Does your church need revitalization?

For many years we have been told that 80 percent of the churches in America are plateaued. I have argued that most of those churches are actually in decline. Churches do not stay on a plateau for long before they begin to slide down the decline side of their life cycle. These churches need to be revitalized in order to be useful to the Kingdom of God, but the longer they continue in decline the more difficult revitalization becomes.

In his book Revitalize, Andrew Davis provides us with the signs of a dying church that needs revitalization.

1. A low view of Scripture. This can often be seen in many of the church members having little knowledge of biblical teaching. They desire the milk of Scripture and reject the meat of biblical teaching.
2. They are man-centered, not God-centered. This church is more concerned about what people think of it than what God thinks.
3. Poor shepherding of members and no church discipline. Such churches have bloated membership lists of people who haven't attended in decades and no accountability for the behavior of its members.
4. Little evangelistic effort. These churches ignore the clear mandate given to the church by the Great Commission.
5. Disunity and bitter factions. This is often the result of controllers who see the church existing for their benefit. These ungodly leaders continue to sow seeds of discord in the church demanding to get their way.
6. Disrespect for godly leaders which results in short pastorates. These churches have little respect for godly leadership from their pastors which leads to a revolving-door pastorate. This is also often the result of allowing controllers to hold leadership positions and have a voice in the life of the church.
7. Disordered polity. Many churches are more concerned about following Robert's Rule of Order than the Bible. Worldly leadership practices have replaced biblical mandates.
8. Clinging to traditions with a stubborn unwillingness to change.  This can range from the music used in worship to dress requirements for leadership and everything in between. These churches talk more about their "glory days" than planning for the future.
9. Selfish spending patterns. Dying churches spend almost all their money on themselves with little earmarked for missions or evangelism.
10. Little zeal for corporate prayer. The old time prayer meetings in those churches that still have them are poorly attended and little prayer occurs beyond praying for the sick of the church.
11. Increasingly worldly doctrines and behaviors.  Dying churches avoid the controversial teachings of Scripture preferring to satisfy the politically-correct crowd. Members of these churches have a worldview that is based upon the philosophies of man, not biblical teachings.

If many of these sounds like your church it is a good sign that your church is dying and needs to be revitalized. The good news is that God wants your church to be healthy. Depending on the church, there are many things that may need to happen, but two are universal.

First, the church must regain a clear image of God and His holiness and power. Without that image, churches will continue to do their own thing. With that also needs to come a renewed relationship with Jesus Christ. The unchurched have no problems talking about God. They often struggle to talk about Jesus Christ. The same is true with nominal Christians. Our relationship with God is based upon having a personal relationship with Christ. Revitalization will not occur unless that relationship is renewed and central in all we do.

Secondly, we must recapture an awareness of the authority of the Scriptures. The Bible is not a book about God, but God's Word to us. It is not a book of suggestions and recommendations but a book that provides each of us with directions for how we are to live our lives. It is infallible in all it teaches, and a church that wishes to find new life must recognize its authority to speak into our lives.

Church revitalization is not easy, but in a majority of our churches it is necessary if these churches are to effectively be used by God. You may find the book mentioned above to be a helpful resource in your efforts to bring new life to your church.