From the embers to the flames

What happens when a church doesn't grow, is stagnant, is dying, or attendance is declining? Signs of sickness usually show when attendance and finances decline, by the way. However, there are other less obvious symptoms that indicate the need for a revitalization ministry.

Symptoms of a sick church:

• Focus on programs
• Nostalgia and tradition
• Dependence on personality
• A stagnant mindset
• Excuses and victim mentality
• Bad reputation in the community
• Distraction from the Gospel

The author says: "For me, it all started when I began ministry at a dying church. After a few weeks there, I began to wonder if the 'experts' were right, that the church should close and move to more fertile ground. I remember appreciating the fervor of authors and their literature on the subject of church growth, but my intuition told me I wasn't convinced. That led me to search the Scriptures for everything I could find related to church revitalization.

I found what I could imagine. In fact, I found a study of a specific case of a church that had once been a great church, but was in decline and headed for destruction! It seemed that God had put this in the Bible just to help me, and anyone who wants to see a church renewed by His grace. That divine plan for revitalization is the theme of this book."