In recent history, “Seventh Baptist” had experienced steady growth. They had baptized regularly, and the church had become more diverse in many ways. However, in the years just before COVID, the church had seemed to slow down, and COVID had significantly impacted many of the church’s ministries. Worship attendance was slowly declining, and the staff and other members of the church were trying desperately to diagnose the source of the problem. One staff member had been let go, several families in the church had left, and rumblings of strife and discontent were growing more common as members expressed a desire to return to the excitement and growth of the previous decades.
Unaware of the journey, “Seventh Baptist” has entered a season of transition and the joys of ministry have been replaced by the early stages of plateau and decline. Robert Dale identified these early stages of decline as nostalgia and questioning. In this stage of the church’s life, people begin to long for the past and to doubt the direction of the church. Doing nothing will lead the church farther into decline and to eventual death.
The good news for Seventh Baptist is that they still have resources, people, energy, and a good reputation in their community. Decline and death are not inevitable. Instead, these symptoms are an indicator that the church needs revisioning. Aubrey Malphurs and Gordon Penfold likened the church to a ship on the ocean, which after years of sailing still looks good from a distance but is weighed down by the accumulation of barnacles and dirt. The ship isn’t ready to be retired, but it does need a good cleaning and refreshing.
In church revitalization, revisioning is the process of cleaning and updating the church which may include the church’s vision, strategy, facilities, and much more. It requires an honest assessment of the church, the community, and the way that the church plans to accomplish its mission in the years to come. The goal of revisioning is to develop a clear vision of future ministry impact that the church members can understand, own, and embrace as they are equipped to do the work. Without a clear, compelling, gospel vision the church will probably turn inward, become detached from its community, and bounce from ineffective program to ineffective program until there is no energy left for ministry.
Church revisioning is one of four potential strategies that the BMBA may recommend to churches considering church revitalization. Each one of these four strategies has multiple variations and possibilities. There is no universal path to church revitalization because every church and every community is unique. Revisioning is a great option for churches that have the resources (people, funds, buildings, etc.), time, ability, and energy to reach their community. Many churches that are plateaued or in the early stages of decline fit these criteria.
Over the next few weeks, I will be introducing the other three revitalization strategies in these articles. If you would like to know more about revisioning or church revitalization, please send me an email at Joshc@bmbaonline.org or give me a call in the office. If you are looking for a great first step for your church to explore church revitalization, we have partnered with NAMB to provide an anonymous, 7-minute church survey for your members and leaders. This survey will give you a snapshot of your church’s readiness for revitalization. You can find this survey at su.vc/bmbarenewal or by scanning the QR code below.
* Seventh Baptist is a fictional church, but their story is like thousands of churches across our country.