church members to go (or send funds) abroad to support foreign mission works, and that is great! Revitalization (and church-planting) works on the home front are arguably more accessible and less expensive to assist in comparable ways.
Conclusion
Over the years, very few figures in the PCA have called us to give serious consideration to revitalization efforts. Harry Reeder, Tim Witmer, Rob Looper, and Joseph Pipa are several that come to mind. Harry Reeder’s From Embers to a Flame is one of the few book length treatments of church revitalization. Briarwood Presbyterian Church’s Lampstand ministry led by Rob Looper is a great training vehicle for church officers (pastors, elders, and deacons) who are seeking guidance and direction for church revitalization. Tim Witmer’s books (e.g., The Shepherd Leader and The Shepherd’s Toolbox published by P&R Publishing) and ongoing teaching ministry lay out absolutely mission-critical components of any church revitalization effort, a point he makes throughout his material. For many years, I have enjoyed a front-row seat to Joseph Pipa’s energetic commitment to the renewal of the PCA (and other Reformed churches) at Antioch and elsewhere.
Though the conversation partners have been relatively few, they are growing. Many brothers are giving attention to aspects of church revitalization in D.Min. projects at a variety of seminaries. Witmer’s The Shepherd Leader was the product of one such project at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, for example. I am aware of a cohort of D.Min. students at Birmingham Theological Seminary giving focused attention to church revitalization. The conversation is amplifying. This is a good development for the PCA, and it’s not the only one.
In addition to articles found on this site and others (e.g., Gospel Reformation Network, Jude3 & the PCA), there are formal initiatives being pursued in our presbyteries and at the national level. Mission to North America of the PCA has recently recast its Assembly-given mandate to foreground revitalization—or restoration—efforts with greater emphasis.
As we go about pursuing revitalization, restoration, and renewal of existing churches, let us bear in mind the three Ms described above. Missional clarity requires a “Missional Champion” (MC), especially where there is any resistance to change (and there always is in revitalization works). Proactive integrity requires intelligent funding models to ensure that money gets to where it is needed most for ministry. Compelling leadership in our churches will creatively mobilize manpower for maximal ministry fruitfulness and effectiveness.
Bringing these elements together should excite us in our shared heavenly kingdom pursuits, whatever the context.
[1] This statement is frequently attributed to St. Augustine, and sometimes to the writer of the “Dear Abby” newspaper column. I first heard it from Timothy Z. Witmer.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on the Presbyterian Polity blog here.
