Re:Vision: The Key to Transforming Your Church

by Aubrey Malphurs

Re-envisioning pastors need to have the same mindset as the Savior. Our work is not just temporal, for our time and place, but we gaze beyond our time into eternity.

Note the maturity of these churches; most were likely forty to forty-five years old. No longer fresh and vibrant, these congregations evidenced elements of decline and a growing tolerance of sinful practices. Leaders and congregations alike needed renewal, a revisioning.

Revelation churches

Pastors and churches must respond to the Lord as he requires us to do. Examine the exhortations in the text in light of the life of your church. If there’s sin, repent. If there is doctrinal error, correct it. Immorality? Face the brother(s) or sister(s) and deal with it. If there is no repentance, remove the offending parties from the body. If you have church bullies, deal with them. If people are divisive, remove them permanently, following the pattern of Titus 3:10–11. Remember, return, and repent. These are action verbs found in Revelation 2–3 and they demand a response.

Remove the immoral, the bullies, the dividers

Revelation 3:20. Here we find the Lord outside his own church seeking entrance. It’s his church, his body, his people, but he is not welcome in their presence.

concept of mentoring is certainly evident in Scripture. Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Jesus and the Twelve, Paul and Timothy, and Paul and Titus are just a few portraits of leaders passing the mantle of their leadership to and empowering the next generation of leaders.

Here are some examples of that relationship. Joshua commanded the army under Moses (Exodus 17). As an aide, he journeyed to the mountain with Moses, who received instructions for constructing the tabernacle (24:13). Joshua was one of the twelve spies picked to survey the Promised Land. Then as the time drew near for Israel to enter the Promised Land, the Lord instructed Moses saying, “But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it” (Deut. 1:38). Can you imagine the chaos trying to enter the Promised Land had Moses not prepared a strong leader in Joshua?

Moses groomed Joshua, the son of Nun, as his successor. Leadership and management instructor Peter Wiwcharuck makes a simple but profound statement: “Success without a successor is failure.”[6]

three Ds provide us with a context or backdrop for how leaders lead and do ministry in general and revitalize churches in particular. The first D stands for design. Your divine design enables you to understand how God has uniquely, intentionally wired you for ministry. Job says, “Your hands shaped me and made me. . . . Remember that you molded me like clay” (Job 10:8–9). If God has shaped you, and Job says he has, what is your shape? The question for pastoral leaders in the context of this book is, Has God designed or shaped you to re-envision his church? The second D refers to our ministry direction. It addresses what God wants you to do with your unique design. The question here is, Is God pointing you toward church revitalization and how would you know? The third D is our development. It explains how you prepare for this ministry. At this point, you know your design and direction. The question becomes, How do pastoral leaders prepare to re-envision the church? The answer will range anywhere from individualized self-instruction on the one hand to attending a school or seminary on the other or both.

3Ds of re- visioning dexign develoment, direction

God has not wired every Christian with the potential to pastor or lead a church. DIVINE DESIGN God’s Call to Vocational Ministry Prior Life Experiences Current Life Circumstances Natural and Spiritual Gifts Passion

George writes, “The leaders’ life stories are unique to them and more powerful than any set of characteristics or leadership skills they possess.”[1] For example, have you experienced leading an organization such as a business through a revitalization? Or perhaps you’ve experienced much success as a Bible teacher in your church. These kinds of past experiences speak volumes about how God has wired a leader, and how he or she might use these experiences in the ministry world. PRIOR LIFE EXPERIENCES Heritage Heroes High points Hard times As you look at your past experiences, consider your heritage, heroes, high points, and hard times.[2] These have all helped to shape you into the person you are today.

The things that have shaped the pastor

As a further extension of his grace, God has given us the Holy Spirit who helps us implement our gifts. First, we have been indwelt by his Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). And the purpose for that indwelling is to empower us to do ministry (Eph. 3:16, 20). We are not left alone with our gifting; we have the Holy Spirit and his power to make our gifts operational.

Gicting God give us along with the Holy Spirit to utilize gifts and abilities given

We define temperament as one’s unique, God-given (inborn) behavioral style. It relates to how we behave or do ministry as well as life. It addresses the unique, personal behavioral characteristics and tendencies that deeply impact ministry.

To understand direction, you must look back at how God has designed you. Design dictates direction. If you have a gift of leading, then it’s obvious that he wants you to lead. If you have a passion for working with adults, it’s obvious he wants you to lead adults. We use the term obvious. Actually, it’s not always that obvious to the individual. Often it can be more obvious to another person who has the opportunity to observe us. This stresses the importance of inviting others (a friend, spouse, coach, mentor, pastor) to provide input. They bring an element of objectivity that’s vital to one’s discovery of one’s direction. Rarely do we see this happening in our churches.

They also tend to be DIs or IDs on the Personal Profile or DISC. (People with these two similar temperaments have strong people skills balanced with a goal-orientation to ministry.)

Character development Knowledge development Skills development Emotional development Physical development

There are no good or bad temperaments. Each temperament may express some good and bad qualities. No temperament preference is any more spiritual or carnal than another. For example, there are times when an extrovert is controlled by the Spirit and times when he or she is controlled by the flesh. And the same follows with the other temperaments.

The Personal Profile (DISC) The Personal Profile is based on an historic four-temperament model that goes as far back as the Greek physician Hippocrates (460–370 BC). Later Galen (AD 131–200), who was a physician and a philosopher, came up with the terms choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholy, which are still used today to describe temperament. The current tool that reflects Galen’s model is the Personal Profile or DISC, an acronym for the four behavioral temperaments: dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness. The following provides a brief look at these four temperaments. As you read through them, make note of any that describe you. PERSONAL PROFILE (DISC) D-Dominance I-Influence S-Steadiness C-Conscientiousness

A person’s orientation to life reflects whether he or she is goal-oriented (purpose) or people-oriented. Those with D temperament believe that accomplishing goals is more important than relating well to people. Thus they’ll get the job done but may alienate some people in the process.

The D temperament is fast-paced and moves through life quickly, while other temperaments move more cautiously.

The most favorable environment for Ds is one that provides lots of challenges and opportunities. In addition, they like to be in control of their circumstances and prefer freedom from the control of others.

Ds tend to be visionaries so it’s important that their environment be vision-oriented and open to innovation. When a D is under pressure he or she becomes aggressive and takes charge of the situation.

Ds display a number of strengths, several of which are productivity, decisiveness, persistence, and firmness. Their weaknesses include being too busy, insensitive to others, impatient, inflexible, and too quick to take control.

Summary: Dominance Temperament Orientation to life: goal or purpose Pacing/capacity: fast-paced Motivation: a challenge Environment: lots of challenge and opportunity, freedom from control while being in control, innovative, and visionary Under pressure: aggressive, autocratic Would benefit from: listening Response to change: open to change Strengths: productive, decisive, persistent, firm Weaknesses: too busy, insensitive, impatient, inflexible

the I or influence temperament favors being with and building relationships with people. Like the Ds, they too are fast-paced and move through life quickly. That which motivates them is recognition. It’s important that we recognize their accomplishments if we want them to reach their full potential under our ministry. They prefer an environment that is inspirational, optimistic, and fun-loving. They are party people. Chuck Swindoll has the I temperament, and while he was the president of Dallas Seminary, he would always show up whenever there was a birthday party on campus because he so enjoyed interacting with people. A warning is needed, however. Because they are so friendly, it is a surprise to know that under pressure they can attack.

People with the I temperament tend to start a number of different projects but quickly lose interest and leave them in an unfinished state.

In terms of strengths, they may be described as optimistic, inspiring, personable, and enthusiastic. However, they tend to exaggerate and are impatient, manipulative, and impulsive.

Orientation to life: people/relationships Pacing/capacity: fast-paced Motivation: recognition Environment: friendly and fun-loving, optimistic, opportunities to inspire people Under pressure: attack Would benefit from: finishing what they start Response to change: open to change Strengths: optimistic, inspiring, personable, enthusiastic Weaknesses: exaggerate, impatient, manipulative, impulsive

the person with the S or steadiness temperament is oriented to life through people and relationships. They are very interested in people and their welfare. When they ask how you’re doing, they aren’t simply saying hello, they really want to know. Unlike the D and I temperaments, the Ss move through life more slowly. They’re simply not in a hurry and prefer not to be rushed. Good relationships with people motivate them.

They prefer security in their ministry positions and really like when people show appreciation for them. Under pressure they are likely to give in to others’ wishes. They tend not to initiate but follow the initiatives of others. Thus they would benefit from at times being the initiator. They are slow to change, because they’re concerned that change may hurt people or their relationships with people. If it can be demonstrated that change won’t affect people adversely, they are more likely to accept it. Their strengths are that they are agreeable, loyal to a fault, and supportive of the ministry’s initiatives. Their weaknesses are that they are nonconfrontational when they need to be confrontational, they miss advancement opportunities due to their loyalty, and they are too conforming when they need to provide pushback. Summary: Steadiness Temperament Orientation to life: people/relationships Pacing/capacity: slow-paced Motivation: relationships, security, appreciation Environment: consistent and stable, relational, little conflict, working with people Under pressure: give in, acquiesce Would benefit from: initiating Response to change: slow to change (depending on how it affects relationships) Strengths: agreeable, loyal, supportive Weaknesses: nonconfrontational, missed opportunities, conforming

the C’s orientation to life is more goal or purpose oriented. At the end of the day, the C evaluates the day by what goals they accomplished, not by the relationships they established. Like the S they tend to be slow-paced. They’re in no rush to get things accomplished but are motivated by accuracy and quality, which take time. They prefer to minister in an environment where things are planned out and predictable with few surprises. They also want privacy and tend to be somewhat risk aversive. They minister best where there are clear policies and procedures.

When Cs are under pressure, their natural reaction is to withdraw emotionally. This tendency to withdraw can be a problem and they must learn to communicate at these times with teammates and family, especially their spouse. The Cs, like the Ss, respond slowly to change. While they’re not exactly opposed to change, they are concerned about how it will affect the quality of the ministry. If the change promotes ministry quality, they’ll support it. Finally, the Cs’ strengths are their desire for accuracy and quality of ministry, their thoroughness, and their sincerity. Their weaknesses are fussiness and perfectionism, which make their relationships with others difficult. Also they are stuffy, lacking a sense of humor. Summary: Conscientiousness Temperament Orientation to life: goal or purpose Pacing/capacity: slow-paced Motivation: accuracy, quality Environment: planned and predictable, private, low risk, established policies and procedures Under pressure: withdraw Would benefit from: communicating Response to change: slow (concerned with how it affects quality) Strengths: accurate, thorough, sincere Weaknesses: fussy, perfectionistic, stuffy

Myers Briggs Type Indicator during World War II. The MBTI takes a different approach than does the Personal Profile. It helps us discern our inborn preferences in four key functional areas of life: how people focus their attention (extroversion versus introversion); how they acquire information (sensing versus intuition); how they make decisions (thinking versus feeling); and how they relate to the world of people and things (judgment versus perception). The following provides a brief explanation of these four types. Note which best describe you.

MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI) Extroversion versus Introversion Sensing versus Intuitive Thinking versus Feeling Judgment versus Perception

Extroverts charge their batteries when they are around people. They focus their attention on the outer world of people and things. Introverts, however, charge their batteries when by themselves. People tend to drain them of energy. The result is they focus their attention on the inner world of ideas and concepts.

Evangelical theologians recognize two domains of revelation. One is special revelation, which refers to God’s knowledge as found in Christ (John 1:18) and the Scriptures (1 John 5:9–12). The other is general revelation, which refers to God’s knowledge as found in his creation: nature, science, and history (see chart on p. 84). Special revelation is the domain of the theologian; general revelation is the domain of both the scientist and the theologian.

The chart shows plainly that the I profile leads the pack in church planting. However, during the break, Dave Page, church-planting director of the Evangelical Free Church West, came up and pointed at the screen. He made a remarkable, clarifying statement. He pointed at the planter who had thirty-eight people in his first year. “I’ll bet those thirty-eight people are thankful for that church planter.” Even people who don’t fit the standard profile of a church planter (high D or high I) can be successful, and the people touched by their ministry would be grateful. Figure 5.2 Average first year attendance figures for church planters based on their DISC profile scores

define the term turnaround pastor. My working or operational definition is that a turnaround pastor is a leader whose current ministry (or last ministry) has demonstrated an average annual growth rate (AAGR) in worship attendance of at least 2.5 percent per year for five years. We base this on a statement from Gary McIntosh, a professor at Talbot Seminary, who says that if a church keeps all of its biological growth, it will grow an average of 2.5 percent per year over a five-year period.[1]

My primary assumption or “educated guess” going into this exploration was that turnaround pastors exhibit significant differences in their leadership style, spiritual gifting, interpersonal relationship skills, and “visioneering” skills when compared to non-turnaround pastors (NTAPs). I assumed that a variety of characteristics is found in TAPs that isn’t found or that would exist to a lesser degree in NTAPs. As happens with most so-called educated guesses, some of this was true and some didn’t pan out. In addition to my primary assumption, there were nine additional assumptions that surfaced in process. Church growth is good. The Savior promised to build his church (see Matt. 16:18). Therefore, I assumed in Discovery 1 that church growth is good. Not every church is able to grow. Often there are mitigating circumstances that make church growth impossible. The majority of churches can grow given the right leadership. Worship attendance is the best indicator of growth, plateau, or decline. There are certainly other strong indicators of church health and growth, but, for this study, I chose worship attendance as the most accurate measure of church growth.[2] The responses of the pastors and lay leaders were representative of pastors and lay leaders found in the Rocky Mountain States. Pastors and lay leaders answered their surveys truthfully. Some of the information from the pastors and others may be exaggerated and in some cases incorrect. This may surprise some but shouldn’...

What is a turn arround pastor, and what churches should be able to turn around

THE PASTORAL SURVEY The purpose of the pastoral survey was to try to determine if there are any significant differences between turnaround and non-turnaround pastors. The following eight areas were included in the survey. Results of the pastors’ Personal Profile or Performax DiSC profiles. Their spiritual gifts mix, using the Modified Heights Spiritual Gift Survey. Their history of pastoral leadership. (I was trying to determine if TAPs have a consistent history of turnaround ministry and NTAPs have a consistent history of non-turnaround ministry.) Their clarity in communicating the purpose/mission of the church. Their clarity in communicating the church’s vision. Their interpersonal relationship skills with multiple generations. Two questions about having coaches or mentors now or in the past. Their pastoral leadership style.

Components of survey os turn around pastors

The lay leader’s tools included questions 4–6 and 8 of the Pastoral Survey above. This survey was to be completed by three lay leaders in each church. It compared the pastor’s perception of his ministry with that of his lay leadership with the purpose of validating or invalidating the pastor’s responses. It is interesting to note that in virtually every case pastors viewed themselves less favorably than did their lay leaders.

Survey of lay leaders to compare to pastors' responses

Concerning the eight questions on the pastoral survey, there were four areas where no measurable differences were found between turnaround and non-turnaround pastors. First was their spiritual gifts mix (Modified Heights Spiritual Gift Survey). I expected significant differences in gifting but was surprised at the conformity of the TAPs and NTAPs in their gift mix.[3]

Length of tenure was not a determining factor in turnaround or non-turnaround. TAPs had tenures ranging from two to twenty-five years. NTAPs had tenures ranging from three to twenty-six years. Long tenure did not guarantee growth and short tenure did not necessarily result in lack of growth. It should be noted that this section was used to determine whether a pastor was a turnaround or non-turnaround pastor.

The third area was their clarity in communicating the purpose/mission of the church to the church, and the fourth was their interpersonal relationship skills with multiple generations.

There were four areas where I found significant measurable differences between the two groups. Their Performax Leadership (DiSC) profiles were distinct. The TAPs tended to score mid to high D and i. The NTAPs scored high in the S and C temperaments. Also their clarity in communicating the church’s vision was distinct. The TAPs communicated the church’s vision with much greater clarity and passion than their NTAP counterparts. The third difference was that the TAPs had coaches or mentors more often than the NTAPs—62 percent of TAPs have had and continue to have coaches and mentors today, while 57 percent of NTAPs had coaches at the beginning of ministry but only 14 percent still do today. Finally, their leadership styles were distinct. See appendix C for a list of these distinctions.

Difference in TAPS communicate visiiion scored high d or i in disc inventory, leadership style, had coaches or mentors

Results of the Eight Questions on the Pastoral Survey in Discovery 1 Significant Measurable Differences No Significant Measurable Differences Performax Leadership (DiSC) Profiles Spiritual gifts mix Communicating the church’s vision with clarity and passion Effect of tenure on turnaround or non-turnaround pastors Use of coaches and mentors Clarity in communicating purpose/mission Leadership style distinctions Interpersonal relationship skills with multiple generations

Differences in TAPs

Following are the summary findings for Discovery 1 regarding the characteristics or attributes of turnaround pastors: Score of mid to high D or i or D/i combination on the DiSC personal profile. Passionate and visionary. Have a mentor/coach more often than not. More outgoing with good people skills. More innovational than traditional. More energetic (this is essential). “Young in ministry,” regardless of their biological age. Better team players. Better at delegating. Better at training new leaders. Focused and determined. Able to embrace necessary change and willing to pay the price to do so. Good conflict resolution skills. Better than average communicators (vision and direction as well as preaching). Passionate use of their primary spiritual gifts and ability to empower others to use theirs. Other Observations In addition to the above information, there were several other significant findings. The length of pastoral tenure and its impact on numerical growth differed for TAPs and NTAPs. Long tenure of a TAP produces steady and continuous growth. However, long tenure of an NTAP at best produces a plateau and in most cases steady decline. Though researcher George Barna says the age limit for a TAP is the midforties or younger,[4] I found that seven of twenty-one TAPs began their last turnaround at age forty-eight or older.[5] Barna says these pastors normally experience only one turnaround in an entire lifetime.[6] I found that seven pastors have led two or more churches i...

What a TAP should be, and who they are

This small percentage of pastors cannot turn around the large percentage of churches in need of transformation. The fact that 80–85 percent of churches are plateaued or in decline would

The church has grown from ten souls to seventy-five in two and a half years. They continue to reach people that other churches disdain.

How large is your mission field? What does God want to do through you in your mission field? Do you see lost people as problems or as potential? Your perception will, to a large extent, determine your effectiveness!