Articles + Podcast
The Secret Power That Can Build Up or Tear Down Your Church
Every church operates out of what it values. The problem is that most churches never take the time to consider what those core values truly are. The typical values work undertaken is simply distilling down a list of good ideas and thoughts to a final, succinct list....
Is Church Marketing Biblical? With Ryan Wakefield
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 106 By Mary Deckert and Ryan Wakefield. Republished with permission from Church Marketing University. Is Church Marketing Biblical? At Church Marketing University, we hear questions along this line a lot. Honestly? We...
Secrets of a Church Consultant: 5 Realities About Church Consulting
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 105 Ever wondered what it takes to be a successful church consultant? Many pastors and church leaders think that consulting would be fun. They could travel around the country, give advice to churches, and earn some extra income....
How to Increase Church Giving (and Stop Leaving Money on the Table)
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 104 In last week’s episode of The Church Revitalization Podcast, we talked about Three Budget Hacks to Grow Your Church and focused on maximizing your existing budget. This week we’ve flipped the coin over to the other...
Three Budget Hacks to Grow Your Church
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 103 No pastor got into ministry because he wanted to make a budget. For most people in ministry, church budget season is like a bandaid that simply has to be ripped off. As a result, staff put as little into it as possible. You...
Why Your Church Outreach Strategy Isn’t Working (and 5 Ways to Fix It)
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 102 Let’s be honest with each other. Your church outreach strategy probably isn’t working particularly well. The vast majority of churches in the United States are in decline, and of those that are growing, only a fraction of...
The Importance of Strategic Planning
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 101 Strategic planning is critical for churches that want to make a kingdom impact. Indeed, churches that fail to plan are likely to suffer. Before we dive into three reasons why strategic planning is important, we should...
5 Competencies of High Impact Leaders
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 100 Good leaders are born and made. Regardless of how easily good leadership comes to you, you can improve your skills, and should seek that improvement out. The Church is in dire need of quality, high impact leaders who will...
Small Group Killers: 5 Problems That Plague Small Group Ministries
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 99 Have you ever felt frustrated that the same small percentage of your congregation is driving the majority of the engagement? Many in the congregation aren’t involved in any groups, but some members attend two or three classes...
Breaking News: Three Key Insights from Newly Released Church Research
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 98 New church research indicates troubling trends in the American Religious landscape. Discerning churches will pay attention to these trends and act on their implications for their congregation. In this article, I want to...
10 Freedoms Pastors Have in the Church
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 97 Here in the United States we just celebrated our independence on the 4th of July. It’s a time for celebration and remembrance of our freedom. Regardless of whether you’re an American or not (we have a large...
Three Tips for Better Staff Meetings
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 96 Do most of your staff meetings feel like they could have been an email? The sad reality is most church meetings are too long, too report-driven, and just plain boring! Bad meetings are not unique to churches. But your...
5 Roadblocks to a Healthy Church Board
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 95 Have you ever felt like your church’s board wasn’t reaching its full potential? Most church board members are good people that have good intentions. But they’re often inefficient and ineffective because they don’t know how...
7 Vision Failures Holding Churches Back
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 94 Have you worked on vision in your church, but you’re not really seeing the positive effects that you expected? Vision can be tough, and it doesn’t come easy for many, so you’re not alone if you’re struggling. ...
How Do I Know If My Church Is Revitalized?
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 93 Since the primary ministry of The Malphurs Group is church revitalization, there is a good chance that you’re reading this today while in the process of revitalization in your church. If that’s the case, you may be...
How to Leverage the Summer for Growth
5 Ways You Can Experience Summer Church Growth Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 92 Has your church ever experienced a summer slump? Of course it has. Nearly every church sees a dip in attendance over the summer, and it can make you want to shrug your shoulders...
A Pre-Revitalization Checklist
Any church revitalization should start with a church revitalization checklist. Preparation is key. One of the reasons for the high safety record of airlines is that pilots and mechanics carefully work through a preflight checklist. In other words, they stop before...
Keeping Your Church From a Slow Death
Left to itself, the universe tends towards chaos. This is the fundamental truth behind the Second Law of Thermodynamics. A rolling ball will lose its energy until it stops. A rubber band will break or snap back rather than be infinitely stretched. And a church that...
Results-Based Discipleship: From Status Quo to Growth
We need to design ministries in the church to create the results we are after. Learn more about results-based discipleship models.
What Difference Does Emotional Intelligence Make?
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 87 Why write a book or offer a course on emotional intelligence? Is it really that important to the church and its leaders? Following are fourteen reasons why every Christian in general and leaders, in particular, should...
Challenging the Status Quo: How Churches Can Inspire Deep Change
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 86 By definition, the status quo is the current state of affairs. You may consider it a snapshot in time. For some churches though, a snapshot taken today would look the same as a snapshot taken five years ago, or...
Church Strategic Planning: How to Create a Planning Rhythm
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 85 At its core, good church strategic planning is not an event—it is a process of continuous improvement. Most churches fail to make plans. Or, at best, they will put ideas on paper but fail to follow through. The tyranny of the...
Cultivate Individual Evangelism
3 Ways Your Church Can Cultivate Creative Individual Evangelism Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 82 In our Strategic Planning work with churches, we always start at the same place, the Great Commission. It is the central mission of the Church for all time....
Reaching a Post-Christian World: 3 Evangelism Lessons from Saint Patrick
Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 81 Before leprechauns, parades, green beer, and four-leaf clovers, there was a faithful Christian leader who ushered in a second-era of church planting that wouldn’t be seen again for centuries. The real Saint Patrick’s story is...