If you missed it... our friends at 9 Marks ran a special issue of their webzine on whether the multi-campus church (like we are at the Summit) is biblical or not. They asked 2 of us write "for" it, and about 121 people to write against it. :) Basically, I was asked to rub raw meat on myself and drop myself into a dog kennel. But Mark Dever and the others were pretty gracious. I am very grateful for those guys at 9 Marks, and have learned a great deal from them. You can check it out here.
This is the last in my stream of consciousness thoughts on what goes into a church revitalization, and whether you should try it or just leave the church and go plant. Here are all the others.
8. Confront troublemakers quickly.
Have you ever noticed how people can be such complete jerks online...saying things they would never have the courage to say to your face? The bad news is that many of us are actually even bigger jerks than what we act... we're just scared of what people would think about us so we're nice to people. I think inwardly we know we're wrong, so when we have to look someone in the face we change our attitude.
I've noticed that a lot of people will really trashtalk me, our leadership, and our ideas... that is, to others, but the moment I confront them they cave like a house of cards. So, I think when we hear about people who are creating movements against what God is doing in the church, we should confront them quickly. If they represent "a group of people," then get those people together. I never settle for "well, a bunch of people have been saying this..." I ask them for names and start dialing numbers while they are in the office.
I'm not saying that this will suddenly cause everyone to agree with you, but I think it makes people think twice about whether or not they really believe what they're saying enough to stand on it. It's easier to shoot someone in the back than shoot them while looking into their face. I want people who oppose what is happening to be public about it, not to have the silent anonymity of malicious backbiter.
Plus, when you confront someone, there is a much greater chance for reconciliation. "Dehumanizing" someone is the quickest way to act violently against them... This is how Hitler convinced Germans to commit such atrocities against the Jews... in a small way, it's how many people feel free to trash others verbally... they don't put "flesh and blood" to the thing they are criticizing, so they are cold and brutal.
Confronting others face to face, of course, what Paul and Jesus counsel repeatedly (Matthew 18; Galatians 2, 6, etc.) and what is demonstrated in the leadership of guys like Moses. I know confrontation is hard. But listen, pastor, it's time for the boy in you to sit down and the man to stand up :)
9. DON'T do 2 services.
For whatever it's worth, I don't think it's a good idea to do 2 services as a way of "introducing" change to your congregation... i.e., do one traditional and one contemporary. I suppose there are some situations where this may be best, but, for the most part, it seems to create 2 churches which always have the aspiration to one day unify... but never actually do. And if the contemporary service "works," you have a traditional congregation a little jealous, even resentful, of the new service that's getting all the attention. Plus, they just don't feel unified with them, and have lost out on the opportunity of living missionally.
We had people at our church asking, when we started, if we'd do another more traditional service... and, frankly, our leadership just said no. We wanted to move and grow as a church, and we explained that that meant that everyone, including me, would have to put up with some stuff they didn't like. Yes, some people left the church... but in retrospect I feel like we made the right decision. We grew as a unified body, and established an ethos of "we do whatever it takes to reach people, even when it's not according to our personal preferences" in our church that, I believe, has carried us a long way.
OK... that's it. I don't know if any of these were helpful for any of you guys out there leading churches... but that's all I got :). I have prayed that those of you reading this blog that are in a situation trying to figure out if you should revitalize or leave your church and go plant would have the wisdom, courage and faith to do whatever God is calling you to do.