Staying Focused in Church Revitalization By Mark Weible Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) This harsh statement from Jesus reminds us of the serious nature of church revitalization. The plowman has to keep focused on the task at hand and the row ahead. Once he puts his hand to the plow, he is committed, he can’t look back or else he will be plowing crooked rows. If you jump into a church revitalization project, you’ve just committed yourself and the church to something that is going to require intense focus and attention for the next three to five years. If you are leading a church that is committed to going through the revitalization process, then you know how much the church and her individual members have already sacrificed to get to the point of agreeing to change. Now, comes the hard part. The challenge for church revitalizers from this point on is staying focused on the goal while the enemy tries to distract you. It takes a great deal of discipline to stay focused.
Staying Focused on the Future Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13b-14)
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The greatest threat to a church’s future is her past. As a church revitalizer, you don’t want to allow the church to stay stuck in the past. It is okay to acknowledge the past and to even celebrate the church’s history of accomplishments early on in the revitalization process. But, as soon as you lead the church to focus on the future, there is no time to look back. So, let’s start with a celebration of the church’s past. This can be done several ways. If the calendar allows, consider having a blow-out church anniversary celebration or homecoming event. You can invite current and previous church members to speak and share their recollections of the past. Consider publishing a church history for all to read. Plan a memorable event so that everyone can get the past out of their system and feel satisfied that history has been duly acknowledged. Have someone produce a visual presentation or video celebrating the church’s better days. For one weekend and one weekend only, allow the church to go totally retro. Put a time-line up on the wall with significant church events of the past highlighted. Allow church members to write their own memories on the time line that are special to them. Consider making a chart that shows the tenure of previous pastors with an attendance line graph during each pastor’s reign. This will help church members to see where the greatest growth and decline actually took place and will help to silence those who advocate using a previous pastor’s methodology. Archive these things on the church’s website so that you can point people there who are
