Articles + Podcast
The Leader as Spiritual Mentor
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 184 Church leaders serve various functions within the church, but there are certain capabilities or competencies that are essential to leaders at any level and of any function. We call these core competencies. Regardless of...
The Dark Side of Leadership: 5 Emotional Disorders
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 183 Being elevated to a leadership position does not make anyone immune to being emotionally unhealthy. Likewise, leadership promotions should not be taken as an affirmation of a clean bill of emotional health. If so, we’d...
What Kind of Evangelical Are You?
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 182 In this episode, Scott and I explore the diverse landscape of American evangelicalism by taking a quiz based on an article by Mere Orthodoxy called "The Six Way Fracturing of Evangelicalism." Of the six categories...
Five Things You Need to Know About Moving to Two Services
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 181 Being part of a growing church is a lot of fun. For many in ministry, this isn’t your experience. But by God’s grace, as your church pursues revitalization, you’ll have to deal with growing pains. One of the most common...
Five Sermon Series Ideas for Revitalizing Churches
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 180 A common question that we as Malphurs Group Guides get from pastors that we work with is “Do you have any suggestions for sermon topics that will help with revitalization?” Generally, the answer is to preach through the...
The Difference Between Leading and Directing in Church Leadership
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 179 Leading and directing are both crucial functions of effective church leadership, but they involve different approaches and goals. Just like a washing machine has access to both hot and cold water, as a pastor, you have...
What’s Happening at Asbury University?
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 178 What does “revival” even mean? Is that what is happening at Asbury University? Subscribe below to never miss an episode. Last week, what would have been a typical chapel service at Asbury...
Get Things Done: How to Design an Action Plan That Works
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 177 AAAAAAAND ACTION! If I had to choose one word that defines a church that thrives over a church that dies, it would be “action.” Dying churches are stagnant, and thriving churches are full of life. The difference is...
How Good Is an A.I. Sermon?
How Artificial Intelligence Will Shape the Church The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 176 The news has been filled with stories of the amazing things that artificial intelligence (AI) can do. In recent months, we’ve seen everything from digital images to whole...
Five Lies Churches Tell Themselves
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 175 Honesty is always the best policy, and not just in our interactions with others. We need to be honest with ourselves. We certainly understand the motivations behind the list you’ll find below. Human nature often leads us...
How to Use Systems Thinking to Reach Your Vision
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 174 More churches articulate a vision than reach one. In fact, the number of churches that actually make progress towards their goals are small. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by obstacles to change, the tyranny of the urgent,...
Expecting Revitalization: Showing Love
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 171 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” -John 15:13 Relatively speaking, few have done that or been put in the position to have to make that choice. Of course our Savior did that...
Expecting Revitalization: Creating a Culture of Joy
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 170 This past weekend, I had the opportunity to be on-site with a church that I started working with three years ago, Cape Carteret Baptist Church. They’ve occasionally made it into the anecdotes on this podcast, and I...
Advent: Peace
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 169 *This week's episode of the podcast was written and recorded prior to the passing of Dr. Aubrey Malphurs. You can read a statement from our TMG team here. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of...
Remembering Dr. Malphurs and Continuing His Legacy
The board of directors and leadership of The Malphurs Group announced today that its founder, Dr. Aubrey Malphurs, has died at the age of 78. Aubrey Milton Malphurs was born on February 20, 1944, and was raised in Gainesville, FL. Dr. Malphurs attended Dallas...
Expecting Revitalization: Reason for Hope
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 168 Advent, at its heart, is a season of expectation. When we celebrate Advent, we remember the fulfillment of God’s promises in the birth of Jesus–but we also embrace the sense of expectation for Christ’s imminent Return....
New Data: Religious Trends in America
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 166 It’s not news that the Church is declining in the United States and that fewer people are identifying as Christian, but Pew Research recently released the findings of a study showing the trendline of Christian decline...
Four Common Barriers to Strategy Implementation
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 164 Making plans is fun. Following through is hard. Most churches fail before they even begin the implementation journey because they did not account for the barriers. It’s like starting a road trip with a car full of kids...
How Pastors Can Leverage Their Public Trust
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 163 Is that chart as surprising to you as it was to me? We’re definitely not imaging that the United States is less Christian-centric than it was 50 years ago. Or even 10 years ago. Many countries around the world have felt...
Four Skills You Didn’t Learn in Seminary
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 162 Seminary is a wonderful place to learn how to preach a sermon and study Scripture. Undoubtedly, these are critical skills for successful ministry. But historically, seminaries are less useful for learning leadership...
Six Biblical Signs of a Revitalized Church
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 161 A revitalized church is a powerful force. Before a church is revitalized, its life dwindles, and death looms. These churches have a fading view of a once bright past, and it gives way to robotic monotony, apathy,...
How to Start a Church Podcast
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 160 Does the world really need another podcast? It seems like everyone has a podcast these days–including The Malphurs Group! While starting a podcast isn’t for everyone, there is still plenty of room in the so-called...
How to Hire Good Church Staff
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 159 Finding the right candidate for a church staff opening is difficult. Whether you’re trying to find a new senior pastor or a part-time children’s ministry director, the cost of hiring the wrong person is steep. But most...
Sunday School vs Small Groups
The Church Revitalization Podcast - Episode 158 It’s the heavyweight title fight of church discipleship ministries. Perhaps second only to church “worship wars” between traditional and contemporary music, the battle between Sunday School and Small Groups has been...