For more than twenty years, I served in what are often called “turnaround churches”— churches that had been declining for decades and were in desperate need of renewal.
At first, that wasn’t necessarily my passion or calling…it was simply what was available. God opened the door, and I (somewhat naively) walked through it.
Over time, I developed a skillset for helping an existing church identify barriers to growth, regain clarity around their mission, rediscover momentum, and move toward a healthier future.
Along the way, I learned to love revitalization.
Not because it’s easy. Because it’s important.
Revitalization work is some of the hardest leadership work in the Kingdom.
You’re not starting with a blank page.
You’re leading people with history. People with scars. People with expectations. People with stories.
You’re trying to honor the past while helping people embrace the future.
A NEW CHAPTER
Then, several years ago, I stepped into a senior leadership role as Executive Pastor at a fast-growing church plant.
It was an incredible experience.
I had the privilege of serving alongside a gifted team, helping steward momentum, navigating new opportunities, building systems, developing leaders, and watching God move in remarkable ways.
Like any ministry, it came with challenges.
Growth creates its own pressures.
Systems have to be built. Leaders have to be developed. Infrastructure has to keep pace with momentum.
But it was deeply rewarding work.
WHAT CHURCH PLANTING TAUGHT ME ABOUT REVITALIZATION
What surprised me most, however, was not what I learned about church planting.
It was what I learned about church revitalization.
I discovered that many of the assumptions I carried about struggling churches weren’t entirely accurate.
I also realized that many pastors leading revitalization efforts are carrying challenges that church planters never have to face.
TWO CHURCHES. TWO DIFFERENT REALITIES.
A church plant and a revitalization church may have the same attendance, the same budget, and even the same number of volunteers.
But they are often operating in completely different realities.
Church plants are usually resource-constrained but momentum-rich.
Revitalization churches are often asset-rich but momentum-constrained.
Church plants are often momentum rich. Revitalization churches are often asset rich.
Church plants are building systems.
Revitalization churches often inherit broken or outdated systems.
Church plants spend enormous energy creating culture.
Revitalization churches spend enormous energy trying to change culture.
Neither is easy.
Both require tremendous leadership.
But different strategies of execution.
WHY I CARE MORE ABOUT REVITALIZATION THAN EVER
In fact, my time in a growing church plant has only increased my appreciation for pastors leading revitalization churches.
I understand more clearly now why progress can feel slow.
Why change can feel difficult…if not impossible.
Why simple solutions are rarely simple.
And why so many revitalization pastors become discouraged.
The challenge isn’t that they’re poor leaders.
The challenge is that they’re leading churches with a different set of realities than the fast-growing churches that dominate conference stages, podcasts, and leadership books.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve become increasingly passionate about helping pastors navigate revitalization.
In the weeks and months ahead, I’ll be sharing lessons, observations, frameworks, and practical tools from both sides of the table.
Some will come from twenty-plus years of revitalization experience.
Some will come from what I learned serving inside a fast-growing church plant.
My hope is simple:
To encourage pastors.
To provide practical help.
And to help church leaders better understand the unique opportunities and challenges of revitalization.
Because healthy churches matter.
And pastors leading revitalization efforts deserve more than generic advice.
They deserve tools and strategies shaped by the realities they face every day.
