Steps to Church Revitalization
by Richard Adair
There
is so much chatter about the need to revitalize churches all over
the country. We hear the familiar words of the old hymn ringing in
our ears, “Revive us again.” It sounds as though the church is
crying out for the defibrillator paddles and more juice to jump
start our struggling churches. In many of our churches, we are
crying out for more juice and hotter paddles, but we have not
discovered that we are not even plugged in! When we cry out to
revitalize us, we are making the assumption that we are not vital at
all. I am sure that every church with its doors still open is vital
at something. We need first to look at what we are doing well.
What are we good at? What makes us look like a success? We might
even fill the pews with cardboard dummies to make us look like we
are full and vital. Nevertheless, there are areas that could stand
some improvement, or some way that we could sharpen our skills.
Could we not learn from the success of our brothers and sisters in
Christ?
I am suspicious of several things about this business of
revitalization:
-
We need to know that the heart is still beating and we are
good at something!
-
We need to be sure that we are in need of revitalization!
(Don’t shock the church that is already alive; you might kill it.)
-
We need to be sure that we are willing to change, altering who
we are to allow a new, fresh spirit to come in!
-
We need to know that the tools for renewal or revitalization
can only be tools; it still takes hands on the tools to make them
work.
-
We need not cry wolf—unless the wolf is at the door or has
already consumed our enthusiasm.
-
We need to know if for some of us it is too late or the price
is too great.
Knowing where we are is the first step to revitalization.
Sometimes we need to have a funeral for the dying and concentrate on
the living. There are so many areas of this country that are growing
by leaps and bounds that need churches. So there may be times that
we need to hold the memorial service and get on with the living.
The second step is to totally realize that changes in the
church will involve a number of different areas:
-
We will have to do things that we have never done before.
-
We will perhaps give up power because of the need for new
leadership.
-
We will get the feeling that we are no longer in control.
-
We have to be ready to try new fresh ideas that may not be to
our liking.
-
We will need to do church differently to appeal to the younger
generation.
-
When this buster generation begins shopping for a church, they
will be looking for what will best fit their needs. They do not
want to be put into a mold that fits the church. “Be like us and
you will fit in here!”
We need to be willing to risk the church and doing church as we
know it!
REVIVE US AGAIN …
ARE YOU SURE OR ARE WE JUST CRYING WOLF?
The Rev. Richard Adair,
Senior Minister, Second Congregational Church, Beloit, Wisconsin, is
a member of the Congregational Church Development Division (CCD).
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