Excuses can kill a revitalization effort. Today, we cover seven of the most common excuses you will likely hear in a revitalization and how to combat them.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM HARRISON
Excuses are about all I hear in my pastorate. Everyone seems ready to blame everything else for anything that goes wrong. I try not to join in and make excuses, but sometimes fall into the trap. What are some of the most frequent excuses you hear in church replanting and revitalization?
Episode Highlights:
- No matter where you live, there are unreached people around your church who need the gospel.
- One sign that a church is dying is when a church resents the community in which it’s located.
- Your church is where it is to bless its community. Your church’s address is not an accident.
- People, resources, and money will gravitate toward gospel activity.
The seven deadly excuses we cover are:
- “There are not enough people to reach in our community.”
- “The people in the community are not like us.”
- “We don’t have enough money.”
- “We can’t compete with the bigger churches.”
- “We would be fine if we returned to 1985.”
- “We don’t have enough young people in our church.”
- “No one will come to our run-down facilities.”
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
- ChurchReplanters.com
- ChurchAnswers.com
- Replanter Assessment
- Find more resources at the Revitalize & Replant page at ThomRainer.com
Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit ChurchReplanters.com.
Submit Your Question:
Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church and Reclaiming Glory.
