Josh Hunt's Blog, page 266

Why Revitalization?

The first question that one must ask is, “Why is there such a great need for church revitalization?” The answer to that question is simple. At present, anywhere from thirty-five hundred to four thousand churches across denominational lines are closing their doors every year. I have read that upwards of seven thousand churches shut down, […]

Church Health and Church Revitalization

In church circles today, many writers and bloggers on the church have moved away from the church growth terminology in favor of church health. I am drawn back to classic books on church growth by Donald McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, Thom Rainer, The Book of Church Growth, Gene Mims, Kingdom Principles for Church Growth, and […]

Revitalization: top down or bottom up?

Before discipleship can become the heart of the church, elders must exemplify the objective. How to do this will come later, but long-term revitalization of existing churches and the establishment of right priorities in new churches will not happen without it. Revitalization must come from the top down, not the bottom up. “Grass-roots” renewal has […]

Guidelines to Revitalization

In this study, 324 comeback churches were surveyed in order to seek answers to the questions of what and how to make a comeback from a trend of spiraling downward, both spiritually and numerically. How did 324 churches start growing again after experiencing a pattern of plateau or decline? Based upon the information gathered in […]

Outward vss inward focus

Comeback churches gained a new sense of purpose. It is a temptation that is common to all pastors, people, and churches (1 Cor. 10:13). The church begins with a vibrant vision and an outward focus toward reaching the community for Christ, but then a subtle shift begins to happen. The church’s focus turns inward instead […]

Flake’s Formula

Arthur Flake provided strategic leadership for Sunday School development within the Southern Baptist Convention. In 1920 he was appointed head of the Sunday School Board’s new department of Sunday School Administration. Flake soon developed and popularized principles of Sunday School growth. Through his book, Building a Standard Sunday School, Flake laid out a five-point formula […]

How the purpose of Sunday School has drifted

The earliest American Sunday School organizations were interdenominational and paraecclesiastical. Concern for evangelism, doctrinal purity, and a clear stand on moral issues led to the “denominationalization” of Sunday School. As children were converted through the Sunday School, there arose a greater concern to develop material to teach the unique doctrines of the various denominational groups […]

Godly ambition

The boy was thirteen when, in 1848, he arrived in the United States from Scotland. Like many young immigrants, he started work under conditions appalling by modern standards. He was a bobbin boy in a dirty, dangerous cotton factory, working long, hard hours for little pay. Later he became an engine tender, telegraphic messenger, and […]

Why are small groups important?

This is important because human beings are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26a, 27). The “image of God” means that human character is a reflection of God’s character. We are not exact replicas of God, but we are representations or likenesses of God. This means that human beings are, like the Triune God, […]

6 Roles of a Small Group Leader

What you are doing is a big deal—you will have to wear many different hats. Here are a few of the ones you will need to wear: You are … 1. A spiritual leader Your students are listening to your faith and watching your life. They are counting on you having a genuine (not perfect) […]