Kindle Notes & Highlights
Re-envisioning or revitalization are so essential to our future because most successful church plants are nurtured by a strong, vital, supporting established church. The demise of established churches means there are fewer strong churches to nurture church plants, making planted churches less viable.
When churches experience lots of turnover in their pastors and personnel, vision is one of the first things to be lost.
Thom Rainer writes, “In our national surveys of pastors, we found the average pastoral tenure to be 3.6 years.
But in different studies of effective leaders, those pastors had an average tenure ranging from 11.2 to 21.6 years.”
there are two essential elements for church renewal. The primary need is the right pastor. The second factor is a willing congregation. When these two dynamics come together, vibrant, renewed ministry is the outcome.
1988 Win Arn, church growth pioneer, shocked the American church world with the following statement. “Today, of the approximately 350,000 churches in America, four out of five are either plateaued or declining. . . . Many churches begin a plateau or slow decline about their fifteenth to eighteenth year. 80–85 [percent] are on the down-side of this cycle.”
Since at least1988 the majority of churches had plateaued and were in decline
He explains that if the church continues on its present course, the percentage of the population attending a Christian church each weekend will decline from 20.4 percent in 1990 to 14.7 percent in 2020.
Thom Rainer describes the state of the church in North America based on his years of consulting with many different churches and denominations, saying, “Eight out of ten of the approximately 400,000 churches in the United States are declining or have plateaued.”[4] He includes the following in a footnote: “Of the churches for which we have data, 84 percent are declining or experiencing a growth rate below the population growth rate for their communities. The latter is defined as a plateaued church.”
David Kinnaman comments: The ages of eighteen to twenty-nine are the black hole of church attendance; this age segment is “missing in action” from most congregations. . . . Overall there is a 43 percent drop-off between the teen and early adult years in terms of church engagement. These numbers represent about eight million twentysomethings who were active churchgoers as teenagers but who will no longer be particularly engaged in church by their thirtieth birthday.[9]
In contrast to the stagnant condition of the church, cults and non-Christian groups continue to grow. In the United States, the Mormons have grown from 2,487,000 to 3,158,000 from 1990 to 2008.[10] The Jehovah’s Witnesses have increased from 1,381,000 to 1,914,000 in the same time frame.[11] Between 1990 and 2008 the number of adherents to Islam expanded from 527,000 to 1,349,000.[12] Those who follow Buddhism have enlarged their camp from 404,000 to 1,189,000 during the same period.[13] The fastest growing religious group has been the Wiccans, who have increased dramatically from 8,000 in
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Noticable growth in non-Christian beliefs
Before looking at these statistics one might think that people in America simply aren’t interested in spiritual things. Obviously this isn’t the case. They are interested in spiritual matters, but they’re not looking to the church for the answers as did earlier generations.
People are looking to places other than Christian church for spiritual answers
We are simply not able to plant enough churches to replace those that close.
“Everything rises and falls with leadership.”
pastoral leadership appears to be absent or seriously restricted in many churches. Perhaps the dearth of leadership in the church points to a deeper problem—poor pastoral preparation. A secondary cause may be the high expectations placed on pastors by the church membership. Pastors stay so busy chasing the church’s tail that they have no time to dream and lead. Pastors are considered the hired guns to do the work of the ministry—something far removed from Christ’s design (see Eph. 4:11–12).
Paztoral leadership is restriceted or put out chasing the church's tail, not focued on leading
Hebrews 13:17 (NASB) reverberates with leadership responsibility. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” This statement ought to weigh heavily on every Christian leader and every church member. Leaders will give an account for their leadership. Members are to make their leadership task a joy!
Hebrews says to obey leaders they are responsible for your soul
understood that the “angels” of Revelation 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14, the messengers, were the pastors of the churches.[17] It is highly significant that the messengers were the ones being evaluated by the Lord. All of the pronouns in the opening lines addressed to the messenger of each church are masculine singular. When the Lord rebukes, he rebukes the messenger. Thus the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to the earthly shepherds, the pastors, whose character had become the character of the church. For example, when the Lord Jesus said, “Yet I hold this against you [singular]: You have forsaken the
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In Revelation Jesus is holding His messengers His pastors responsible for the conduct of His church ******
When pastors have been leading a church for five years or longer, the church assumes the character of their pastor. As goes
Churches take on character of pastor after five years******
Many pastors feel they have their backs against the wall. They want to make changes but either they are afraid to roil the waters or they don’t know how to lead. Church bullies intimidate them. Church boards are uncooperative and controlling. Consequently, pastors struggle and the churches they pastor struggle. The resulting gridlock causes attenders to leave in frustration.
Pastors ar eup against the wall to the girdlock created by the lay leadership
Other pastors are simply on cruise control. They draw their pay and don’t rock the boat. Many are content to leave Jesus outside knocking at the door (Rev. 3:20). Many also lack the skill and backbone to develop a vision of a preferred future and pursue it to a fitting conclusion. Others simply walk down the path of ministry blissfully ignorant of the impending cliff before them.
there’s a lack in the church of strong, visionary leadership, not necessarily a lack of leaders (there’s a difference!). Churches aren’t really developing visionary leaders.
every pulpit committee should ask of a potential pastor or staff person, though the answers may not be encouraging. Do you know how to develop leaders? How many leaders have you developed over the years? Who are you currently developing as a leader? Who has developed you as a leader? Who is developing you now as a leader? Is it okay to include your development of leaders on your annual evaluation?
the leadership crisis in the American church. One of his district superintendents in Florida lamented, “Only about 25 percent of our pastors can get the job done. We simply hope the churches can endure through three pastors before we can finally send another good one.” The problem is not a lack of pastors. It is the lack of capable, visionary pastors. A large segment of pastors occupy the pastoral position but don’t lead their congregations into fruitful ministry.
Only 25% of pastors are capable of leading to fruitful ministry
At best, most seminaries train scholar-chaplains, not scholar-leaders. The church is crying out for visionary leaders.
On the other hand, non–re-envisioning pastors are often paralyzed by fear, afraid to upset the power brokers, church bullies, the status quo, and the sacred cows of ministry. At the very core of their being, their divine design prevents them from leading their churches out of the doldrums to vitality and new life. Bob Humphrey, founder of Fresh Start Ministries, notes, “Others have positioned themselves as ‘hirelings’ rather than shepherd-leaders of God’s flock. Some seem incapable of articulating a vision for the church. They have not been trained to see the dream, say the dream and seize the
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Pastors paralyzed by fear, church bullies, power gamers, uninformed people in power positions
If Hybels is correct in saying that “the outcome of the redemptive drama . . . will be determined by how well church leaders lead,” and if 80–85 percent of the churches are failing for lack of visionary leadership, then the church in America may have little hope left.
President Kennedy once asked, “If not us, who? If not now, when?”
we must do better at training pastors as visionary leaders, not as chaplains, caretakers, or scholars, but people who can re-envision their churches.
the whole of the work of God with humanity revolves around the work of transformation and renewal. Two key passages, 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Romans 12:1–2, speak of transformation, first, of the unredeemed and, second, of the believer. In addition, new birth or regeneration stands at the heart of God’s ministry with the children of Adam in this present age (John 3:3)!
Bible passages on renewal
ENVISIONING LEADERS IN THE BIBLE Moses Hezekiah Josiah Elijah Nehemiah Apostle Paul Our Lord Jesus Christ
Reinvisioning leaders in the Bible
Often lack of maturity leads to initial failure. At age forty Moses felt he could conquer the world in his own strength. His immaturity coupled with his volatility resulted in the death of an Egyptian. His attempts were premature. His timing predated God’s plan. Moses’ initial effort to deliver Israel came 40 years ahead of God’s timetable. God promised Abram that the children of Israel would suffer hardship in the land of Egypt for 400 years. The total length of the sojourn came to 430 years (Exod. 12:40–41; Gal. 3:17). Moses was just a bit ahead of God. Moses based his actions on his human
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“If a guy bombs at the first church, he may become a good church planter or a good turnaround pastor.”[1] A ministry failure is not necessarily the end of the road for a Christian leader. However, the leader must be teachable and learn from his past or be doomed to repeat it!
When I become unsettled or angry, I am often “just a bit early” or completely out of sync with God’s will and/or timing. Placing God in our leadership box inevitably produces frustration because God chooses to do his work his way (see Isa. 55:8–11). Our vision does not bind him, but his vision better captivate us!
The pulpit committee may paint a rosy picture of life in the manse. However, when the pastor arrives, he discovers lots of skeletons in the closet: a forced resignation, unrepentant sinful attitudes, unresolved issues with a church bully, unfettered gossip, just to name a few. True worship cannot exist because of the continuing sinful behaviors of the church.
True worship and renewal cannot happen because of the sin of the church
The church appeared primed to move from decline to growth, health, and vitality. But the pastor hit a stone wall. No matter what he tried, nothing changed. Then sin issues began to surface one after another. It turns out that fourteen of the twenty individuals who served on the envisioning team had significant immorality issues. Sexual sin infiltrated and permeated the church to its very core. The revisioning process, of necessity, made a huge U-turn. Only after dealing with the sin issues could the congregation return to genuine worship.
(2 Kings 21:1).
During the renovation of the temple under Josiah’s direction, Hilkiah, the priest, discovered the book of the Law. It had been lost! The worship of the Lord had been so neglected that Israel “lost” the Law! The events that followed are most remarkable (22:8–23:28). In an act of contrition, King Josiah tore his clothes when he heard the Word of God that spoke of the judgments pronounced against Judah. He immediately inquired of the Lord. Because of Josiah’s brokenness, the Lord promised to postpone the inevitable judgment. The king instituted massive reforms in Judah. He cleansed the temple,
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How should re-envisioning pastors respond when ungodliness and worldly attitudes surface in the church? Like Josiah, we should repent and seek the Lord on our behalf and on behalf of the church. We must seek spiritual cleansing and restoration. In many cases church discipline must be carried out. Failure to do so may result in the Lord removing the “lampstand” (Rev. 2:5)—the closure of the church. However, when churches respond appropriately, the Lord may grant them an extension of life. These attitudes and actions are at the heart of revisioning leadership.
Pastor should repent of sin in the church holding the churh back. Disciplining the unrepentant, otherwise Jesus mayy remove the lampstand described in Revelation
The prophet’s vision for transformation is plainly seen when he confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. His vision was to destroy Baal worship and restore the nation to the worship of YHWH, the God of Israel. Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. . . . At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant
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Elijah's vision was to destroy Baal worhsip in Israel
The Lord must grip our hearts with a vision of what can be, a vision of a preferred future. Our time with the Lord must move us to prayer, and prayer, in turn, moves the hand of God. As someone once stated, “Prayer is the only bit of God’s omnipotence he shares with us.” Become an ordinary person whom God uses in extraordinary ways.
God grips our heart in vision through prayer
Nehemiah was a remarkable character whom God used in many ways. His vision developed in two phases. The first and most recognizable launched his great adventure in rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem. The second arose out of necessity in response to the decadence of the Israelites.
Nehemian's vision was to rebuild Jerusalem's walls and the peoples relationship with Yahweh
For four months Nehemiah prayed, planned, and prepared for the right moment, the precise instant, when he would present his petition to the king. He demonstrated great wisdom in his request to Artaxerxes in that he never once mentioned Jerusalem, only Judah and the city of his ancestry.
In spite of terrific opposition from both the enemies of Israel and the Jews themselves, Nehemiah led the Jews in rebuilding the walls, gates, and dignity of Israel in fifty-two days! This was an extraordinary feat directed by a vision-driven leader.
Often leaders must “retool” their vision once the initial phase is complete. It takes a driven visionary to accomplish such a task. Nehemiah proved himself such a leader. Phase 2 of his vision was not evident initially.
We would identify Nehemiah as a driven leader! His vision of a restored people moved him to action. Thus Nehemiah developed a two-phased vision: phase 1—a restored city accompanied by restored dignity for its Jewish inhabitants; phase 2—a restored people serving the Lord and walking according to the Law of Moses.
Re-envisioning pastoral ministry requires the same type of true grit that characterized Nehemiah. Opposition outside the church, corruption and self-centeredness within all plague turnaround efforts. Church renewal comes at a price. Our efforts to re-envision a church consisting of transformed worship, godly Christians, and new believers must drive us relentlessly. Re-envisioning a church may also require a second phase in vision. After reaching two-, five-, and ten-year objectives, we of necessity need to retool for the next steps.
Reinvisioning requires grit and realizing there will be subsequent phases
Here’s a summary statement of Paul’s vision for his ministry: To glorify God by reaching a growing number of unreached people groups with the gospel through (1) preaching the gospel, (2) planting churches, and (3) developing an ever expanding leadership base who would in turn (1) preach the gospel, (2) plant churches, and (3) develop an ever expanding leadership base! And so it continues.
Pauls vision for ministry and discipling
Successful ministry reproduces the same patterns: evangelism, church planting, and leadership development. Anything less fails to capture Christ’s design for his church.
Genesis 3—the fall and the promised redemption after the fall (v. 15). Genesis 12—fulfilling Abrahamic and attendant covenants, including the promise to become a blessing to the nations. Matthew 16:18—He came to launch the church, a movement of redemption. Mark 1:38—He came to preach the gospel. Mark 10:45—He came to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Luke 9:51—Christ did not avoid the cross, but “resolutely set out for Jerusalem” where his cross awaited him. Luke 19:10—Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. John 1:1, 14—He, the Word, came to tabernacle (live) among us. John
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Bible passages of Jesus' purpose and mission in the wo4ld
in his high priestly prayer in John 17, we have an even greater glimpse of his vision, which includes being glorified through the cross (v. 1), giving life to as many as the Father had given him (v. 2), glorifying the Father through his finished work (v. 4), and returning to his precreation glory (v. 5). Hebrews 12:2 instructs us to look “unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (NKJV). Jesus’s vision included not just time but beyond time to
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Jesus vision in His high priestly prayer John 16
His vision was, in accordance with his covenants and promises, to bring an innumerable company of believers to glory from every nation, tribe, people, and language (Heb. 2:10; Rev. 7:9) through his finished work, resulting in the thunderous ovations of praise, honor, and glory due the Triune God from all creation
