The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 310– church revitalization
Church revitalization isn’t a destination, it’s an ongoing journey. Just like getting healthy, there’s never a moment where you can declare “we did it” and stop the work entirely. But some churches do reach a healthier position after going through revitalization, and many develop a heart to help other struggling congregations in their area.
The question isn’t whether healthy churches should help declining ones. It’s how they can do so effectively without coming across as patronizing or competitive. Too often there’s a little bit of competition going on between churches, but sometimes we miss the big picture kingdom mindset.
If your church is in a relatively healthy position and you genuinely want to bless others, not adopt them or turn them into satellites, but simply help them thrive, here are five practical ways to make a kingdom impact through church revitalization support.
1. Be a Humble-Yet-Positive Example
The Foundation: Lead with humility and avoid a “we’ve figured it out, you haven’t” attitude.
Before you can effectively support church revitalization efforts, you need to examine your heart and approach. Many pastors have experienced the frustration of receiving advice from mega-churches or seemingly “successful” ministries that felt disconnected from their reality. People don’t want to hear from someone who thinks they have everything figured out and now believes everyone else needs to follow their model.
The key to successful support partnerships is approaching other churches with genuine humility. You don’t have to have everything figured out to have something valuable to offer. In fact, authenticity about your own ongoing challenges often makes you a more credible and relatable partner in church revitalization work.
Practical steps for supporting church revitalization:
- Share openly about your own struggles and lessons learned
- Be “open-handed” with your experiences rather than prescriptive
- Model healthy discipleship, leadership, and outreach that others can observe naturally
- Remember that you’re offering to partner in church revitalization, not to be a savior
Community works when we’re humble and honest about our journey. You can say, “I don’t have everything figured out, but I have figured some things out, and here’s been my journey. I’d love to share what I’ve learned and help you to the degree that I can in your church revitalization process.”
2. Host a Revitalization-Focused Event
Create a safe, non-confrontational space for all churches to learn about church revitalization together.
One of the most effective starting points is hosting a workshop, conference, or regional gathering focused on church health and renewal. This approach has several advantages:
- It’s inclusive: Every church can benefit from focusing on health, not just declining ones
- It’s non-threatening: You’re not singling out struggling churches or making assumptions about their needs
- It builds relationships: Events create natural opportunities for connection without pressure
- It reveals interest levels: You’ll discover which churches are open to support and to what degree
This might even be the natural first step in a partnership. It’s a great way to get started, and then you can find out what churches in your area may be interested in that kind of support or help with their revitalization journey.
The format can vary widely, from half-day workshops to weekend conferences focused on church revitalization principles. The key is making it genuinely helpful for churches at any stage of health, focusing on practical tools and biblical principles rather than showcasing your own success. This creates an environment where healthy church concepts can be explored safely.
3. Sponsor or Fund a Revitalization Process
Invest in the kingdom by removing financial barriers to professional church revitalization help.
Often the churches that need help the most are the least able to afford it. This creates a tragic irony where declining churches can’t access the very resources that might help them turn things around through proven processes.
Consider covering part of the cost for a church to work with a trusted consultant or organization. However, there are important principles to keep in mind for effective revitalization support:
The church should still pay something. Even a partial contribution ensures they’re invested in the process. When churches receive help at no cost, they often don’t take it as seriously or put in the necessary effort for successful revitalization.
See this as kingdom investment, not charity. Your motivation should be genuine kingdom growth, not feeling good about helping the needy. This attitude difference will show in how you approach the revitalization partnership.
Provide access to quality church revitalization resources. Don’t just throw money at the problem. Ensure you’re connecting churches with proven processes and qualified consultants who understand effective revitalization strategies.
This approach to supporting church revitalization can take various forms, from sponsoring specific churches you know to contributing to scholarship funds that help any qualifying congregation access resources.
4. Train Your Team to Help Revitalize
Develop internal capacity to guide other churches through church revitalization.
Rather than always paying for outside church revitalization consultants, consider training members of your own team, whether staff or lay leaders, to guide revitalization processes. This approach has several benefits for ongoing support:
- Cost effectiveness: Training your own people reduces long-term costs for both you and the churches you help
- Ongoing ministry: Creates a sustainable way to help multiple churches over time with their revitalization needs
- Local relationships: Your trained leaders may have better rapport with nearby churches seeking help
- Kingdom multiplication: Develops church revitalization expertise within your congregation
The people you train for the work don’t have to be professional consultants. Retired business leaders, experienced ministry volunteers, or staff members with a heart for church health can all be effective guides when properly equipped.
Look for certification programs or training processes that provide both the framework and ongoing supervision needed to do church revitalization work well. The investment in training pays dividends as your team helps multiple churches over time.
NOTE: The Malphurs Group leads a Certified Guide training process
5. Loan Church Members for Revitalization
Send short-term mission teams to provide practical support during critical church revitalization seasons.
Perhaps the most hands-on approach to supporting other churches is temporarily sending some of your members to help with specific needs. Churches going through revitalization often struggle with volunteer shortages, particularly in children’s ministry, worship, technology, or outreach. These are areas where your healthy church might have excess capacity to support their efforts.
This approach to support requires careful planning and clear expectations:
Treat it like a church plant launch team. Your people shouldn’t just attend services during the revitalization process. They should commit to serving in specific roles while actively working to train replacements.
Set clear timelines for church revitalization support. Both churches need to understand this is temporary support designed to help the partner church develop its own capacity through the revitalization process.
Plan for replacement. The goal isn’t to provide permanent staff but to model ministry and train local volunteers who can continue the work after your support period ends.
Be willing to “lose” people. Some of your members may fall in love with the partner church during the revitalization process and decide to stay permanently. Prepare your congregation for this possibility and frame it as a positive kingdom outcome of your partnership.
The Heart Behind Church Revitalization Support
These practical strategies will only work if they flow from the right heart. The goal isn’t to build your reputation, expand your influence, or even feel good about helping others. The goal is kingdom growth through effective church revitalization, seeing more churches become healthy, vibrant communities that effectively introduce people to Jesus Christ.
This requires setting aside competitive instincts and embracing the big picture kingdom mindset when it comes to church revitalization. When churches put aside thoughts of competition and focus on the reality that there’s plenty of work to be done, everyone wins.
The church is Christ’s strategy for reaching people. When we help other churches become healthier through, we’re participating in God’s mission to redeem the world. That’s worth far more than any temporary inconvenience, financial cost, or competitive advantage we might give up in supporting church revitalization efforts.
As more healthy churches embrace this calling to support church revitalization, we can see genuine renewal spread throughout entire regions. But it starts with individual congregations deciding that kingdom growth matters more than institutional self-interest, and then taking practical steps to make that heart conviction a reality.
Getting Started with Church Revitalization Support
If this vision of supporting church revitalization resonates with your church leadership, start with honest self-reflection. Are you truly healthy enough to help others, or do you need to focus on your own renewal first? Remember, you don’t have to be perfect, but you should be genuinely healthy and stable before offering church revitalization support.
Next, consider which approach to church revitalization support fits your church’s capacity and calling. Maybe you start by hosting a single workshop focused on revitalization and see what develops from there. Or perhaps you identify one specific church you’d like to support through a revitalization process.
Whatever you choose, begin with prayer and proceed with humility. The churches in your area need partners, not saviors. When you approach them as fellow servants in God’s kingdom, you create the foundation for partnerships that can genuinely transform communities.
The question isn’t whether there are declining churches that need revitalization help. There are. The question is whether healthy churches will step up to provide that support with the right heart and effective strategies. Your church could be the catalyst that helps turn the tide in your region through meaningful church revitalization partnerships.
Additional Resources:
Moving People From Your Church to the Kingdom
The Importance of Strategic Planning
How to Know if You’re Ready to Lead a Revitalization Process
Train People in Your Church to Lead Revitalization
Watch this episode on YouTube!
Scott Ball is the Vice President and a Lead Guide with The Malphurs Group. He lives in East Tennessee with his wife and two children. (Email Scott).
