Understanding Church Vitality
ON THE NEED FOR REVITALIZATION
“Many church leaders today are feeling stuck. Attendance is down. Giving is down. Volunteers aren’t stepping up to the plate. Leaders who once felt empowered now feel puzzled, wondering why they aren’t connecting with their community like they used to. Instead of going backwards, you and your leadership team can partner with God in discerning a new way forward for your church.”
(from Cyclical Full Circle website)
What are the categories of church vitality?
Missional
Missional churches have an ongoing, significant, and sustainable missional impact. These are congregations which would be greatly missed by their “neighbors” if they ceased to exist (“viewers/listeners” are “neighbors” in the case of digital ministries).
Stagnant/Stuck
In these churches, missional impact has begun to decrease with no clear process to reverse the trend.
At Risk
At-Risk churches have begun depleting their resources and will soon be unsustainable if no transformation process is engaged.
What are the signs of church vitality/mission potential?
- a clearly defined disciple-making process
- the development of new ministry leaders to lead existing and expanding ministries
More...
- a net growth of 5% new members per year, engagement in local, regional, and international mission — the DNA of the PC(USA)
- transformational worship — when people leave, they want to come back soon
- no need to rely exclusively on rental income to remain viable
- renters are mission partners of the church’s mission
- multiple revenue streams support their ministry and mission
How does a church assess its readiness to begin a revitalization process?
Revitalization is possible. It all starts with discovering where your congregation is in its vitality journey. Any revitalization process may feel cumbersome and challenging at the beginning. However, once the congregation realizes its potential for revitalization, it can create a sense of new direction and possibilities.
Learn More
Leading change is not for the faint of heart, but you are not alone. Church Revitalization Specialist Alfredo Delgado and other presbytery leaders are available to help you discern your congregation’s readiness to start its revitalization journey. The “Congregational Readiness Assessment” tool described on page 13 of this packet will help you evaluate your congregation’s willingness and capacity to make the changes necessary to build life-giving and nurturing relationships with the people who live near your church. Whether a congregation uses this tool or another process that provides in-depth insights into its capacity for change, congregations that have completed a readiness assessment will be eligible for a Congregational Revitalization Grant to support their process. (Apply using the SCT Matching Grant Application Form)
Alfredo Delgado, Specialist for Church Revitalization & New Worshiping Communities
(562) 805-7844
How does a church begin a revitalization initiative? – Four questions
Learn More
- What is it we are called to acknowledge, honor, and nurture in our congregation? What are the practices that are working that we need to acknowledge, honor, and nurture so that they can continue to happen in our congregation?
- What are we called to honor, acknowledge, and let go of as a congregation?
- What are we called to imagine, create, and start practicing anew in this congregation?
- What is it that we feel called to bring back, honor, and practice in a renewed form?
Three Year Plan for Revitalizing Churches in Los Ranchos
Year 2 — Implement a year of missional practice based on what was discovered in year one.
Year 3 — Demonstrate that the church has a future by providing evidence of measurable mission impact and self-sustainability. (Churches that are unable to demonstrate that they have a future will complete their ministry, with acknowledgment and thanks to God for their legacy of service to God’s kingdom.)
