Were you recently appointed as the new pastor of a small church?
Over the summer, I’ve met with new pastors, freshly ordained, who have been appointed to very small churches in rural areas, or some churches in urban pockets that have been in decline for years.
What are some possible ways the small church pastor can help grow the church through evangelism? [Read more…] about So You Are the New Pastor of a Small Church, Now What?
As I continued to read through Ron Crandall’s book, he gives a list of principles for church renewal and revitalization from the ages of church history. It may seem like a no-brainer, but at least observations through church history back it up.
1. Personal renewal.
Renewal of a church begins with renewal of the individual. Sometimes that might be a dramatic and decisive experience such as a conversion moment at a church service, or answering an altar call or responding to the invitation to receive Christ. I had that moment of conversion myself when I was still in my teens.
For others, such as those who grew up in a church it might be a deepening of faith, where you know it’s yours and not that of your parents.
But all of us go through spiritual dry seasons, and there are those events that bring a fresh wave of personal renewal. Some have found them at events like the PRMI Ignite weekend, Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, Presbyterian Pilgrimage, ABIDE, Tres Dias, Lay Witness Mission and so on.
2. Corporate Renewal.
A new awakening in the life of a church — there is a new cooperation among believers wanting to fulfill the vision of God for the local congregation, a new sense of praying into God’s vision. Sometimes it might be a more dramatic revival.
3. Conceptual Renewal.
This is a stage where the people of a congregation receive the fresh vision of what God wants to do with the congregation. Old models are challenged, risk taking becomes more normal, and often churches will begin to rethink what they are about.
4. Structural Renewal
With a fresh vision old programs fade. Old structures are laid aside. The church begins to reorganize itself to respond to the new direction that God is leading. Any form that is helping the church to find its new life and be faithful to its history should be kept. Any that deny the new fresh fire from the Spirit should be modified or retired.
5. Missiological Renewal
A church needing renewal is overly inward focused. As churches turnaround, experience renewal and revitalization, the church begins a new focus on mission and service to the world. Sometimes renewal begins here. . ..
This week and next, you’ll be reading about small church transformation, particularly the role of evangelism, based on a study of small churches first done in 1995 and then updated in December of 2008. These first few posts setup some of the background and are meant to be in small blog-size portions for easy consumption.
In Turnaround and Beyond: A Hopeful Future for the Small Membership Church, Ron Crandall takes a brief look at renewal in church history and also highlights some observations from current research on leadership. In broad strokes he offers the contributions of these disciplines to small church renewal and revitalization.
Church transformation is more than merely renewing or producing a good organization through competent leadership. Crandall puts forth a couple of lists that indicate the role of leadership in church renewal
Furthermore, Crandall lists some dynamics of renewal cleaned from business leadership studies.
Crandall’s observations are based in Howard Snyder’s Signs of the Spirit: How God Reshapes the Church. The key point he walks away with is
The first and perhaps most critical beginning point for renewal is to understand that the church has an inborn tendency to grow. Growth is in its genes. Whatever its pathologies every church has a vital urge toward its own health and renewal. The reason for this is simple and simply profound: The church is the body of Christ. The very Spirit of Jesus is at work in his church, always prodding and drawing it toward life and renewal.”
From Synder’s work, Crandall draws out
Crandall has studied others who have contributed to the field of small church renewal and has seen that
“the emphasis is on the importance of open and visionary leadership,
the creative use of all persons’ gifts and
the humble heart of a servant leader.”
What does the transformational study of turn around churches reveal? That’ll be tomorrow’s post. To get it automatically, sign up for the RSS feed.
Order your copy of Turnaround and Beyond: A Hopeful Future for the Small Membership Church Direct from Amazon.
What is the key, the Holy Grail, in transforming a church?
Is there one?
In the work of evangelism training, I’ve been asked on many occasions about the role of evangelism in helping a church get out of the rut, get unstuck, or get excited about inviting others to follow Jesus.
[Read more…] about Searching for the Holy Grail of Church TransformationWin Arn did a study sometime ago (the actual reference is in my notes somewhere)
Is it any wonder why there is a conflict of desire in a congregation about evangelism?
[Read more…] about 4 More Evangelism Tips for Pastors
Bill Easum writes a great article entitled How to Grow a Small Church.
It’s geared towards pastors looking for the formula.
It’s no formula, but their research shows
“It’s a pastor who has one-on-one conversations with
non-Christians that leads to their conversion to Christ.”
He also gives a good list of ways to connect with the unchurched. The list is not exhaustive, but certainly long. If you are looking for some ideas, that’s a good list.
Here is a sample:
When I was an installed pastor, getting out of the church office was the hardest thing to do.
So much of my time was spent in the office, taking care of administrative business.
I left an installed position as a pastor so that I could spend more time with the unchurched.
Connect with the unchurched.
Who in your circle of influence do you need to connect with today?
Listen to these two podcasts:
