AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS LEADING TO THE REVITALIZATION OF COMEBACK CHURCHES

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A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

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In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Missiology

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by John Michael Dodson December 2006

Copyright 2006 John Michael Dodson All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction.

APPROVAL SHEET

AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS LEADING TO THE REVITALIZATION OF COMEBACK CHURCHES

John Michael Dodson

Read and Approved by:

__________________________________________ George H. Martin (Chairperson)

__________________________________________ Stephen D. Drake

__________________________________________ J.D. Payne

Date _______________________________

To Kelly, my support, my encourager, my sweetie; to three sweet boys; and to my parents, John and Phyllis Dodson, always giving and supportive

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

LIST OF FIGURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . State of the Church in North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Background of Church Revitalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Statement of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Background of the Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Limitations and Delimitations of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Methodology of the Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. REVIEW OF SOME CHURCH GROWTH CONCEPTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spiritual Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evangelism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lay Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Small Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Worship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 5 9 12 14 16 20 21 25 27 35 39 44 ix

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Chapter Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. COLLECTION AND PRESENTATION OF DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Numerical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verbal Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. ANALYSIS OF DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Surveyed Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Page 47 49 52 58 72 74 74 77

Summary Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comeback Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 118 118

Comeback Obstacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Other Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendix 1. COMEBACK CHURCHES PHONE SURVEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 124 125

2. COMEBACK PHONE GUIDELINES FOR SBC CHURCHES . . . . . . . . . 134 3. COMEBACK PHONE GUIDELINES FOR NON SBC CHURCHES . . . . 4. E-MAIL LETTER TO DENOMINATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES . . . . 5. FINAL LIST OF DENOMINATIONS SURVEYED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. INITIAL DENOMINATIONAL CONTACT LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 138 140 141

Appendix 7. QUESTIONS FOR FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

8. RENEWED BELIEF SAMPLE RESPONSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 9. EVANGELISM SAMPLE RESPONSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10. LAY MINISTRY SAMPLE RESPONSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11. SMALL GROUPS SAMPLE RESPONSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12. MARKETING SAMPLE RESPONSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13. FACILITIES SAMPLE RESPONSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14. LEADERSHIP SAMPLE RESPONSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15. TIME MANAGEMENTS SAMPLE RESPONSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16. STAFF CHANGES SAMPLE RESPONSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 151 154 157 159 161 166 169 171

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AG AM Wor BGC Bi-voc CABC CGM CMA COG CON EFCA FSQ JSSR NAMB SBC VBS WES

Assemblies of God average worship attendance Baptist General Conference bi-vocational Continental Atlantic Baptist Convention Church Growth Movement The Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches of God, General Conference The Nazarene Church The Evangelical Free Church of America The Foursquare Church Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion North American Mission Board Southern Baptist Convention Vacation Bible School The Wesleyan Church

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Percentage of Respondents by Denomination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Education Level Achieved by Comeback Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Rating of Five Components of Vibrant Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Rating of Six Church Growth Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Rating of Worship Moods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. Rating of Preaching Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. Rating of Various Factors That Changed during Comeback . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Page 52 53 54 55 56 57 58

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PREFACE

While this project bears my name, I would not have been able to complete it on my own. George Martin, my supervising professor, spent countless hours pouring over this project; he challenged, corrected, and encouraged me every step of the way. Professors Steven Drake and J.D. Payne also helped in the process of making this project the best it could be. I am very grateful for their input and participation in this project. In addition, Ed Stetzer and the NAMB Research Department provided extremely valuable help and insight. This project would not have been nearly of the same size and scope without their involvement. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with them on this project. Many people have prayed for me throughout the duration of this project. I have needed those prayers of encouragement and support. This has been a journey of endurance and perseverance. The prayers of many family and friends in Christ have made a difference in the completion of this project. The people of New Hope Community Church have been loving and supportive toward me and my family. We have been blessed by the opportunity to serve there and be part of such a wonderful church family. In addition, my parents have demonstrated love, support, and encouragement during the entirety of this endeavor. Their consistent willingness to give helps provide a solid foundation, which enables success.

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My wife, Kelly, and our three wonderful boys have endured through the five years that it took to complete this degree as well. Though they have sacrificed in this process, I have always felt loved and encouraged to finish what I had started. They have prayed for and encouraged me every step of the way. Words cannot express my gratitude to Kelly for her consistent love, support, and encouragement; she always maintains a warm and loving atmosphere at home. She is a wonderful blessing from God. Praise God for His faithfulness. I am confident that finishing this project is part of the work that He is completing in me (Phil 1:6). I am grateful for His persevering grace and mercy. To Him be the glory for ever and ever.

John M. Dodson Meadville, Pennsylvania December 2006

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

For years, various writers and researchers (many of whom are identified in chap. 2) have reported that the North American church was anemic and lethargic at best. As early as the mid-1960s, some mainline denominations were apparently in trouble. Peter Wagner stated, In the ten-year period from 1965 to 1975 the Episcopal church lost 17 percent of its membership or 575,000 persons. The United Presbyterians lost 12 percent or 375,000 members. The United Methodists lost 10 percent or 1,100,000 members, and so on.1 In more recent years, even evangelical churches have shown signs of plateau and decline. In his book Vision America, Aubrey Malphurs asserted that much of the perceived church growth in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s was actually due primarily to the redistribution of believers, not genuine church growth. He stated, The problems of the church in the 1980s carry over into the 1990s. The church as a whole continues to experience decline and the unchurched increase.2

C. Peter Wagner, Leading Your Church to Growth (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1984), 31-32. Aubrey Malphurs, Vision America: A Strategy for Reaching a Nation (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), 62. 1
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2 State of the Church in North America Most recently, the Leavell Center at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary did a study revealing that only 11 percent of Southern Baptist churches were experiencing healthy growth. The Leavell Center used the following criteria to define healthy churches: 1. 2. 3. 4. The church experienced 10% total membership growth over five years. The church baptized at least one person during the two years of the study. These churches needed 35 or fewer members each year to baptize one new convert (a member-to-baptism ratio of 35 or less in the final year of the study). For the final year of the study, the percentage of growth that was conversion growth must be at least 25%.3

Moreover, the number of baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has been relatively flat for the last fifty years.4 Other statistics and research have pointed to the anemic nature of the North American church. In 1993, Wade Clark Roof reported on the spiritual lives of drop out boomers: Less than one in four have returned to active participation in a place of worship. . . . 80% say you can be a good Christian without attending church.5 More recently, George Barnas research indicated that 95 to 100 million Americans of all ages

Ed Stetzer, Stirring the Waters, On Mission (Winter 2005) [on-line]; accessed October 2005; available from http://www.onmission.com/site/c.cnKHIPNuEoG/ b.830521/k.D281/Stirring_the_waters.htm; Internet. Ed Stetzer, The Missional Nature of the Church and the Future of Southern Baptist Convention Churches, (paper presented to the Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry conference, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 12 February 2005). Wade Clark Roof, The Four Spiritual Styles of Baby Boomers, USA Weekend, March 1993, quoted in Aubrey Malphurs, Vision America, 63.
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3 were unchurched6 (approximately one-third of the population) an estimate that was based upon a very generous definition of unchurched.7 In another study, the Barna Group explained, Since 1991, the adult population in the United States has grown by 15%. During that same period the number of adults who do not attend church has nearly doubled, rising from 39 million to 75 milliona 92% increase!8 Overall, Barnas research has not indicated that churches in North America were healthy and growing. It has been noted that the church in North America has needed to find the pathway to healthy evangelistic growth. How can this comeback be achieved? Answers to this question may be gleaned from churches that have made recent comebacks.9 In utilizing this information, the primary methodology of this study has been to analyze the responses of comeback churches and their leaders in regard to some church growth principles. That study has provided significant quantifiable data. A secondary purpose

George Barna, Grow Your Church from the Outside in (Ventura, CA: Regal Books from Gospel Light, 2002), 23. Ibid. Barna stated, We define a person as unchurched if he or she has not attended a Christian church service at any time during the past six months, other than special events such as weddings and funerals. Many other people exist somewhere between that definition and active membership in a particular local church. George Barna, Number of Unchurched Adults Has Nearly Doubled Since 1991, The Barna Update (4 May 2004) [on-line]; accessed 15 January 2006; available from http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID= 163; Internet. In this study, a comeback church is being defined as a church that has been revitalized numerically after an extended period of plateau and decline (specific comeback criteria are given on p. 17 of this dissertation). While there are spiritual dynamics involved in revitalization, no spiritual criteria were established for inclusion in this study (see also the Background of the Proposal and Limitations of the Study).
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4 of this study was to identify any external factors that might have impacted the renewal of these comeback churches. This specific project focused on conducting an informal, not a technically scientific study of churches that had experienced at least 5 years of plateau and/or decline followed by 2 to 5 years of evangelistic growth after 2000.10 Through the survey process, 324 survey responses were gathered from churches in ten different denominations. Over twenty-five thousand bits of data were collected. The inquiries were based upon some key factors that may have initiated or influenced the revitalization process of these particular local churches. If attitude or action changes motivated the comeback within a church and/or among its leaders, the survey sought to identify these changes. Thus, the study included some church growth issues such as spiritual dynamics, evangelism, worship, and leadership. All factors listed above may have impacted a churchs growth, decline, comeback, or stagnation and were factors that could be measured qualitatively and quantitatively within local churches. Studying those churches that have changed direction in recent years was an important endeavor. Then, the window of change could be examined; the period of transition from plateau/decline to comeback/growth was critical. Studying churches that have recently experienced both dynamics revealed insights that should help other churches understand how to move in the same direction.

For the purposes of this study, evangelistic growth is being generally defined as increasing attendance and a membership to baptism ratio of 35:1 or lower.

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5 Background of Church Revitalization Biblically, the need for church revitalization can be observed in chapters two and three of the book of Revelation, when Jesus spoke through John to the key churches in Asia Minor in existence in the first century. Since its inception, the church has displayed a tendency to drift toward mediocrity, stagnation, and decline. Throughout history, the growth of the church has ebbed and flowed. In more recent times, the leaders and proponents of the Church Growth Movement (CGM) revealed the need for church revitalization in the North American context. The concepts and principles of church growth were originally defined by Donald McGavran in the mid to late 1950s and grew in emphasis over the next three decades. The key person in developing the principles of church growth in the North American context was Peter Wagner, a disciple of McGavran. Church growth referred to all that is involved in bringing men and women who do not have a personal relationship to Jesus Christ into fellowship with Him and into responsible church membership.11 Thom Rainer defined church growth as that discipline which seeks to understand through biblical, sociological, historical, and behavioral study, why churches grow or decline. True church growth takes place when Great Commission disciples are added and are evidenced by responsible church membership.12

C. Peter Wagner, Your Church Can Grow, rev. ed. (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1984), 14. Thom S. Rainer, The Book of Church GrowthHistory, Theology, and Principles (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 21.
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6 The movement itself grew out of a desire to reinvigorate the worldwide church in the practice of true evangelism and missions. At the time McGavran began to develop the CGM principles, missions and evangelism had been redefined, in part, by the World Council of Churches to refer to anything and everything good that Christians could do individually and collectively. Charles Van Engen explained, McGavran stressed Church Growth over against the dominant ecumenical view of the 1950s and 1960s, spearheaded by J. C. Hoekendijk, which downplayed, and nearly negated, the importance of church in favor of a strong sociopolitical and economic agenda of social transformation. McGavrans denomination was a charter member of the World Council of Churches, and McGavran feared that the social concerns of the ecumenical movement would eclipse a committed emphasis on the conversion to Jesus Christ of the (then) two billion people who were not yet Christians.13 Thus, in addition to establishing principles for evangelism and church planting, the CGM became a way of seeking to renew and revitalize existing churches both within North America and around the world and lead them to rediscover their true God-given evangelistic and missional purpose. The CGM discussed and outlined many principles that would help lead to church revitalization. When the CGM started taking hold in North America, numerous books and articles were compiled that described church growth concepts and how they could be applied in local churches. Several themes developed in these church growth writings that sought to define the pathway to church renewal and healthy growth. Key revitalization themes included, but were not limited to, the following: spiritual fire, evangelism,

Paul E. Engle and Gary L. McIntosh, eds., Evaluating the Church Growth Movement: 5 Views (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 55.

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7 leadership, lay mobilization, small groups, and worship. While these themes have been explored more thoroughly in chapter two, they have been summarized briefly here. In some of his writings such as How Churches Grow and Understanding Church Growth, Donald McGavran discussed the importance of church growth leaders and churches developing and maintaining a genuine spiritual fire. This concept was foundational to church growth and was evidenced by vibrant faith, strategic prayer, forgiveness and loving service, and intense belief. In regard to evangelism, McGavran and Win Arn (in How to Grow a Church) and also Peter Wagner (in Leading Your Church to Growth) discussed the need for churches to be intentionally evangelistic. This theme was rooted in the theological premise that God was the One who seeks the lost with the express purpose of finding them. Therefore, churches that wanted to grow had to be committed to intentionally seeking and finding those people who were spiritually lost. Another theme that permeated church growth literature was leadership. If churches were going to grow, they had to have leaders who were willing to climb out on the limb of leadership. In books such as Leading Your Church to Growth and Your Church Can Grow, Peter Wagner discussed this theme. Some components of leadership were rejecting slow or no growth thinking, being a lovable and active overseer, sharing ministry, and planning for growth. The next theme was directly connected to the components of leadership. In order to lead effectively, congregational leaders had to mobilize the spiritually gifted people within each congregation. From the writings of Peter Wagner (Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow), Darrell Robinson (Total Church Life), and Frank

8 Tillapaugh (Unleashing the Church), this theme was outlined in terms of the need to help believers discover their spiritual gifts, mobilize people and their gifts, and empower people to use their gifts. As the CGM expanded, two other themes developed as key factors for revitalization. One was the need to develop and utilize a process of small groups to build community, effectively care for people, and support the work of evangelism. The other theme that developed was worship because worship services are a primary avenue through which unchurched people often investigate the church. These two themes, as well as those mentioned above, have been explained more thoroughly in the next chapter. One of the key questions that defined the church growth movement was, Why do some churches grow and others do not? The answer to this question, McGavran believed, would lead to practical insights that would unlock the great potential of church growth among existing churches and among the unreached people groups of the world. Those serious about joining God in seeking and saving those who were lost had to be willing to ask and answer this question and make necessary changes in their outreach strategies, especially when minimal to negative church growth exists. The aim of this study was to ask why the comeback churches were growing. The CGM sought to change the landscape of how missions, evangelism, and church growth were done all over the world, including North America. That process started by identifying a key problem in regard to the lack of church growth: However, engaged in many good activities, Christians often take the growth of the church for granted. They neither pray earnestly for it nor work systematically at it. They assume it will take place automatically as Christians study the Bible, do good to others, and worship God. As a result, in the midst of huge numbers of receptive men and women, many churches stop growing and become static enclaves of comfortable middle-class Christians. These feed the hungry, visit the sick, clothe

9 the naked, and build attractive houses of worship, train leaders, and influence society for good, but they do not grow. The dynamism of the early church does not dwell in them. . . . Church growth has been assumed and is, alas, not occurring.14 In this statement, McGavran clearly described a connection between church growth and church revitalization. Many churches were busy doing many good things and not growing. Those churches needed to rediscover the dynamism of the early church. As stated in the introduction to this chapter, the North American church has needed to be renewed and revitalized because it has been in a pattern of plateau and decline for several decades.

Statement of the Problem The purpose of this project was to study and analyze the causes and nature of church revitalization as identified by the leaders of comeback churcheshow did some churches make a comeback? This writer has believed that the comeback process has often been extremely difficult and draining, and that few churches have actually been able to achieve the goal of making a comeback after experiencing a significant period of plateau/decline. However, this writer has believed that if this study could provide some kind of general plan or blueprint for stagnant churches to follow, maybe more would be willing to risk making a comeback. Unfortunately, little scholarly literature has addressed the issue of comeback churches, although some does, such as George Barnas Turnaround Churches and Christian Schwarzs Natural Church Development. Most recently, Thom Rainer discussed this subject in his book entitled Breakout Churches. While his book was a very

Donald A. McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, ed. C. Peter Wagner, rev. 3 ed. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), xii-xiii.
rd

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10 definitive work in regard to church growth and church revitalization, it was narrower in scope and application than this study. Rainers book focused on tracking and analyzing 13 larger churches (alongside 39 comparison churches) over many years from several denominations. This comeback study was focused on 324 churches of all sizes from 10 denominations over a shorter period of time. Also, the criteria for inclusion in this study and Rainers study differed. In addition, this comeback study was a quantitative study with qualitative elements while Rainers work was mainly a qualities interview study. Also, in Breakout Churches, Rainer utilized a model of research and application based largely on a secular book entitled Good to Great by Jim Collins. This comeback study was based mainly on principles identified from a study of early church growth literature. Therefore, this project traced the development of some church growth and church revitalization principles as they were espoused by the leaders and proponents of the CGM. These factors were used as the basis upon which comeback churches were evaluated. In other words, the champions of the CGM proclaimed that certain characteristics must be present in order for healthy church growth to take place. If the writers assumptions are correct, based upon his reading of church growth literature, the identified church growth factors should be evident in comeback churches. These general factors should be found in churches that experience revitalization after a period of plateau/decline. This study will test that premise. In addition, this study will seek to identify any other important factors that might contribute to church revitalization. After evaluating comeback churches based upon the identified church growth themes, many observations can be made based upon the experiences and successes of

11 comeback churches and their leaders. Thus, the primary methodology of this dissertation will be to analyze the responses of comeback churches and their leaders. Within that study is substantial quantifiable information. An additional purpose of this dissertation is to identify and analyze any other external factors that have impacted the revitalization of these comeback churches. This project seeks to answer several specific questions with regard to comeback churches. These questions include, but are not limited to the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. Are the selected church growth themes outlined in the next chapter (i.e.spiritual fire, evangelism, leadership, etc.) all that is necessary for making a comeback? Are comebacks the result of more intentional prayer, increased evangelistic efforts, leadership changes, particular preaching and worship styles, etc.? Are there intangible factors such as the sovereignty of God, unpredictable demographic changes, etc. that motivate comebacks? Are there defined principles that churches can use in any context? Beyond the comeback churches analysis, this study contains many variables that can be utilized for the purpose of analyzing plateaued and declining churches. Local churches should be able to evaluate how they compare to comeback churches. Such comparisons may include the following issues: 1. This writers own ministry experience indicates that plateaued/declining churches can feel defeated and assume that nothing can be done to turn their situation around or that there is something special or unique about growing churches that makes it easy for them to grow. Does the survey data point in this direction? Is revitalization just a matter of spiritual luck or blessing?15 Does any correlation exist between a pastors level of educational achievement and his role as the leader of a comeback church?

2.

Some church growth proponents such as Peter Wagner and George Barna have similarly noted issues such as the small church mentality, slow or no-growth thinking, and the negative attitudes that can develop when a church loses its momentum and wallows in plateau and decline.

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12 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Do comeback churches employ particular methods or techniques that increase attendance and conversion growth? Do advertising and/or facility changes impact revitalization? Are outside resources, assistance, and training vital in making a comeback? Does a church need to become culturally relevant in worship and preaching style to engineer a comeback? Do other factors make vital contributions in comebacks?

This project seeks to answer these questions after analyzing 324 comeback churches with the intent that the insights gained would assist in the revitalization of many other churches.

Background of the Proposal This writers interest in comeback churches has sprung from a love for both church planting and church revitalization. As this writers knowledge of church growth principles has increased, he has realized that a spiritual awakening (a spontaneous movement of large numbers of people coming to Christ) could take place in North America and could happen through both church starting and church renewal. As existing churches are renewed, they could become missional and seek to plant new churches. At least, that should result from applying church growth principles. Even through involvement in church planting, this writer has had to lead a church plant to revitalization twiceonce because the church plant pastor resigned soon after its launch and a second time after a merger. In many ways, experience has been a great teacher. This learning process has entailed many disappointments and victories and has led to the question, What principles can be learned from comeback churches that

13 might guide pastors and churches (that want to grow and change) down the path of revitalization? Answering the previous question could help remove some obstacles for leaders and local churches who are struggling to move from plateau/decline to growth/comeback. In addition, knowing that the church in North America is stagnant at best, this writer is moved by the question, What can be done to change the direction of churches that are merely existing or heading toward non-existence? In essence, what factors can be identified that are essential for church comebacks? What moves a church off the path of plateau/decline and back onto the road of renewal? Success can be difficult to define in any study, particularly one that involves spiritual things. However, comebacks must be measured both for the sake of this study and for an accurate analysis of church revitalization principles and possibilities. Therefore, baptismal ratios and attendance figures have been used as the initial identification marks of an effective comeback. These criteria have been chosen because they were common benchmarks that have been used to indicate church growth both historically and biblically. However, with regard to a few of the denominations, the benchmarks had to be adjusted due to differences in belief, ministry approach, and record keeping. This study built upon the survey process and focused on the impact of the identified church growth principles upon 324 comeback churches. This dissertation also sought to discover any other factors that could be identified which influenced these churches toward revitalization. Moreover, the study sought to discover those factors that impacted the effectiveness of church renewal.

14 Limitations and Delimitations of the Study This study had one external limitation and several delimitations. This study was limited by the fact that it does rely upon the accuracy of information provided by those surveyed. No independent sources verified the data given by respondents. Independent verification could have included contacting individual denominational districts to confirm reported numbers and/or visiting the churches and examining their records. However, in most cases, denominational agencies identified or suggested the churches that met the established criteria for comeback churches. Thus, the results were assumed to be close to accurate in the large majority of cases. Independent verification would have been a poor use of time and resources. Several delimitations were also placed on this study by the writer. First, this project addressed only the results found within the 324 respondents. All comeback churches were not identified and studied. Instead, this project was a study that contacted a specific group of churches and their leaders whose names were provided by denominational entities. Second, this study focused on churches making a comeback that were experiencing a significant increase in growth through conversion as measured by increasing attendance and a decreasing membership to baptism ratio (or similar conversion criteria depending upon the denomination). Churches may have grown in numbers through transfer growth. Those churches were not the focus of this study. Third, this study also excluded all other churches that were plateaued or declining and did not meet the criteria established for evangelistic growth stated earlier.

15 While studying these churches might have provided for an important comparison study, the limits of time and space did not allow for such an undertaking. Fourth, this study did not include or exclude churches based upon how a given church was doing overall spiritually. While other studies may have sought to define specific criteria to measure the spiritual health of churches for inclusion, this study did not. It would have been much more difficult to establish inclusion criteria to measure the revitalization of churches spiritually because spiritual dynamics are more subjective. However, the numerical criteria established were legitimate benchmarks and were one measure of the spiritual health and vitality of congregations. Fifth, this study did not survey or evaluate the qualifying comeback churches based upon every church growth factor. Certain general principles or themes were identified through reading and researching the writings of many CGM leaders and proponents. The church growth factors or themes selected to build the survey instrument were gleaned from a wide array of church growth literature up to and through the 1980s. The factors selected were the ones deemed most prominent by this writer within the church growth literature based upon reading and research. While the writings of the CGM and its proponents have been broad and deep, they highlighted some church growth themes more than others. In addition, it was not feasible to conduct such an exhaustive study for this project or for this writer to cover every theme of church growth. Sixth, this study did not survey or evaluate the qualifying comeback churches based upon every component of any particular church growth theme. For example, one of the most prevalent topics of church growth has been evangelism. With regard to evangelism, numerous components could have been discussed and surveyedthe

16 homogeneous unit principle; the principle of receptivity; different kinds of growth such as membership, internal, expansion, extension, and bridging; God as the Seeker and Finder; how evangelism relates to sociology and anthropology; etc. A research project could have been done on one of these components or all of them in relationship to evangelism. However, the entire scope of evangelism was not the sole focus of this study. This study sought to track several church growth themes and analyze how those themes interacted together within a group of turnaround churches. Seventh, and finally, this survey sought the responses of pastors or key staff people. This survey did not seek to survey lay people. While this would have provided a different perspective on the comeback process of the churches involved, very few lay people were respondents. Almost all of the respondents were the pastors of comeback churches. Another companion study could be done to obtain the perceptions of lay people in these comeback churches, but that was not the focus of this study. Attention in this study focused on answering one overarching, but key question, How did the identified church growth factors contribute to the comeback of 324 churches and impact their revitalization? This study attempted to answer the above question within the parameters identified.

Methodology of the Research This study examined the process of church revitalization that occurred in 324 comeback churches from ten denominations. Chapter two has summarized some components of church revitalization as defined by the proponents and writers within the CGM. These selected factors were the key criteria utilized in surveying comeback churches and their leaders.

17 Following the identification of the potential elements for church revitalization, a phone survey16 (see Appendix 1) was developed based mainly on some of the components for church revitalization outlined by the leaders of the CGM and also some adaptations from a survey instrument found at www.comebackchurches.com. Then, various denominational leaders were contacted (see Appendix 4) in order to compile a list of comeback churches based upon the following criteria: 1. 2. The church experienced 5 years of plateau and/or decline since 1995 (worship attendance grew less than 10 percent in a five year period). The plateau/decline was followed by significant growth over the past 2-5 years which included: a. b. A membership to baptism (or conversion) ratio of 35:1 or lower each year and At least a 10% increase in attendance each year. After the list of comeback churches was compiled, members of the NAMB research department and this writer examined the impact of these church growth principles upon 324 comeback churches. The survey process involved conducting hundreds of phone surveys in which each church leader was asked a series of questions to determine how church growth concepts led to the renewal of that church. The responses from each church were collected and analyzed in conjunction with the other respondents by collecting and comparing numerical data and verbal responses. This writer helped with some of the phone surveys and was responsible for recording all data and survey responses. This writer was the collector, maintainer, and analyzer of the data until the process was complete.

Definition of several survey terms: Comeback Connectionwhether the pastors tenure appears to coincide with the comeback; Survey IDnumber given to each surveyed church; YGyears of consecutive growth after plateau/decline.

16

18 The survey process began upon faculty supervisor approval. Then, survey responses were solicited over the next several months. All survey results were compiled by the end of spring in 2006. As the surveys were completed, the responses were calculated, analyzed, and compared. Once this process was complete, the comeback efforts of 324 churches were evaluated by ranking the potential factors involved in comeback churches based upon survey responses. All the responses in each statistical category (using a scale of 1 to 5) were totaled and then divided by the number of respondents. This scaling system gave each category a number ranking between 1.0 and 5.0. This ranking revealed which factors comeback church leaders identified as most critical for church renewal versus less critical. In addition, this project revealed some common characteristics and strategies that can be found among comeback churches that do not fit within the potential factors of church revitalization. These responses have been listed and analyzed to discover common themes or responses. For example, valuable insights were discovered by analyzing some of the resources, strategies, methods, and books utilized by comeback leaders. Also, valuable insights were learned by examining whether or not facilities or geographical location had an impact in a significant number of comeback situations. Also, as the survey process was being conducted, the need to analyze certain characteristics and findings further became apparent. Therefore, a set of questions was developed to conduct follow-up interviews with some of the respondents. These questions have been listed in Appendix 7. Some of the results from these follow-up interviews were used to provide further analysis and insights in chapter four.

19 This study revealed some key factors that were necessary for church revitalization to take place. In addition, it evaluated whether all the selected church growth principles identified from the writings of the CGM were necessary for churches to make a comeback. In the next chapter, some church growth concepts espoused within the writings of the CGM have been described in a more comprehensive fashion.

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF SOME CHURCH GROWTH CONCEPTS

As the CGM began to take hold in the North American context, the number of books and literature seeking to espouse and apply church growth concepts began to multiply. Within these writings, several specific themes began to emerge which sought to define the pathway to healthy church growth and revitalization. Some key concepts or themes of church growth contained within these writings included, but were not limited to, the following: spiritual fire, evangelism, leadership, lay ministry, small groups, and worship. These concepts were selected based upon reading about and researching the CGM through the 1980s. This writer initially wrote a research paper on this subject to fulfill the requirements for an independent study in the history of missions. These concepts were the key overarching themes that stood out to this writer within the initial writings of the movement and as the CGM developed within the North American context. Evangelism, leadership, lay ministry, and small groups were concepts found in many of the titles of church growth books. The concept of spiritual fire was found in two of McGavrans seminal writingsHow Churches Grow and Understanding Church Growth. Then, the theme of vibrant faith was eventually expressed in Rainers Book of Church Growth. The concept of worship did not begin to receive much attention until the 1980s, but at that point, worship began to surface as a key theme in regard to church

20

21 growth in the North American context. Therefore, these six concepts were selected and used to assess comeback churches through a survey process. In the following pages, these themes will be explored as they are espoused within the writings of some church growth leaders and proponents.

Spiritual Fire In his book How Churches Grow, Donald McGavran stated, The growth of the church is always brought about by the action of the Holy Spirit. . . . The concern of Christians today must be to understand the workings of the Spirit and to be open to his leading.1 McGavran made his belief very clear that the underlying and overriding principle of church growth was a reliance upon the action of God by his Spirit. In relationship to this reality, McGavran described several aspects of human interaction with God that resulted in a divine spiritual firevibrant faith, strategic prayer, forgiveness and loving service, and intensity of belief.

Vibrant Faith In order for the church to reach the unreached and grow in a vibrant fashion, missionaries, pastors, and followers of Jesus Christ who possessed a fervent faith were needed. Vibrant faith required the kind of faith relationship with Jesus Christ that would radically expand across relational bridges and result in conversion growth. Moreover, McGavran stated, Fervency, however, is not the sole factor. If the church at Antioch had not channelled resources to the ripe synagogue communities of Cyprus, Pamphylia, and
1

Donald Anderson McGavran, How Churches Grow: The New Frontiers of Mission (New York: Friendship Press, 1966), 55.

22 Pisidia, its fervency alone would not have placed congregations there. Fervent faith is like sunshine. Without it crops cant grow. With itand rain, good soil, and skillful farmingcrops grow abundantly.2 Faith has been the indispensable ingredient for true church growth. Without faith, it has been impossible to please God and experience church growth. If Christian people do not look ahead and by their faith see their church growing, it in all probability will not grow well. . . . Wanting to grow and planning for growth is simply one tangible way of applying biblical faith.3 Consequently, vibrant faith did result in setting goals for the things that have not yet been accomplished in regard to church growth, both personal and congregational.

Strategic Prayer During the decade of the 1980s, the proponents of the CGM began to respond to the criticism that the movement was mainly about pragmatic methodologies. McGavran explained, The decade of the 1980s has seen an increasingly higher priority given to the spiritual dynamics of growth by leaders of the Church Growth Movement. Two of these areas [are] . . . the role of supernatural signs and wonders in church growth and the part prayer plays in the extension of Gods kingdom.4 Historically, revivals have taken place when Gods people prayed fervently and earnestly and when they obeyed Gods word profoundly. Not only have churches

Ibid., 57.

C. Peter Wagner, Your Church Can Grow, rev. ed. (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1984), 51-52. Donald A. McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, ed. C. Peter Wagner, rev. 3 ed. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), 8.
rd 4

23 and missionary leaders needed to seek earnestly the power and presence of God in their lives, but they also needed to pray strategically to utilize Gods power in places where God was multiplying disciples and churches. McGavran concluded, While an evangelical awakening is a movement of the Holy Spirit in the church of Christ and thus depends on the initiative of almighty God, it is usually granted to those who pray earnestly for it.5 The Holy Spirits presence and power has been released through intentional prayer. The book of Acts provided several examples of early believers coming together to pray for boldness (Acts 1:14-2:41, 2:42-47, 4:23-31, 6:3-7). In his work The Book of Church Growth, Thom Rainer asserted, Prayer is the power behind the principles. There simply is no more important principle in church growth than prayer. The prayers of the early church unleashed the power of God to add thousands to the church. It happened then. It is happening in some churches today. And it can happen in your church.6 After praying, those early believers were empowered by the Spirit, and people were saved. The same pattern could be followed today. Prayer for boldness and for the movement of Gods Spirit within the community and in the lives of the people groups that are being sought should be part of an effective outreach strategy. In summary, Christians should learn all God has to teach us about church growth, and pray without ceasing for revival.7

Ibid., 134.

Thom S. Rainer, The Book of Church GrowthHistory, Theology, and Principles (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 183-84.
7

McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, 143.

24 Forgiveness and Loving Service Vibrant faith and strategic prayer, which connect with the power of God, have often resulted in practical acts of Christian grace and love. When believers have obeyed the Scriptures and truly forgiven others who have offended them, unbelievers have been influenced to receive Christ. When churches have lovingly served the communities around them, the unchurched have been motivated to come to Christ. In summary, Conversions multiply when men see Him, Who went about doing good, among them again in Christian neighbours and churches. Sometimes a Christward move has started when some population became convinced through loving service that Christianity was the true faith.8

Intensity of Belief People have engaged in exercising personal faith, in praying fervently and strategically, and in acting in love. And what people have specifically believed about Jesus Christ and the mission of the church has impacted what they actually did. Beliefs have shaped the foundation for spiritual action and, thus, have impacted church growth results. Did spiritual leaders and churchmen believe that God was by nature a missionary God? Did spiritual leaders and churchmen believe that God commanded church expansion? Was Jesus Christ the one and only Son of God and the one and only source of salvation? Were people really on their way to spending eternity in a literal hell apart from Jesus Christ? What was the highest priority of mission activitymeeting practical needs or leading people into a saving faith relationship with Jesus Christ? The answers to

McGavran, How Churches Grow, 57.

25 some of these questions have determined the results of church growth. McGavran concluded, Church growth will occur more readily where churchmen believe that it makes an eternal difference whether one is Christian or not and whether ones community is Christian or not.9

Evangelism Therefore, the natural outgrowth of a vibrant faith, a belief system that has been founded upon Gods desire to find lost people, was to have a healthy and balanced growth mentality. Having a growth mentality meant believing that it was both Gods nature and desire to grow his church through multiplying disciples and churches. Along with this desire came an understanding that numbers must be utilized to track the number of disciples that were being made as well as the resources being used for outreach. In addition, individuals and churches have evaluated their outreach efforts regularly by asking themselves questions like these: When is the last time I have led someone to Christ? When is the last time this church baptized someone from outside of the existing church family?

Highest Priority Some have argued that this focus on numbers and making evangelism the highest priority of the mission of the church was pragmatic, unbiblical, or narrowminded. Some have argued that this focus has competed with meeting social needs. However, Peter Wagner asserted, Evangelism and church planting need to regain the top position in denominational philosophies of ministry. . . . In fact, the Gallup surveys tell

Ibid., 58.

26 us, churches that have held to the biblical priority of evangelism have actually ended up making more of a contribution in the area of social ministries than churches that have reversed their priorities and allowed evangelism to slip down the list.10 In addition, with many churches plateaued or declining, a definite need existed for church growth. Peter Wagner elaborated further: I would love to see church membership declines in the mainline denominations bottom out and begin to soar upward. But I am afraid that they will not unless and until the evangelistic mandate is restored to its biblical position as the top priority. I am not suggesting a reduction in social ministry, simply an increase in soul-winning evangelism and new church planting. Liberal stalwarts will fight against this, but they need not prevail.11

Intentional Efforts In addition, believers and churches have planned on doing intentional or direct evangelism. Intentional evangelistic efforts were required in order for church growth to take place. Win Arn elaborated, There is a relationship between the amount of time and effort and the number of people involved in direct evangelism and the growth of the church. . . . Considering direct evangelism, I would like to emphasize that were not talking of a special crusade once every four years lasting a week or two, or of a once-a-year evangelistic emphasis in a local church. Were calling for a consistent program of evangelism fifty-two weeks of the year.12

C. Peter Wagner, Aiming at Church Growth in the Eighties, Christianity Today, 21 November 1980, 27. C. Peter Wagner, Leading Your Church to Growth (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1984), 34. Donald McGavran and Win Arn, How to Grow a Church (Glendale, CA: G/L Publications, 1975), 105-06.
12 11

10

27 Therefore, churches and their leaders developed some method(s) of tracking what was being done in relationship to direct evangelism and how effective those efforts were.

Seeking and Finding Understanding the difference between seeking and finding was another important aspect of developing a healthy church growth mentality. While it was true that God was a God who sought the lost, he was also a God who was not content with merely seeking. He was a God who did not settle for anything less than finding the lost. Peter Wagner stated, The Church Growth Movement has boldly asserted that not only is church growth OK, but it is the will of Almighty God. From the time he founded the movement in 1955, Donald McGavran of Fuller Seminary has declared with the tireless verve of a prophet that God wants His lost sheep found and brought into the fold. Those who have chosen to identify with McGavrans movement, and I include myself among them, have chosen as their biblical rallying point Jesus Great Commision to go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (Matt. 28:19).13 Jesus himself said that he came to seek and save those people who were spiritually lost. Therefore, churches and missional leaders were not to settle for anything less than finding the lost or to be content with themselves just because efforts had been made to seek the lost. The question remainedHow many spiritually lost people have we actually found? Getting some measure of the intentional evangelistic efforts among comeback churches has definitely been an assessment factor. Leadership When a spiritual fire exists within believers, mission leaders, and churches and a clear understanding of Gods evangelistic and multiplication mandate has been applied

13

Wagner, Leading Your Church to Growth, 13.

28 in ministry, effective leadership has been present. Overall, the CGM probably highlighted the issues of leadership and evangelism more than any others. Some have argued that leadership was the most critical issue. If leaders were not fervently stoking their spiritual fire and leading others to engage in evangelistic and multiplication growth, then the church at large has been less likely to understand its missional nature and has been less effective in its missional task. In his book Your Church Can Grow, Peter Wagner identified seven areas that indicated the level of church healththe pastor, the people of the church, church size, structure and functions, homogeneous unit, methods, and priorities. These were outlined in summary fashion in his book Leading Your Church to Growth: 1. A pastor who is a possibility thinker and whose dynamic leadership has been used to catalyze the entire church into action for growth. . . . A well-mobilized laity which has discovered, has developed, and is using all the spiritual gifts for growth. . . . A church big enough to provide the range of services that meet the needs and expectations of its members. . . . The proper balance of the dynamic relationship between celebration, congregation, and cell. . . . A membership drawn primarily from one homogenous unit. . . . Evangelistic methods that have proved to make disciples. . . . Priorities arranged in biblical order. . . .14 These indicators pointed out why leadership was so crucial, and not just any kind of leadership, but the kind of leadership that believed in and practices biblical church growth principles. The proponents and purveyors of the CGM outlined several

2.

3.

4.

5. 6. 7.

14

Ibid., 35-38. Another short list is on p. 35 in Your Church Can Grow.

29 areas of leadership development that would lead to church growth. The list of leadership issues included overcoming a non-growth mentality, winsome or active shepherding, sharing ministry, and planning for growth.

Overcoming Non-Growth Thinking In his earlier writings, McGavran identified a problem which continues to occur in modern missions thinking in some places. A mentality of accepting slow or no growth had been adopted by some mission agencies and leaders as well as some churches and church leaders. Non-growth thinking meant that slow or no growth was justified upon the basis of remnant thinking. This remnant theology was used to rationalize slow growth and, in a sense, glorify littleness. McGavran asserted, Remnant theology proves attractive. A glorification of littleness prevails, in which to be small is to be holy. Slow growth is adjudged good growth.15 Even biblical paradigms were used to legitimize non-growth thinkingGideon and his army constitute a paradigm for remnant theologians. Books are published with such titles as Small Churches Are Beautiful, Small Churches Are the Right Size, and as has been mentioned, Church Growth Is Not the Point.16 Another concept that needed to be identified and discarded in non-growth thinking was the idea that being faithful was all that mattered to God. This mentality described those who defended slow or no-growth by saying, God has called us to be faithful, not successful. Peter Wagner elaborated,

15

McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, 121. Wagner, Leading Your Church to Growth, 61-62.

16

30 1 Corinthians 4:2 is often used to back this up: Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. I have never been able to comprehend setting faithfulness over against stewardship, however. It seems to me that biblically they go together. One of Jesus central teachings is His parable of the talents. . . . They [the servants] were faithful because they were successful in taking the masters resources and using them for the masters purpose.17 McGavran and his most well-known disciple, Peter Wagner, challenged that kind of thinking. They refused to adopt that mentality or believe that slow or no growth was the reality that believers and church leaders had to or should accept. Thus, these questions have remained, What do I really believe about church growth? Do we believe that God wants his church to grow and that he wants the leaders of his churches to lead in growth? How do we overcome a slow or no growth theology? In his book Leading Your Church to Growth, Peter Wagner identified several scenarios that have low or no growth potential. When a church has been small, its growth potential could have been low because it could not overcome the feelings associated with small church intimacy. To grow would have meant to lose the desired intimacy level of being able to know everyone within the church family. At other times churches have had terminal illnessescontextual dynamics that defuse growth potential and lead to the death of a congregation. For example, churches that have found themselves in an area where the people group dynamics drastically change often have not been able to transition with the community. In addition, Wagner acknowledged that certain geographical contexts provided little or no growth potential because of low population or excessive mobility. He concluded, This book is not addressed to churches with little or no growth potential, particularly to the first two types of churches. There are many wonderfully
17

Ibid., 62.

31 consecrated Christian pastors who are called to serve such churches. Because of their personalities, temperaments, spiritual gifts mixes, health conditions, age, family situations, or any combination of the above, they will never be church growth pastors. I want to make it clear that God loves these pastors and so do I. I do not want anything in this book to be interpreted as a put-down of these men and women of God. But there are thousands of pastors of non-growing churches which do have growth potential. Obstacles to their growth can be identified and removed. This book is addressed to such pastors and such churches. If, by chance, some twinges of guilt for nongrowth occur here and there in situations where growth potential exits, I will not be disappointed. I will even suggest that it might be interpreted as a nudge from the Holy Spirit Himself. Why? Because with certain important exceptions as I have mentioned, church growth is the will of God.18 Winsome Shepherding Being a strong leader did not mean that a pastor had to be domineering or overbearing in the pastoral role. In fact, in many cases, loving shepherds who were willing to lead their congregations in growth were admired and respected. Peter Wagner commented, Strong pastors of strong churches have earned the fierce loyalty of their parishioners. The sheep love their shepherd. . . . The pastor of a growing church is typically a strong authority figure and that authority has been earned through living relationships with the people.19 One factor that led to winsome shepherding was developing a healthy view of pastoral authority. The shepherd who was comfortable exercising the authority that he had been given by God would be loved by the people. Another factor that helped develop a winsome relationship between the shepherd and the sheep was pastoral longevity. Generally speaking, pastors who were focused on the people and the context

18

Ibid., 18-19. Wagner, Your Church Can Grow, 64-65.

19

32 in which God had placed them were more likely to lead their churches in a growth pattern. Peter Wagner stated, One of the reasons why growing churches do not have to spend much time worrying about what will happen when their pastor goes is that a substantial number of pastors of growing churches have considered their particular parish to be a lifetime calling. They are not looking around for greener pastures.20 Sharing Ministry By practicing church growth principles, the pastor who led became an equipping leader. Sharing ministry involved having the desire and willingness to give away responsibility and authority to church members so that they became congregational ministers. As one writer stated, Beyond the minutiae, however, several major ingredients appear to be necessary if a congregation is to address and redivert its life and mission successfully: Pastoral Leadership is the key in this writers opinion. . . . The Commitment of Lay Leadership is not far behind. . . . No pastor or session can go it alone.21 The Apostle Paul espoused this principle of ministry leadership in Ephesians 4:11-12, It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare Gods people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (NIV). Peter Wagner asserted, An equipper is a leader who actively sets goals for a congregation according to the will of

20

Ibid., 67.

Joreen Jarrell, Revitalization: Can These Bones Live? Church & Society, September/October 1987, 29-30.

21

33 God, obtains goal ownership from the people, and sees that each church member is properly motivated and equipped to do his or her part in accomplishing the goals.22 Balancing humility, power, service, and leadership, had presented quite a dilemma for the pastor and the congregation. How did one maintain strong leadership and be an equipper at the same time? How did the congregation allow the pastor to lead, and the members to take responsibility for the ministry of the church? However, these two concepts have coexisted in many growing churches. Peter Wagner stated, But very few pastors adequately understand the relationship that power has to humility. They seem like exact opposites, but in reality they are not. Jesus affirmed this as clearly as possible when He said, Whoever exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Matt. 23:12). . . . The first active verb is exalts himself. It is humanly possible to take the initiative and exalt oneself. All too often a pastor will say words to the effect, Now that I am your pastor, you must obey me. But true pastoral authority is not selfgenerating, it is bestowed by God. . . . The second active verb is humbles himself. It is likewise possible for a person to take the initiative and decide to be humble. . . . James says straight out: Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord (Jas. 4:10), and suggests that this activity take two forms. First we are to resist the devil (Jas. 4:7) and secondly we are to draw near to God (Jas. 4:8).23 In summary, strong leadership involved leading with humility and the desire to serve the people of the congregation and equip them and motivate them to share in the ministry and mission of the church. Peter Wagner outlined three sources of strong, healthy leadershipbecoming a strong leader meant that leadership would be earned, discerned, and learned. Leadership was earned; it was not automatic and was not to be expected just because someone holds a title or a position. Therefore, earning the right to lead would likely take pastors several years of proving their willingness to serve people

22 23

Wagner, Leading Your Church to Growth, 79 (italics in original). Ibid., 80-81.

34 faithfully. Leadership was also discerned; it was a gift of the Spirit. In addition, leadership was learned; the ability to lead grew through training and experience. It required an attitude of teachability that would result in the development of better leadership knowledge and skills.24

Planning for Growth A vibrant faith and desire to grow has resulted in making plans, defining strategies, and setting goals for growth. Donald McGavran observed that planning for growth was an essential part of the church growth process: By 1980 it had become commonplace in thousands of congregations to see the complex subject of church growth in scientific detail. Various strands of growth had been charted, analyzed, graphed, discussed, and viewed in time perspective. Goal setting had become thoroughly at home in the American church. However, much remained to be done. Of the more than 300,000 American congregations, only a fraction had been aroused to church growth. Great segments of the church slept on. Even some of those who had drawn up goals, failing to allocate resources to growth, had sadly concluded that this latest fad had not worked. As the eighties progressed, the turnaround of mainline U.S. and Canadian denominations was still not assured. But goal setting was helping churches evaluate what they had done and set forth clearly what they intended to do.25 Research done by Kirk Hadaway concurred with this assessment The keys to renewed growth apparently are evangelism and goal setting. Nongrowing churches must begin to reach new people. . . . These churches also need to be challenged to do something beyond the ordinary. Setting goalsespecially attendance goals for special eventshelps goad a comfortable congregation into action. When new people start to visit and attendance grows, the congregation begins a process of change which may be difficult to reverse. The result is a revitalized, growing congregation.26

24 25

Ibid., 103-05. McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, 278.

C. Kirk Hadaway, From Stability to Growth: A Study of Factors Related to the Statistical Revitalization of Southern Baptist Congregations, JSSR 30 (1991): 191.

26

35 Donald McGavran outlined three essential steps that should be taken in setting church growth goals: 1. The first step in setting goals is to emphasize that evangelism is a thoroughly biblical activity. . . . The second step is to chart past growth. . . . The third step is to make faith projections. . . . Faith projections are made in prayer and with a confident assumption of the continued presence of the Holy Spirit. Faith projections are what we feel God wants to do through us. . . .27 These were practical steps on the road to church growth reality. Wanting to grow was not enough. Planning for growth meant making bold plans based upon Gods leadership, trusting him, and working hard to accomplish those goals. As the old saying has intimated, You aim at nothing; you hit it every time. To make no plans for growth was likely to result in little or no growth every time. Being timid was not what God desired of us. In essence, the indispensable condition for a growing church is that it wants to grow and is willing to pay the price for growth.28

2. 3.

Lay Ministry After evangelism and leadership, another church growth subject which emerged from the CGM concerned getting church members actively involved in meaningful ministry. Phrases like mobilizing the laity, discovering and developing your spiritual gifts, and equipping the saints became commonplace. These phrases described a major shift that took place from clergy-centered ministry to lay-centered ministry. Pastors were exhorted to give ministry away to the people and train them to

27 28

McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, 278-80. Wagner, Your Church Can Grow, 59 (italics in original).

36 discover and use their spiritual gifts. An effort was made to erase many of the unhealthy distinctions between clergy and laity because too often pastors were trying to do all the ministering and church members were content to let the pastors perform. Darrell Robinson explained, The responsibility for reverting to a distinction between clergy and laity can be laid at the feet of both pastor and people. The people have all too often been ready to yield their spiritual responsibility to the [pastor]. The pastor has been all too ready to assume the spiritual responsibility for the people. . . . The hope of the fulfillment of the mission of Jesus in our world is for pastors and people to return to the New Testament pattern of ministry. Pastors and other God-called leaders must equip the saints for the work of the ministry to build up the body of Christ.29 In many of the writings on this subject, equipping people and helping them discover and use their spiritual gifts was approached through church growth eyes. In other words, mobilizing the laity was ultimately seen as a necessary part of fulfilling the Churchs mission in the world. With this in mind, some church growth writers outlined three aspects of mobilizing the laity: leading people to discover their gifts, mobilizing the people to use their gifts, and empowering the people to use their gifts.

Discovering Spiritual Gifts Spiritual gifts were unique spiritual dynamics given to Gods people by the Holy Spirit. Peter Wagner outlined four fundamental prerequisites that needed to exist in a persons life before he would be able to discover his spiritual gift(s). First, the person had to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Second, he had to believe that spiritual gifts really existed. Third, he had to be willing to work hard and serve so that he could discover and

Darrell W. Robinson, Total Church Life: Exalt, Equip, EvangelizeChurch Growth Strategy, rev. ed. (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 127-28, 130.

29

37 utilize his spiritual gifts. Fourth, he had to pray for wisdom.30 Once these prerequisites were met, he could proceed to the five steps necessary to discover spiritual gifts: 1. Explore the PossibilitiesThis step involves learning about the gift options or possibilities. This can be accomplished by studying the Bible, learning your churchs position on gifts, reading extensively on the subject, getting to know people who have mobilized their gifts, and talking about spiritual gifts. Experiment with as Many as You CanBasically, this means that a need exists to get involved in serving the body of Christ. Be available for ministry and test the work of Gods Spirit in your life. Examine Your FeelingsIn what areas and in what ways do you enjoy serving the most? It is OK to enjoy discovering, developing and utilizing your spiritual gifts. Evaluate Your EffectivenessPeople are going to accomplish things best in the area of their giftedness. In addition, if you try something for a while and do not see many results, it is probably an indication that you do not have that spiritual gift. Expect Confirmation from the BodyThe people in your church family will be able to give you feedback on what they see through your life. They can confirm both what gifts you have and do not have.31

2.

3.

4.

5.

Mobilizing Gods Gifted People After Gods people have started discovering and using their spiritual gifts, church leaders needed to start mobilizing or unleashing the laitygetting the laity on the front lines of ministry rather than just doing menial tasks on the back rows of ministry. Frank Tillapaugh differentiated between front-line ministry and rear-echelon ministry. Front-line ministry took place in actual ministry settings like leading a small group or getting involved in a specialized ministry to a target group. Rear-echelon ministries

C. Peter Wagner, Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1979), 113-16.
31

30

Ibid., 116-33.

38 meant being involved with meetings, making plans, and running programs. In regard to these two options, Tillapaugh stated, People in the midst of battle develop the healthiest attitudes.32 In other words, people grew in their faith and developed better attitudes about life and ministry because they were doing meaningful and purposeful things with their timeengaging in front-line ministries. Not only did mobilizing the laity get the people involved in front-line ministries, but it also solved two other problems according to Tillapaugh. First, mobilizing the laity reduced the level of whining and complaining among the people that seemed to naturally materialize because of rear-echelon tasks. Second, mobilizing Gods gifted people helped eliminate disobedience to the Great Commission.33 The church had been called and commanded not only to express good will and share good deeds, but also primarily called to proclaim good news and make disciples of all people groups. Unleashing the church for front-line ministry led to a dynamic fulfillment of our Lords last commands to make disciples and be witnesses.

Empowering Gods Gifted People As Gods people discovered their spiritual gifts and were mobilized for frontline ministry, they needed to be reminded continually that the power for effective ministry came from Gods basic gift to every true believer in Jesus Christthe indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The measure of this gift was according to the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ray Stedman described this power:

Frank Tillapaugh, Unleashing the Church: Getting People out of the Fortress and into Ministry (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1982), 123.
33

32

Ibid., 124-28.

39 We must understand that resurrection power is like no other power on earth. It is unique and has no possible rival on earth. For one thing, it is the kind of power that operates in the midst of death. It works when everything around it is dull, dead, and barren. . . . Furthermore, resurrection power makes no noise. . . . When a Christian is living by resurrection power he does not advertise it or seek to dazzle others by display. His effect upon others is quiet and unobserved at first, but soon there are evident changes that mark the inevitable effect of resurrection power at work: the return of life, vitality, excitement and joy to an individual or situation. . . . Resurrection power is also irresistible. It cannot be thwarted or turned aside. It takes absolutely no account of any obstacles thrown into its path, except to use them for further opportunities to advance its cause. . . . Resurrection power needs no props or support. It does not borrow from any other source, though it uses other forms of power as its instrument. It does not even require a cup of coffee to get started in the morning! There is absolutely nothing else like it anywhere in the universe. It is available to every true Christian by faith.34 When Gods people were actively involved in utilizing their gifts for ministry, they needed to be filled continually with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. This daily filling of the Spirit required faith and obedience to Gods command (Eph 5:18). Peter Wagner summarized, Faith tells us that God wants His church to grow. He wants His lost sheep found and brought into the fold. And He will do it through the gifts He has given to each of us for His glory.35

Small Groups In the CGM, one of the key techniques or methods that developed was the use of cell groups, or as they are more often referred to today, small groups. This concept of utilizing a multiplying network of groups to promote church growth arose as an alternative to the more traditional model of Sunday School. However, Sunday School

34

Ray Stedman, Body Life (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1972; 1986), 66-68. Wagner, Your Spiritual Gifts, 257.

35

40 has also been promoted as compatible with church growth and has also been discussed briefly below. In some cases, both Sunday School and small groups were used effectively. Below, the factor of small groups has been discussedthe purpose of small groups, the structure of small groups, and then, Sunday School as small groups.

Purpose of Small Groups The main purposes of small groups were defined as evangelism and care. When small groups were used as a church growth strategy, they were not seen as a network of social clubs. They were intended to be a way of connecting people with one another in a real and personal way so that effective outreach and ministry could take place through smaller groups of people. When people attended a larger church service, they had little opportunity to really get to know others, care for each others needs, or use their spiritual gifts. Small groups provided opportunities for those things to take place. More importantly, cell groups had provided a more informal and safe environment for the unchurched to get to know some believers in Christ and experience the love of Christ in action. Then, those lost people were prepared to receive Christ and become part of the church family. Therefore, the main purpose of small groups had to be constantly promoted. Small groups easily became ingrown. Paul Cho stated, If left alone, a cell will become an extended family unit not welcoming the influx of outsiders. This is why the purpose of the cell group has to be stressed on a continual basis.36 That purpose was evangelism. Paul Cho described how this purpose was fulfilled by the church that he pastors:

Paul Y. Cho with R. Whitney Manzano, More Than Numbers (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1984), 51.

36

41 Our church, however, carries out evangelism primarily through the home cell group system. Each cell group becomes a nucleus of revival in its neighborhood, because the cell group is where real life is to be found in that neighborhood. When a home cell meeting is full of life, and when people are happy and sharing their faith and witnessing to what the Lord has done in their lives, other people are drawn to them. Unbelievers become curious. They want to know why this little group of Christians is so joyful when all around them there are so many troubles.37

Structure of Small Groups While making the effort to maintain the evangelistic purpose of small groups, the structure and function of small groups had to be understood as well. Carl F. George elaborated: I believe that the smaller group within the wholecalled by dozens of terms, including the small group or the cell groupis a crucial but underdeveloped resource in most churches. It is, I contend, the most strategically significant foundation for spiritual formation and assimilation, for evangelism and leadership development, for the most essential functions that God has called for in the church. . . . Its so important that everything else is to be considered secondary to its promotion and preservation.38 In these comments, George touched on many of the important dynamics of small groupsleadership development, healthy relationships, assimilation, and spiritual formation. All these things took place if small groups functioned effectively. Some issues that needed to be considered in regard to the structure of small groups were leadership training, group limitations, multiplying networks, and submission. Leadership training was provided for every small group leader. Each group was assigned a trained leader. In addition, each group had an apprentice who was

Paul Yonggi Cho with Harold Hostetler, Successful Home Cell Groups (Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1981), 58-59. Carl F. George, Prepare Your Church for the Future (Tarrytown, NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1991), quoted in Rainer, Book of Church Growth, 293.
38

37

42 learning from the leader. When apprenticeship was taking place, small groups provided a multiplying network of leaders. In addition, as groups multiply, leaders were prepared to take responsibility for the new groups that were needed. Two limitations needed to be in place for small groupstime and size. Group meetings needed a time limit. If the groups met too long, people became disenchanted with participation. Limiting the size of small groups was also important because the larger a group got the more impersonal that group became. Moreover, having groups of ten to twelve people or family units appeared to be a biblical pattern. Ron Trudinger asserted, We can trace in both Old and New Testaments a definite trend towards breakdown into small groupings for the effective care and instruction of individuals.39 He went on to discuss the examples of Moses, Jesus, and Paul. In addition, small groups needed to intentionally seek to multiply themselves. Multiplication was difficult for people who developed strong relationships within their groups. The need for a multiplying network of small groups also highlighted the importance of training apprentices and maintaining a clear evangelistic purpose. When these two tasks were carried out consistently, people became more likely to understand and accept the plan to multiply their small groups. Having an apprentice in each group also allowed group members some relational continuity when the time arrived for the groups to divide or multiply. Last, the small group networks had to develop with an attitude of submission. The pastor needed to be in submission to those in authority over him; small group leaders

Ron Trudinger, Cells for LifeHome Groups: Gods Strategy for Church Growth (Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1979), 25.

39

43 needed to be in submission to the pastor and the mission of their church. As Paul Cho affirmed, the issue of submission started at the top and worked its way down: In our church we have authority with love. If a pastor really loves the people in his congregation, they will respond to his authority and will obey his teaching. But if the pastor tries to exert his authority merely on the strength of his position or on human maneuvering, the people will rebel, and he will be in trouble.40

Sunday School as Small Groups Although they had many overlapping traits, Sunday School and small groups were not promoted as the same thing. The biggest difference between the two was that most small groups met in homes or other places in church members neighborhoods; generally, small groups did not meet at the church facilities. Having said that, Sunday School certainly accomplished the same purposes that cell groups didlife transformation, evangelizing the lost, and assimilating new members. In his book Church Growth through the Sunday School, John Sisemore described how Sunday School provided the structure for growth because Sunday School was compatible with growth, provided for all available persons, facilitated assignments for growth, provided leadership for growth, personalized church growth efforts, produced maximum involvement in growth activities, and was a continuing and stable force for growth.41 He went on to describe how to implement Sunday School in order to accomplish all of those purposes. Basically, church growth principles have been applied using either small

40

Cho, Successful Home Cell Groups, 94.

John T. Sisemore, Church Growth through the Sunday School (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1983), 85-95.

41

44 groups or a Sunday School format. Maybe the issue that needed to be settled was which method would be more successful in a given context.

Worship One final area where church growth had a major influence upon the North American church was worship. The relationship between church growth and worship developed because worship services were the primary way that unchurched people initially checked out the Church. Thom Rainer affirmed, Yet worship has been linked with church growth primarily because worship services are increasingly becoming the entry point for the unchurched into churches. White comments: If a nonchurched person does decide to investigate involvement in a local church, what is the front door by which he or she will enter? . . . Why has this change taken place in American churches? A primary reason is that most people interested in a church would like to try it out with anonymity. . . . Second, in a large crowd the seeker is not put on the spot to participate. . . . Finally, no commitment is required in a larger group. . . . By visiting the worship service first, guests can evaluate the church without being pressured.42 Therefore, many changes took place in relationship to worship with more on the horizon, and a church growth mindset was often the driving force for these changes. Churches were feeling a greater need to be more user-friendly in regard to their worship expressions so that the unchurched could be reached more effectively. Some worship issues that have been effected by church growth were feelings of expectancy, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere, building variety into musical expressions, and providing practical biblical preaching.

42

Rainer, Book of Church Growth, 225-26.

45 Feelings of Expectancy People have often brought a sense of expectation with them when they have attended a worship celebration; they have anticipated that something meaningful and vibrant was going to take place. That sense of expectation was one reason why Peter Wagner came up with the church growth equation Celebration + Congregation + Cell = Church. People wanted to come to a worship service where they could meet a real God who could really help them and who was worthy of being sought. Doug Johnson elaborated, The general feeling before and during worship in a vital congregation is one of expectancy. People come to worship seeking assistance in their lives. They do not come to be observers, nor do they expect a performance by the choirs or by the worship leader. The mood of the worshipers and leaders appeared to be a serious search for spiritual awareness.43 In addition, worshipers have expected a certain level of quality and purpose surrounding the worship experience. The building and facilities needed to be well-kept, neat, and generally attractive in order to remove these kinds of distractions from the minds of worshipers. Also, people wanted the information shared in programs or bulletins to be positive, challenging, and action-oriented. People wanted to see churches focused on more than just their own needs; they wanted to see an emphasis on the community and the world.44

Douglas Johnson, Vitality Means Church Growth, Creative Leadership Series (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989), 55.
44

43

Ibid., 57-58.

46 Friendly Atmosphere In his book Foundations for Church Growth, Kent Hunter identified the importance of this issueHow does the non-Christian feel when he first attends worship? . . . The message is either that God wants to reach new people or He doesnt.45 By creating a warm and friendly atmosphere from the beginning of the attenders worship experience to the end, a church could send the message that God cared and God wanted to reach new people. This kind of environment was influenced by the attitudes and actions of ushers, greeters, and other worshipers. Douglas Johnson explained, In the first place, the mood or tone of the service was conveyed by the ushers and greeters as people entered the sanctuary. Generally, the tone expressed by ushers and greeters was that everyone, regardless of status or garb, had equal access to God. Each person received a warm greeting. Both newcomers and regular attenders were made to feel welcome and wanted.46 Another influence was the level of recognition that was given to peopleIs the atmosphere real and personal?

Musical Variety This aspect of worship has been one of the most controversial issues for the church as it sought to apply church growth principles. As one writer stated, People guard their taste in music, especially in the life of the church, more dearly than doctrine.47 However, the application of church growth principles was leading to

Kent R. Hunter, Foundations for Church Growth (New Haven, MO: Leader Publishing Company, 1983), 101-02.
46

45

Johnson, Vitality Means Church Growth, 56.

James Emery White, Opening the Front Door: Worship and Church Growth (Nashville: Convention, 1992), quoted in Rainer, Book of Church Growth, 232.

47

47 changes in style and approach in the area of worship. These changes meant getting more people involved in the musical area by enlarging existing musical groups (expanding a choir or enlarging a worship team). Change also meant offering a greater variety of musical expression by starting new choirs or musical groups that focused on a different need or style. Last, making changes in this area often required that churches develop multiple services and/or moving to multiple sites.48

Practical Biblical Preaching Often, the central focus of a worship service was the message preached by the pastor. Preaching was still a key element in relationship to church growth and evidenced certain characteristics in growing churchesthe preaching was targeted, biblical, practical, relevant, interesting and entertaining, simple, and positive and encouraging.49 Douglas Johnson concurred with this assessment: A vital congregation is grounded in a faith based on biblical preaching, especially the story of Christs life and resurrection. Even though this was pointed to as a basic strength, when asked what they felt they needed to become more vital, respondents in these studies stressed over and over the need for a deeper understanding of the Bible. They also wanted preaching that was based on the Bible but relevant to their daily needs.50

Conclusion From biblical preaching to fervent faith, from the 1950s through the 1980s, the leaders and proponents of the CGM outlined key concepts which they believed had to be

48

Johnson, Vitality Means Church Growth, 58-62. Rainer, Book of Church Growth, 233-34. Johnson, Vitality Means Church Growth, 62-63.

49

50

48 applied for North American church revitalization to occur. Starting with the key figures of Donald McGavran and Peter Wagner, the CGM expanded from its initial emphasis on worldwide missions to its application in the North American context. While the two major concepts were evangelism and leadership (at least in volume written), other factors such as spiritual fervency, small groups, lay ministry, and worship were discussed as well. When applied intentionally, CGM proponents believed that these concepts would lead to church growth, church multiplication, and church revitalization. Furthermore, churches had experienced renewal as they adopted and applied these concepts of church growth. In other words, why did some churches grow and others did not? According to the factors espoused within the CGM, churches grew when they exercised a vibrant faith, intentionally evangelized people groups, developed and displayed godly leadership, multiplied small groups, mobilized Gods people, and worshipped God passionately. These teachings espoused by the champions of the CGM in large measure formed the foundation or baseline for this study. They have been used extensively in developing the survey instrument and, in large part, have been the criteria by which 324 comeback churches were evaluated and analyzed.

CHAPTER 3 COLLECTION AND PRESENTATION OF DATA

After crafting the survey instrument and gaining the approval of the ethics committee, a list of qualifying churches (based upon the established criteria) was sought to include in the survey. Denominational leaders were contacted by e-mail and phone (utilizing Appendix 4) and asked to provide a list of churches from their denominations that could be contacted. Over forty denominations of various sizes and types were contacted to solicit participation in this study and eventually ten provided lists of qualifying churches. The initial denominational contact list was provided in Appendix 6. Within those denominations that had an established method of tracking church data, the process of identifying comeback churches involved sorting out the churches that met the comeback criteria. For example, selecting the qualifying churches in The Southern Baptist Convention, Assemblies of God, and the Foursquare Church was a matter of doing a query to identify churches. This selection process was done by the NAMB Research Department and by the other denominations being contacted. Within a few of the smaller denominations, the process of identifying qualifying churches was less formal. The criteria were expressed both in writing and verbally to denominational leaders who then provided a list of churches which they believed fit the comeback criteria. The large majority of churches that were surveyed were included based upon specific denominational record-keeping. The following denominations provided 49

50 churches that met the comeback criteria based upon denominational records: Assemblies of God, Churches of God, The Christian and Missionary Alliance, Church of the Nazarene, The Evangelical Free Church of America, The Foursquare Church, The Southern Baptist Convention, and The Wesleyan Church. Only the Baptist General Conference and the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches provided churches based on denominational leadership recommendation. Churches from these two denominations only totaled fourteen survey respondents out of 324.1 The actual survey process was started by this writer, who conducted approximately ten percent of the actual completed surveys. Starting the phone surveys provided an opportunity to refine the survey and the phone calling procedures. This initial effort also made possible the provision of better oversight for those who completed the rest of the surveys; those surveys were conducted by two people hired by the NAMB Research Department. This writer had open feedback and communication with those responsible for this part of the process throughout its entirety. The surveys allowed respondents to provide both numerical and verbal responses. When responding to various church growth factors, the leaders being surveyed were asked to rate each item on a scale from 1 to 5. A rating of one meant that a factor was perceived to have little or no effect on the comeback or the factor changed very little during the comeback. A rating of two meant a factor had a perceived small

Each denomination that provided a list of churches received a number series (1000s, 2000s, 3000s, etc). Then each potential church within each denomination received a number in its denominations series. For example, the SBC churches were given the 1000 series; the list of churches from the SBC were then assigned a number starting with 1001, then 1002, then 1003, etc.

51 effect. A rating of three meant a factor had some perceived effect. A rating of four meant that a factor was perceived to have a major effect. A rating of 5 meant that a factor was perceived to have a vital effect in regard to the comeback. Then, if a factor was rated a 4 or 5, further clarification was requested and those responses were recorded. If a respondent desired to express more information, even if the initial rating was not a 4 or 5, that information was recorded as well. In addition, other factors were surveyed using a list and response method. In some cases, various aspects of a particular church growth factor were listed from which respondents could choose. Furthermore, those being surveyed were given the opportunity to provide their own responses if they chose to do so. Preaching style was examined by asking respondents to rate the preaching style(s) of the pastor on a percentage basis. Finally, some information was sought utilizing an open-ended format. A question or an issue was posed and respondents gave open-ended responses; they were not given any suggested answers or numerical rating system to use. Once a group of completed surveys was gathered, this writer set up and began cataloguing all survey responses, both numerical and verbal. The numerical responses were tracked using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The final version of this document was kept in the possession of this writer. The verbal responses were tracked using a series of Microsoft Word documents; a separate document was used to track each separate item of verbal response. The final versions of these documents were kept in the possession of this writer. 2

To obtain specific information regarding the spreadsheet data or verbal responses, contact John Michael (Mike) Dodsonthe mailing address is 10392 Hollis Road, Meadville, PA 16335, or e-mail newhopemike@zoominternet.net.

52 This writer developed, catalogued, and maintained the spreadsheet and Word documents from beginning to end. No one else input any of the data. In addition, all the spreadsheet analysis and verbal response analysis was done by this writer. In the following pages, an overview of the numerical and verbal response data has been presented, and then, in the next chapter an analysis of the collected data has been presented.

Numerical Data First, some general data have been presented, and then, specific survey response categories have been presented. The first chart outlined the percentage of churches actually surveyed by denomination. Overall, the SBC provided the largest percentage of churches (53 percent) while nine other denominations provided the rest (47 percent).

Figure 1. Percentage of respondents by denomination

Percentage of Comeback Churches
CABC 2%

Nazarene 13% EFCA 1% Wesleyan 2% COG 1% CMA 3% AG 22%

BGC 2%

SBC Foursquare AG CMA

SBC 53%

COG Wesleyan EFCA Nazarene

Foursquare 1%

CABC BGC

53 A list of definitions for the denominational abbreviations was given in Appendix 5. The next item tracked numerically was the level of education achieved by the comeback church leaders.

Figure 2. Education level achieved by comeback leaders

Education Level of Comeback Leaders
High School 5% Doctoral 11% Master's 28%

Some Grad School 12% Master's College Degree Some College Some Grad School Doctoral High School

Some College 16%

College Degree 28%

As the chart displays, 56 percent of the comeback church leaders had achieved either a college (28 percent) or masters (28 percent) degree.

Vibrant Faith The first category of responses related specifically to comeback factors was fervent faith. The comeback leaders rated five aspects of fervent faith, and the following chart has displayed how they rated each of those components.

54 Figure 3. Rating of five components of vibrant faith

Components of Spiritual Fire

4.44 4.5 4 3.5 3 Comeback 2.5 Leaders' Rating 2 1.5 1 0.5 0

Renewed Belief

4.23 4.13 3.48 3.47

Servanthood

Strategic Prayer

Setting Goals

Relationships

Rated Factors

Overall, renewed belief, servanthood, and strategic prayer were all rated as having more than a major effect (4), while setting goals and relationships were not far behind in effect, rating between having some effect (3) and having a major effect (4).

Various Church Growth Factors After vibrant faith, six other church growth factors were surveyed using the same format. Each of these factors was surveyed and rated separately. For purposes of analysis, these six factors were compared side by side.

55 Figure 4. Rating of six church growth factors

Church Growth Factors

Strong Leadership

4.17

Vibrant Faith

3.95

Mobilizing Laity

3.87

Incr/Chng Evang

3.67

Small Groups/SS

3.14

Facilities

3.04

Marketing
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5

2.91

3.5

4.5

Comeback Leaders' Ratings

In many ways, these six factors were the heart of the survey. Analyzing each of these church growth components has provided valuable insights into the comeback process.

Worship Style The next factor that was surveyed examined the worship style or moods of the comeback churches. This factor was rated in a different way because worship style can have different facets. Those being surveyed were given a list of possibilities with the opportunity to select multiple options. Comeback leaders responded regarding worship style:

56 Figure 5. Rating of worship moods

Worship Moods
100% 90% 80% 70% 60%

96%95% 84% 69% 62%

Percentage Mood 50% Chosen

40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

35% 17%15%14% 2% 1%
Ex In Co O rd er ly e tiv ra Fo Se Ex M Ce l eb So Co aj fo rm al ve lem rm pr es ra ry
Types of Moods

ub

nt em

nt

es tic

ra

em

er an

al

s iv e

po

pl at

iv e

Preaching Style The next factor assessed was the type of preaching utilized by the pastors of comeback churches. The respondents were given five options from which to choose verse by verse, topical, thematic, narrative, and/or other. Each respondent was allowed to choose one or more of the options but required to make the overall percentage add up to one hundred. While the verse by verse style was used 53 percent of the time, the other four styles combined were used 47 percent of the time as well by comeback pastors.

57 Figure 6. Rating of preaching styles

Preaching Styles
60%

53% 50%

Narrative Other 1% 6% Thematic 12% Verse by Verse 53%

40%

Percentage Style Chosen

30% 28%

Topical 28%

20%

12% 10% 6% 1% 0% 1

Verse by Verse

Topical

Thematic

Narrative

Other

Comeback Changes In the final set of numeric responses, those being surveyed were asked to respond to a list of factors and rate the degree to which they changed during the comeback. This part of the survey was designed to get feedback regarding what was taking place after the revitalization process had already started. The comeback leaders rated those factors:

58 Figure 7. Rating of various factors that changed during comeback

Change During Comeback
3.83 3.82 3.78 3.76 3.73 3.68 3.46 3.29
Prayer Children's Min Evangelism Youth Min Leadership Missions Assim/New Memb Worship SS/Small Grps Organ Str Committee/Teams Deacon/Elder BusMtgs/Voting Memb Req Ordinances Preaching Const/Bylaws
2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

rs

Fa

c to

3.22 3.00 2.94 2.63 2.27 2.23 2.06 1.99 1.89

1.5

Degree of Change (1) No Change (2) Little Change (3)Some Change (4) Many Changes (5) Drastic Changes

Verbal Responses In order to track the various factors to which survey respondents gave verbal feedback, nineteen separate Word documents were created. Together, those documents contained over 170 pages of responses from the completed surveys. These documents have been made available by contacting the writer of this project (see n. 2 on p. 50). In this section, each area of verbal response has been discussed briefly.

59 Vibrant Faith The first survey item of verbal response was a follow up question related to the components of vibrant faith. Survey respondents were asked to select the one factor (out of the five that were rated in this category) that was most important and explain their reasoning for selecting that factor. The specific question was, Which of the above factor(s) (specific goals, strategic prayer, reconciling relationships, renewed servanthood, or renewed belief in Jesus Christ & his mission) was most important in the churchs comeback? Why? Every survey respondent (324) answered this question, and fourteen pages of responses were recorded to this specific question. In addition, respondents were allowed to mention more than one of the listed factors if they chose to do so. Renewed belief was the verbal response mentioned in 118 or 36.4 percent of the total responses. Pray(er) was listed in 93 or 28.7 percent of the total responses. Servanthood was mentioned in 63 or 19.4 percent of the total responses. Reconciliation or relationships were mentioned in 45 or 13.9 percent of the total responses. Finally, goals were mentioned in 41 or 12.7 percent of the total responses.

Evangelism The next survey question referred to the first item in the second set of factors examined in the survey. The question was intended to collect specific information from respondents on how they increased or changed evangelistic efforts. Generally, those being surveyed were only asked this question if they rated this factor as having a major (4) or vital (5) effect. On a few occasions, survey respondents offered feedback to this and other questions despite having rated the given factor as having a very small (1), little (2), or some (3) effect. This follow-up question was asked about evangelistic effortsIf

60 increased or changed evangelistic efforts had a major or vital effect, please describe how the efforts were increased and/or how they were changed (e.g., started new effort, assimilation process, started training program, revival, intentional prayer, style changes, attitude change, new service, satellite church, church plant, etc.). To this follow-up question, just over ten pages of responses were recorded. Out of 324 total surveys, 234 respondents (72.2 percent) answered the question. Eight specific items or words were stated at least 10 times within the 234 responses. Outreach events was mentioned in 81, or 34.6 percent, of the 234 responses to this question. The church growth program FAITH was mentioned in 28, or 12 percent, of the total responses. Preaching was recorded as a response 27 times (11.5 percent of the total). More specifically, evangelistic preaching was mentioned 23 times. In addition, lifestyle/relational/friendship evangelism was stated by 23, or 10 percent, of the total respondents. The word intentional was used in 25, or 10.7 percent, of the total responses. Training was mentioned in 21, or 9 percent, of the verbal responses to this question. The church growth program GROW was mentioned in 13, or 5.6 percent, of the responses. Finally, church plant was stated by 10, or 4.3 percent, of the 234 respondents to this question. Other items that were mentioned less than ten times by the 234 respondents were the following: Share Jesus without Fear (9), Evangelism Explosion (8), ALPHA (7), servant evangelism (7), VBS (5), Heavens Gates-Hells Flames (4), Becoming a Contagious Christian (4), AWANA (4), NET (3), mission trips (3), Way of the Master (2), CWT (1), and REACH (1).

61 Lay Ministry When specifically asked about mobilizing the laity, 264 responses (81.5 percent) were recorded to this question out of 324 total surveys. The specific question asked about this factor wasIf mobilizing the laity had a major or vital effect, please describe how the mobilization took place (starting a gift discovery process, increasing ministry expectations, renewal, evangelism training, increased prayer, etc.). Over eleven pages of responses were recorded. In response to this question, nine items or words were prominent. The most significant word mentioned was gifts; it was mentioned in 136, or 51.5 percent, of the total responses. More specifically, gifts assessment was mentioned in 77, or 29.2 percent, of the responses to this factor. Expectations was another key word mentioned in regard to lay mobilization; it was recorded in 43, or 16.3 percent, of the responses. In addition, ministry expectation was recorded as a response from 38, or 14.4 percent, of respondents. Another word mentioned in 42, or 15.9 percent, of the 264 responses to this question was training. Also, discovery was mentioned in 32, or 12.1 percent, of the responses to this factor. Prayer was mentioned in 29, or 11 percent, of the responses. In various ways (SHAPE, PDC, 101-401, 40 Days, etc.), some aspect of the Purpose Driven model was mentioned in 19, or 7.2 percent, of the responses. Finally, the word challenge was mentioned by 15, or 5.7 percent, of the respondents to this question.

Small Groups The next verbal response item was a follow up question in regard to how a given church utilized a small group system. A church may have used Sunday School, cell groups, or both. The respondents were asked this specific question, If small

62 group/Sunday School efforts had a major or vital effect, please describe how the efforts were increased and/or how they were changed (increased emphasis, new program, new materials, transition from one to the other, adding one to the other, etc.). Over seven pages of responses were accumulated in regard to this question. Out of 324 total surveys, 176 (54.3 percent) respondents answered this question. In regard to this church growth factor, four words stood out in the responses. New was the verbal response mentioned in 92, or 52.3 percent, of the 176 responses. This term was used to refer to new space, new classes, new teachers, etc. Increase was listed in 40, or 22.7 percent, of the responses. Add was mentioned in 31, or 17.6 percent, of the responses. Another key word in response to this question was start; it was mentioned in 27, or 15.3 percent, or the responses.

Marketing When specifically asked about marketing, 173 (53.4 percent) responses were recorded to this question out of 324 total surveys. The specific question asked about this factor wasIf marketing had a major or vital effect, please describe how the marketing was done (e.g., direct mail [no. pieces and no. times], mass email [no. sent], door to door surveying [no. homes], personal invitations, telemarketing [no. calls], etc.). Seven pages of responses were recorded in response to this question. Two especially unique patterns occurred in response to this question. First, 111 of the responses (64 percent) mentioned using at least two different methods of marketing. Second, a significant number of respondents mentioned using personal invitations even if they did not rate this factor as having a major (4) or vital (5) effect.

63 Seven items or words stood out in the responses recorded to this question. The most significant item mentioned was personal invitations, which was mentioned in 128, or 74 percent, of the 173 responses. Newspaper was another key word mentioned in regard to marketing; it was recorded in 47, or 27.2 percent, of the responses. In addition, website was recorded as a response from 43, or 24.9 percent, of the respondents to this question. Another word mentioned in 38, or 22 percent, of the 173 responses to this question was mail. Also, radio was mentioned in 26, or 15 percent, of the responses to this factor. TV/television was recorded in 18, or 10.4 percent, of the responses. Finally, the words door to door were mentioned by 16, or 9.2 percent, of the respondents to this question.

Facilities The next verbal response item was a follow up question in regard to the impact of church facilities on a churchs comeback. The respondents were asked this specific question, If facility changes had a major or vital effect, please describe what facility changes took place (e.g., remodeled existing structures, moved into new facilities, rented different meeting space, built new facilities, etc.). Seven pages of responses were recorded in regard to this question. Out of 324 total surveys, 174 (53.7 percent) respondents answered this question. In regard to this church growth factor, four words stood out in the responses. Remodeled was the verbal response mentioned in 107, or 61.5 percent, of the 174 responses. New was listed in 70, or 40.2 percent, of the responses. Moved was recorded in 31, or 17.8 percent, of the responses. Another key word in response to this question was built; it was mentioned in 21, or 12.1 percent, of the responses.

64 Leadership When specifically asked about leadership, 279 responses (86.1 percent) were recorded to this question out of 324 total surveys. The specific question asked about this church growth factor wasIf strong leadership had a major or vital effect, please describe the leadership factors that affected the comeback (e.g., such as being more proactive, sharing ministry, more intentional planning, change in attitude toward growth, specific training, style change, etc.). Twelve pages of responses were recorded. In the responses recorded to this question, nine items or words were prominent. The word mentioned most often was attitude; it was mentioned in 97, or 34.8 percent, of the 279 responses. Growth was another key word mentioned in regard to leadership; it was recorded in 93, or 33.3 percent, of the responses. In addition, vision was recorded as a response from 88, or 31.5 percent, of the respondents to this question. Another word mentioned in 81, or 29 percent, of the 279 responses to this question was change. In addition, unity was recorded in 51, or 18.3 percent, of the responses to this factor. Proactive was mentioned in 49, or 17.6 percent, of the responses. Also, training was mentioned in 47, or 16.8 percent, of the responses. Sharing was recorded as a response from 46, or 16.5 percent, of the respondents to this question. Finally, the words intentional planning were mentioned by 27, or 9.7 percent, of the respondents to this question.

Time Management The next section of the survey asked questions regarding pastoral and staff issues such as time management, task changes, and staff changes. In this section, the first item of verbal survey response was a follow up question in regard to the weekly schedule

65 and time management of the pastor. The respondents who indicated they had made some or drastic changes were asked this specific question, If there were some or drastic changes, what areas received a greater priority or emphasis of time for the pastor (sermon preparation, personal evangelism, prayer, training members, etc.) and how? Almost ten pages of responses were recorded in regard to this question. Out of 324 total surveys, 243 (75 percent) respondents answered this question. In regard to this factor, six items or words stood out in these responses. Sermon preparation was the verbal response mentioned in 100, or 41.2 percent, of the 243 responses. Also, a key category of response emerged in the responses to this questionpeople stuff such as training members, staff management, counseling, discipleship, and mentoring; these kinds of items were listed in 83, or 34.2 percent, of the responses. Prayer was mentioned in 78, or 32.1 percent, of the responses. Another key item in response to this question was increased visitation; it was mentioned in 67, or 27.6 percent, of the responses. Personal evangelism and community were mentioned in 27, or 11.1 percent, of the responses to this question. Last, administration/organization was mentioned in 16, or 6.6 percent, of the responses.

Tasks Removed The next question asked respondents to list and describe any tasks that were removed from their list of ministry responsibilities. When specifically asked about this issue, 189 responses (58.3 percent) were recorded to this question out of 324 total surveys. The specific question asked about this church growth factor wasWere any tasks or areas of emphasis almost entirely removed from the staff so that they could focus on these other areas (e.g., church administration, fewer office hours, custodial duties, less

66 meetings, etc.)? Over seven pages of responses were recorded in response to this question. Two key responses were recorded to this question. The first response mentioned most often was administration; it was mentioned in 116, or 61.4 percent, of the 189 responses. The other category mentioned was related to custodial duties or building maintenance; these items were recorded in 75, or 39.7 percent, of the responses.

Staff Changes Next, the respondents were asked about pastoral and staff changes utilizing this specific question, Did the turnaround coincide with any significant pastoral or staff changes? YES/NO. If yes, please briefly describe the changes without mentioning specific names of people. Almost eleven pages of responses were recorded in regard to this question. Out of 324 total surveys, 276 (85.2 percent) respondents answered YES to this question, which also means that 48 (14.8 percent) respondents answered NO to this question. Several other statistics were important to note. First, 95 (29.3 percent) responses recorded just the lead pastor being changed. Second, 111 responses recorded a senior pastoral change along with other staff changes (34.3 percent), which means overall that 63.6 percent of the respondents indicated that the churchs turnaround coincided with a change in the role of lead or senior pastor. Third, 70 (21.6 percent) respondents indicated that only other staff or lay ministry changes had been made. In regard to this factor, four areas of ministry stood out in relationship to pastoral or staff changes. Youth was mentioned in 102, or 37 percent, of the 276

67 responses. Worship/music was recorded in 70, or 25.4 percent, of the responses. Children was mentioned in 38, or 13.8 percent, of the responses. Also, secretary/administration was listed in 33, or 12 percent, of the responses to this question.

Membership Requirements In the next section of the survey, respondents were asked questions regarding membership and issues related to worship services. In this section, the first item of verbal survey response was a follow up question regarding membership requirements. The respondents who indicated that they had lowered or raised their membership requirements were asked this specific question, If they changed, what requirements were added or removed? Seven pages of responses were recorded in regard to this question. Out of 324 total surveys, 177 (54.6 percent) respondents answered this question. Two key responses were recorded to this question. The first response, mentioned most often, was new member class; it was mentioned in 165, or 93.2 percent, of the 177 responses. The other item mentioned was signed covenant; this item was mentioned in 60, or 33.9 percent, of the responses.

Additional Services When specifically asked about adding services in addition to the primary service, 96 responses (29.6 percent) were recorded to this question out of 324 total surveys. The specific question asked about this issue was, Briefly describe any worship services that your church has in addition to its primary service. Did this/these additional

68
service(s) have a major impact on your churchs comeback? If yes, which one(s) and how?

Four and one half pages of responses were recorded in response to this question. Six items or words stood out in the responses recorded to this question. Wednesday was mentioned in 56, or 58.3 percent, of the responses. In addition, Sunday was recorded as a response from 39, or 40.6 percent, of the respondents to this question. Another item mentioned in 32, or 33.3 percent, of the 96 responses to this question was bible study. Also, prayer was mentioned in 21, or 21.9 percent, of the responses. Eighteen (18.8 percent) of the respondents specifically cited that their additional services had no impact on their comeback. Finally, 17, or 17.7 percent, of the responses mentioned the word youth in response to this question.

Helpful Books In the last section of the survey, respondents were asked four summary questions. The first question was, What three books (other than the Bible) were the most helpful in your transition? Over thirteen pages of responses were recorded in answer to this inquiry. With 297 (91.7 percent of 324 total surveys) responses to this inquiry, this inquiry provided a large number of suggested books and authors. The highest referenced resources were connected to the Purpose Driven model. The Purpose Driven Church was mentioned in 99, or 33.3 percent, of the responses. Not far behind, The Purpose Driven Life was mentioned in 64, or 21.5 percent, of the responses. Overall, one or both of these books were mentioned in 148, or 49.8 percent, of the responses. Both books were mentioned together in 15 of the responses. After Rick Warrens books, Thom Rainer and his books were mentioned most often. References to Rainer and his works occurred in 26, or 8.8 percent, of the

69 responses. His book Surprising Insights from the Unchurched was mentioned in 13 responses. Very close to Rainer in number of references was John Maxwell. With mention in 25, or 8.4 percent, of the responses to this question, Maxwell and his books were also fairly popular among respondents. His book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership was mentioned in 21 responses. Three other authors received mention in over 5 percent of the responses to this survey questionHenry Blackaby, Andy Stanley, and Jim Cymbala. With regard to Blackaby, he was referenced in 22, or 7.4 percent, of the responses. His works Experiencing God and Spiritual Leadership were mentioned in 15 and 7 responses respectively. Stanley and his works were mentioned in 21, or 7.1 percent, of the responses. His books Can We Do That? (co-authored with Ed Young, Jr.) and 7 Practices of Effective Ministry were each mentioned in 9 responses. Jim Cymbalas Fresh books were mentioned in 18, or 6.1 percent, of the responses. Several other authors and their works were mentioned in less than 5 percent of the responses. Good to Great, by Jim Collins, was mentioned in 14 responses. George Barna and his books were mentioned in 12 responses. John MacArthur was mentioned by 10 respondents. Bill Hybels was mentioned in 9 of the responses. Then, a number of other authors were mentioned at least three times by survey respondentsMax Lucado (7), Erwin McManus (7), Dallas Willard (6), John Bevere (5), Bob Russell (5), and Charles Stanley (4).

Influential People In the next summary question, respondents were asked to identify key people who influenced the comeback in a positive way. The respondents were asked this

70 specific question, What three people were the most influential during your churchs comeback and what role did they play in the process? Over sixteen and a half pages of responses were recorded in regard to this question. Out of 324 total surveys, 321 (99.1 percent) respondents answered this inquiry. Several key words and key types of people or roles were mentioned in the responses. One of the key words mentioned was lead; it was mentioned in 181, or 56.4 percent, of the responses. The word support was utilized in 181, or 56.4 percent, of the responses as well. Another word used often was passion; it was mentioned in 114, or 35.5 percent, of the responses. Vision and pray were also used a significant number of times. The word vision was mentioned in 99, or 30.8 percent, of the responses, and the word pray was used in 97, or 30.2 percent, of the responses. Also, accountability was mentioned in 42, or 13.1 percent, of the responses to this question. In regard to key types of people or roles, the respondents mentioned twelve items. Deacon was referenced in 118, or 36.8 percent, of the responses. Worship/music was referenced in 111, or 34.6 percent, of the responses. Lay person(s) was mentioned in 86, or 26.8 percent, of the responses. Youth was mentioned in 77, or 24 percent, of the 321 responses. Also, wife was mentioned in 74, or 23.1 percent, of the responses. Children was mentioned in 60, or 18.7 percent, of the responses. Sunday School/education was mentioned in 52, or 16.2 percent, or the responses. In addition, Board (member) was mentioned in 30, or 9.3 percent, of the responses. Mentor was mentioned in 16, or 5 percent, of the responses. Three other items were mentioned in less than 15, or 5 percent, of the responsessecretary (14), elder (13), and former pastor (8).

71 Top Factors In the last section of the survey, respondents were then asked about the top three factors that led to their church being revitalized. With the third summary question, respondents were asked this specific question, What are the top 3 factors that led to your church being a comeback church? Out of 324 total surveys, 320 responses (98.8 percent) were recorded to this inquiry. Thirteen pages of responses were recorded. In the responses recorded to this question, eleven factors or words were prominent. The word mentioned most often was prayer; it occurred in 143, or 44.7 percent, of the 320 responses. Evangelism/outreach was another key factor mentioned in regard to this inquiry; it was recorded in 119, or 37.2 percent, of the responses. In addition, preaching was recorded as a response from 80, or 25 percent, of the respondents. Another word mentioned in 55, or 17.2 percent, of the 320 responses to this inquiry was vision. In addition, worship was mentioned in 48, or 15 percent, of the responses to this inquiry. Also, community was mentioned in 33, or 10.3 percent, of the responses. Finally, three words or factors were mentioned in less than 30, or 10 percent, of the responseschange (27), people (27), and new (25).

Biggest Challenges With the last summary question, survey respondents were asked to identify the biggest challenges their church faced in making a comeback. Respondents were asked this specific question, What were the biggest challenges facing your church during the transformation from its plateau/decline to its revitalization? Out of 324 total surveys, 319 responses (98.5 percent) were recorded to this inquiry. Thirteen pages of responses were compiled.

72 Six items or words stood out in the responses recorded to this question. Finances was mentioned in 68, or 21.3 percent, of the responses. In addition, facilities/space was recorded as a response from 50, or 15.7 percent, of the respondents to this inquiry. Another item mentioned in 47, or 14.7 percent, of the 319 responses to this inquiry was change. Also, tradition was mentioned in 46, or 14.4 percent, of the responses. Attitude was an implied response by 38 (11.9 percent) of the respondents; they used words like attitude, mindset, mentality, disunity, small church, small town, etc. Finally, 16, or 5 percent, of the responses mentioned the word lack in response to this question.

Additional Comments After asking about biggest challenges, survey respondents were asked about two other items. First, respondents were asked to provide information about any other churches that had made a comeback. This question was essentially dropped from the survey process because respondents were not aware of any other comeback churches or the information which they could provide was very general in nature. Second, respondents were asked to share any additional comments. Very few responses were recorded in regard to this item.

Conclusion After contacting over forty denominations, churches from ten denominations participated in this survey of comeback churches. In the survey process, 324 phone surveys were conducted. Both numeric and verbal responses were given by respondents covering a wide range of church growth factors. In this chapter, the survey process and

73 initial results have been presented and summarized. In the next chapter, the findings of this survey project have been analyzed in a more comprehensive and thorough way.

CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS OF DATA

General Information In this section, several initial bits of information have been examined. The survey process sought to identify each churchs age, churchs attendance, pastors age, pastors education level, and pastors employment status (full-time, part-time, or bivocational). Each of these findings has been analyzed briefly.

Church Age In this study, churches that participated ranged from several years in existence to over 200 years in existence. The average age of a participating church was sixty-three years and the median age was fifty-three years. Older churches, as well as younger churches, were revitalized. Established churches experiencing plateau or decline should be encouraged by this discovery. A church did not have to be younger to experience growth and revitalization. Over 83 percent of the surveyed churches were more than twenty years old; 72 percent were more than thirty years old.

Church Attendance From 18 in attendance to 7000 in attendance, this study included a wide range of churches with regard to size. Higher attendance churches were not the sole focus of 74

75 this study, nor did higher attendance churches comprise the majority of churches surveyed. In this study, 65 percent of the churches that participated were under 200 in attendance. While 12 churches over 1000 in attendance participated in this survey, 312 churches averaged less than 1000 in attendance. The average size of a church participating in this study was 266, and the median was 138. Smaller and larger churches have found good news in this outcome. For smaller churches that might be struggling to overcome a small church mentality, this outcome revealed that even smaller churches can be revitalized and grow. Also, larger churches did not have to accept a slow growth mentality. They grew and were revitalized even when size made it more difficult to achieve a significant growth rate (membership to baptism or conversion ratio).

Pastors Age In this study, a positive correlation seemed to exist between being somewhat older and leading a comeback church. While the ages of pastors in this study ranged from 26 years old to 86 years old, the average pastors age was 48 as well as being the median age. Seventy-five percent of these comeback pastors were over 40 years of age. While it was evident that younger pastors led churches to make comebacks, pastors over forty years of age achieved this task more frequently in this study. Since this study did not focus on discovering further dynamics regarding this issue, it was difficult to conclude why three-quarters of the pastors of 324 comeback churches were over forty. Was it a matter of maturity, experience, failure, perseverance, etc.? This discovery regarding age may have uncovered a good topic for a future study.

76 Pastors Education In this area, a positive correlation existed between a pastor having more education and being the leader of a comeback church. Ninety-five percent of those surveyed had more than a high school education (see Figure 2). Seventy-nine percent had at least a college degree, and fifty-one percent had more than a college degree. While it was evident that pastors with less than a high school education were comeback leaders, over three-quarters of the comeback churches surveyed had pastors with at least a college degree. Thus, a majority of the churches surveyed had pastors that moved beyond a college degree in the area of education.

Pastors Employment In this survey, 89 percent of the respondents were full-time; only 11 percent were part-time or bi-vocational. These percentages indicated that a positive relationship existed between being full time and leading a comeback church. On the other hand, the fact that part-time or bi-vocational pastors led some of these comeback churches should be an encouragement to other pastors with the same employment status. A comeback happened in those circumstances in addition to situations with full-time pastors.

Annual Baptisms After asking about the pastors employment type, the survey asked about annual baptisms or conversions within the church. However, many pastors were either reluctant to guess at these numbers or provided wide ranges of numbers. Some were willing to look for that data, but due to the constraints of time, that was not feasible. Because these data were hard to collect this question was eventually dropped from the

77 interview process. In addition, statistics regarding church baptisms and conversions (membership to baptism/conversion ratios) had already been obtained and utilized as part of the screening process for inclusion in the study, which was another reason the decision was made to drop this question.

Surveyed Factors After obtaining some general information from respondents, the survey process focused on gathering feedback regarding various church growth factors. Some of these factors included vibrant faith, evangelism, lay ministry, small groups, etc. The first factor examined was vibrant faith (included in Figure 3).

Vibrant Faith Five aspects of vibrant faith were rated (renewed belief, servanthood, strategic prayer, setting goals, and relationships), and then, respondents were asked to choose one aspect that had the greatest impact on their churchs comeback and explain why that impact was felt. Numerically, renewed belief in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church was rated highest by comeback leaders among the five aspects of vibrant faith. Not only did the respondents rate renewed belief the highest, but they also reinforced that rating by using the words renewed belief the highest number of times in their verbal responses, which validated the numeric rating. Over one-third (36 percent) of the respondents selected renewed belief in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church as the most significant aspect of vibrant faith impacting their churchs comeback. What made renewed belief most important in the minds of comeback leaders? To help answer that question, a sampling of their responses

78 was compiled in Appendix 8.1 In these responses, some comeback leaders described the importance of renewed belief. Two key issues were evident in these responses. First, the people needed to know or experience the reality of Jesus Christ in their everyday lives. People experiencing the reality of Jesus on a daily basis also allowed some churches to overcome a slow or no growth mentality (such as having a survival or small church mentality). Second, this belief and experience needed to translate into action. In other words, the comeback respondents indicated that a relationship existed between true belief and behavior. As people were renewed in the reality of believing in Jesus Christ and his mission for the church, they acted outwardly. In follow-up interviews, some survey respondents described how an atmosphere of renewed belief developed in some comeback churches. According to Pastor Frank Bellamy2 of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Michigan, developing an atmosphere of renewed belief involved a gradual, consistent teaching of scripture combined with a day by day lifestyle of spiritual maturity. We have strategic discipleship classes that have helped us grow. Also, our ALPHA, DivorceCare, program and ministry to internationals and college students at Michigan State University

The number after each response was the number assigned to each church before the surveys were conducted. All potential survey respondents were given a successive number (1001, 1002, etc.; 2001, 2002, etc.) based upon their denominational affiliation. Each denomination had a different series (1000s, 2000s, 3000s, etc.).
2

The names of pastors, people, churches, and locations have been changed.

79 allows [sic] our people to see what non-Christians really think. This has helped them reestablish their belief in the mission Christ has for the church.3 David Roberts, pastor of Heap Baptist Church in Florida, preached about what Jesus intended his church to be. Roberts discipled men, and his wife discipled women. They used Pastor Ken Adams (www.crossroadsnewman.org) Impact Discipleship (www.impactdiscipleship.org) material. In that study time, they specifically addressed what Jesus did in his ministry and how that approach applies to the church today. Subsequently, that first group of members agreed to serve in lay leadership roles, and two became staff members.4 These things led to an atmosphere of renewed belief in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church at Heap Baptist Church.

Evangelism After the questions concerning vibrant faith, the next survey category asked respondents to rate the impact of evangelism (see Figure 4). Overall, comeback leaders rated this area as third most important among the following set of church growth factors: evangelistic efforts, mobilizing the laity, small groups/Sunday School, marketing, facilities changes, and leadership. With regard to this church growth concept, respondents were not rating the importance of evangelism. Survey respondents rated how they perceived the impact of increased or changed evangelistic efforts upon their churchs comebacks. This question

Frank Bellamy, interview by Chris Gaskin, 1 February 2006, survey id 10005, Lighthouse Baptist Church, MI. David Roberts, interview by Chris Gaskin, 7 February 2006, survey id 1064, Heap Baptist Church, GA.
4

80 was designed to gauge whether or not the comeback leaders and their churches became more intentional in their evangelistic efforts, and generally, that proved to be the case. In Appendix 9, a sample list of responses from comeback leaders was compiled regarding evangelism. Several observations were made based upon those responses from 234 comeback leaders. These comeback churches became more intentional in their evangelistic efforts, and efforts were made within many of the comeback churches to prepare for outreach such as prayer and training; they did not just go do evangelism without preparation. Changed or increased evangelistic efforts occurred within these churches because they made intentional, strategic efforts to move outward. Also, most of the responses indicated that many of these churches did not have a Yall come philosophy; they developed a Here we go! approach. Beyond that, the responses also clearly indicated that no silver bullet existed when it came to evangelistic efforts. The responses intimated that most of the comeback churches utilized different strategies and approaches. The common factors were those of being intentional and moving outward. Another observation was that the people within many of these congregations were intentionally trained and engaged in the churchs outreach efforts. A final observation was that prayer was often mentioned as being an intricate part of an effective overall strategy in the evangelistic efforts of comeback churches. Two parables were gathered from comeback leaders to illustrate the evangelistic efforts of comeback churches. First, Beacon Church in Washington, had evangelistic efforts that were mostly lay-driven. Pastor Ervin Haley drew evangelistic

81 insights from John Eldridges book Lifestyle Evangelism and Erwin McManus book Unstoppable Force. In addition, Haley wrote his own training materials based on that knowledge and his own personal experiences. He trained the laymen to minister to and then witness to the homeless. Then, they trained other members to do the same. Pastor Haley asserted, We have to be the good news before we can share it.5 Second, evangelism at Outreach Baptist Church has been staff-initiated but lay-driven. Harry Neville, Missions Pastor for the Louisiana church said, The racial makeup of the community surrounding the church has changed from mostly Caucasian to 44 percent African American.6 The church leaders had to make a decision: pick up and move or stay and find ways to minister to the changed community. They decided to stay, sponsor, and host a church plant in their building. Church leaders and lay people alike used the Jerusalem Project, a community outreach tool, to survey the people in the area. Also, they registered people for door prizes at their annual fall festival which gave them a good list of prospects for Pace Church (the church plant). Upon registering, each person received an information packet about Pace Church. In addition, Outreach Baptist Church totally restructured its Sunday morning pattern for Pace Church. Outreach moved its services to earlier times and allowed Pace to meet at eleven oclock. Pace launched on Easter in 2004. Harry Neville, Missions Pastor, stated that Pace has helped them in many ways. We have lost some people who couldnt or wouldnt meet at the earlier time. Some got upset because we decided to stay.

Ervin Haley, interview by Chris Gaskin, 26 January 2006, survey id 8057, Beacon Church, WA. Harry Neville, interview by Chris Gaskin, 1 February 2006, survey id 1189, Outreach Pointe Baptist Church, LA.
6

82 Still others (primarily African American families) have decided to join Pace, which I think is wonderful. However, we have gained several families due to our evangelistic efforts with Fellowship and to our target group. Our Sunday School attendance has grown because the children who attend Fellowship go to class with the children who attend Outreach. Weve also noticed an increase in our giving2005 was the first year Pastor Norris, whos been here eighteen years, can remember us finishing the year in the black! What a great testimony!7

Lay Ministry After evangelistic efforts, lay ministry, or mobilization, was the next church growth factor that survey respondents rated. When asked, Was your churchs comeback affected by mobilizing the laity in a greater way?, comeback leaders rated this factor second highest among the factors of evangelistic efforts, mobilizing the laity, small groups, marketing, facilities changes, and leadership. Overall, this factor was rated a 3.87 (see Figure 4), which means that most comeback leaders thought this area had at least a major effect on their comeback. A sample list of responses regarding this factor can be found in Appendix 10. In analyzing those responses from comeback churches, three main issues rose to the surfaceexpectations, equipping, and empowerment. Over and over again, comeback leaders stated that one of the key issues that helped create an atmosphere for lay mobilization was increased expectations upon the people. People within the church were expected to be involved and use their God-given gifts, talents, and skills. In some

Ibid.

83 cases, lay people had to meet certain expectations before they could be placed in ministry. Also, unlimited expectations were not placed upon people. The laity was expected to be involved, but their involvement was to be limited to one or two specific ministries. In addition, the pastor and the people had to realize that the pastor cannot do all the ministry by himself. In fact, the people were specifically taught in many cases that they were responsible for the ministry of the church. Another key aspect regarding lay mobilization was the utilization of a gifts discovery process. Whether informal or formal, comeback leaders engaged the people in a process of discovering their gifts and passions, then placed them in ministry accordingly. Some used their own materials or process; others used resources such as Network or the Discovery Class process from Saddleback. Creating an environment where people felt empowered or enabled to do ministry was a third aspect of lay mobilization. In many cases, empowerment occurred through preaching, teaching, and training. In addition, a big part of empowerment was communication. Many of the descriptions from comeback leaders pointed out that nothing was assumed. Comeback leaders did not assume that the people understood their gifts, roles, or the expectations that God had placed upon them to be active in ministry. Comeback leaders took the time to communicate vision, expectations, and implementation. The people were not only expected to be involved; they were shown how to be involved in a systematic way. Then, people were encouraged to take responsibility in their area of ministry and exercise appropriate authority to get it done. In conclusion, two comeback leaders summarized their approach to lay mobilization. First, Nate Pettis of Greenleaf Community Church in Connecticutt, told the

84 story of Barry who was seventy years old. Though Barry had been in church all of his life, he had never really served in the church in any specific way. Pastor Nate saw something in Barry that others did not and began to pray that Barry would develop a servants heart. Nate started mentoring Barry; they prayed and studied scripture together. Through this process, Pastor Nate found out that Barry had never been discipled. As a result, Pastor Nate began encouraging Barry to learn scripture, encouraged Barry to take part in some form of service, and continued to build up Barrys confidence. Two years later, Barry had become an elder in the church. He started coming to the church early to pray with other men and made sure everything was in place for the services. After telling Barrys story, Pastor Nate reflected on lay mobilization, I think we have to stand beside people and give them the confidence to do things. We have to give them the power to do the work of the church; then, we must stand back and cheer them on as they carry out those tasks.8 Second, Pastor Ellis Nutley explained one aspect of the mobilization strategy at West Point Church of the Nazarene located in New York. Within the last six months, Nutley led a group of laymen at West Point to develop what was being called Gather Eleven. This project involved staffing the twelve most important ministries in the church. One hundred laymen signed up to be involved in this effort during a ministry fair. According to Nutley, starting Gather Eleven has helped close the back door at West Point. When combined with their CARE ministry, which reached out to shut-ins, nursing homes, and people who had not visited church in a while, these two ministries

Nate Pettis, interview by Chris Gaskin, 31 January 2006, survey id 4005, Greenleaf Community Church, CT.

85 became key elements in successfully retaining a majority of their members and attenders.9

Small Groups Next, the survey questioned respondents regarding the impact of small groups (and/or Sunday School) upon each churchs comeback. Those surveyed rated this factor fourth among the second set of factors (see Figure 4). When asked, Was your churchs comeback affected by increased or changed small group and/or Sunday School dynamics?, comeback leaders rated this factor 3.14 on a scale of 1 to 5. Overall, this church growth factor was perceived to have some effect on revitalization among the churches surveyed. Those who rated this factor 4 or 5 were asked the following: If small group/Sunday School efforts had a major or vital effect, please describe how the efforts were increased and/or how they were changed (increased emphasis, new program, new materials, transition from one to the other, adding one to the other, etc.). In Appendix 11, a sampling of responses regarding small groups has been provided. When analyzing these responses, several issues became apparent. Comeback leaders described an intentional process or strategy of addressing the area of small groups and/or Sunday School. Also, a status quo did not exist. Whether these comeback churches added, replaced, or started new classes or groups, leaving this area of ministry the same was not an option. Changes were made. In addition, some comeback leaders described utilizing a training system to develop and increase the number of leaders for

Ellis Nutley, interview by Chris Gaskin, 26 January 2006, survey id 8008, West Point Church of the Nazarene, NY.

86 small groups or Sunday School. Finally, in some cases, the churches made the effort to create more space to accommodate new classes or groups.

Marketing After small groups, marketing was the next factor that survey respondents rated. When asked, Was your churchs comeback affected by increased marketing efforts?, comeback leaders rated this factor last among the factors of evangelistic efforts, mobilizing the laity, small groups, marketing, facilities changes, and leadership. Overall, this factor was rated a 2.91 (see Figure 4), which means that most comeback leaders thought this area had less than some effect. It was the lowest rated factor among all the rated factors. However, the comeback leaders who rated this factor a 4 or 5 were asked to describe the impact of increased marketing furtherIf marketing had a major or vital effect, please describe how the marketing was done (e.g., direct mail [no. pieces and no. times], mass email [no. sent], door to door surveying [no. homes], personal invitations, telemarketing [no. calls], etc.). A sample list of responses regarding marketing can be found in Appendix 12. One major issue stood out with regard to marketingpersonal invitations. While many comeback churches engaged in a variety of methods to communicate their presence to the people in their communities, personal invitations was overwhelmingly the method that had the greatest impact. Comeback leaders stated that they utilized a word of mouth strategy, and one leader stated that he was constantly reminding people to invite friends (1001). Another comeback leader asserted, As peoples attitudes changed within the church, they engaged in inviting others (1028). Revitalization for

87 many of these churches was based more upon an intentional focus on inviting people rather than an indirect marketing strategy.

Facilities Following marketing, the survey asked respondents about the impact of facilities upon their churches comebacks. When asked, Was your churchs comeback affected by changes in church facilities?, comeback leaders rated this factor next to last among the factors of evangelistic efforts, mobilizing the laity, small groups, marketing, facilities changes, and leadership. Overall, this factor was rated a 3.04 (see Figure 4), which means that overall comeback leaders thought this area had some effect in regard to revitalization. About half of the comeback leaders thought this issue had a major or vital effect upon their churches comebacks and about half thought it had very little or a small effect on their churchs comeback. Because of the way they responded to the original question, just over half of the 324 comeback leaders were asked to describe the impact of facility changes further If facility changes had a major or vital effect, please describe what facility changes took place (e.g., remodeled existing structures, moved into new facilities, rented different meeting space, built new facilities, etc.). In Appendix 13, a sampling of responses regarding facilities has been provided. The follow-up responses indicated several important things. First, over sixty percent of the comeback churches that answered the follow-up question engaged in a process of remodeling. This significant finding indicated that churches could encourage a process of revitalization without moving and/or buying new land or building new buildings. Churches were able to upgrade their existing facilities by creating more space,

88 making that space more functional, landscaping, expanding parking, upgrading their technological capabilities, etc. In addition, some comeback churches added secondary buildings to support growth. Second, a notable number of the respondents indicated that their remodeling or addition of new facilities related to enhancing worship or youth and/or childrens ministry. In this writers opinion, this correlation between buildings and ministries indicated that many comeback leaders saw their buildings as tools to enhance their ministry impact with people. Buildings were not the most important issue; buildings were a means to a ministry end. Third, some of the responses raised an important questionDid facility changes cause growth and revitalization or were facility changes a result of growth? One respondent stated, We are intentional about Jesus Christ; the building is a good tool (2010). Other respondents asserted, We moved into new facilities; this was the number one reason for growth (1155), and Excitement about the new building brought growth (1098). Maybe the answer was dependent upon the person being asked and his ministry context. Below, three comeback leaders have described their churches facility changes. Mark Yaley, pastor of Blue Collar Baptist Church in Ohio, said, A new building program brought excitement and growth to the church. People could see our vision for the new building and the ministry we could accomplish, and they wanted to be a part of

89 it.10 The church built entirely new facilities, including a worship center, education building and a gym/fellowship hall. Flowing River Ministries in Mississippi, gave their facilities a complete facelift. We remodeled our entire worship center to be seeker-friendly, said Pastor Todd Newing. We took out the stain glass windows, removed the crosses from outside, moved from pews to chairs, upgraded our sound system, and added a coffee house at the front of the main facility. All this contributed to our growth, because we had several people come who said they had seen our building for years, but were uncomfortable coming in.11 Ted Yoder, pastor of Cross Lake Center in Minnesota, said, Our growth spurred our remodeling.12 This church totally renovated its worship center, replacing pews with chairs, putting in a new sound system, replacing the carpet and giving the place a new paint job. Also, the education space saw changes. The major changes were new carpet, paint, and creating new classrooms.

Leadership After facility changes, leadership was the next church growth factor that survey respondents rated. When asked, Was your churchs comeback affected by strong leadership?, comeback leaders rated this factor first among the factors of evangelistic

Mark Yaley, interview by Chris Gaskin, 2 February 2006, survey id 1098, Blue Collar Baptist Church, OH. Todd Ewing, interview by Chris Gaskin, 27 January 2006, survey id 8048, Flowing River Ministries, MS. Ted Yoder, interview by Chris Gaskin, 2 February 2006, survey id 3046, Cross Lake Center, MN.
12 11

10

90 efforts, mobilizing the laity, small groups, marketing, facilities changes, and leadership. Overall, this factor was rated a 4.17 (see Figure 4), which means that the large majority of comeback leaders thought this area had at least a major effect on their comeback. When asked, If strong leadership had a major or vital affect, please describe the leadership factors that affected the comeback (e.g., such as being more proactive, sharing ministry, more intentional planning, change in attitude toward growth, specific training, style change, etc.), comeback leaders offered many responses. A sample list of these responses regarding leadership was compiled in Appendix 14. In analyzing these responses from comeback leaders, several issues rise to the surfacebeing proactive and intentional, sharing ministry, changing attitudes toward growth, and activating a shared vision. Many comeback leaders stated that one of the key issues in effective, revitalizing leadership was proactive leadership and intentional planning. These leaders were not passive; they were willing to make changes. In addition, the comeback process often involved setting goals. These leaders understood the old proverbWhen you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. Establishing tangible growth goals was a key in getting other leaders involved in the revitalization process in comeback churches. Moreover, being an effective leader involved the process of getting the people involved in the ministry of the church. Over and over again, comeback leaders mentioned a shared ministry as a key component of effective leadership. An emphasis was placed on intentionally training and empowering Gods people to fulfill their ministry purpose in serving the body of Christ and reaching out to the lost. Comeback leaders worked to develop and promote an atmosphere of teamwork.

91 Another element of strong leadership involved spurring a change in attitude toward growth among the people of comeback congregations. Earlier in this paper, negative attitudes (such as slow or no growth thinking or a small church mindset) toward growth were discussed. Pastors of comeback churches led their people to a new attitude toward growth by removing growth barriers, overcoming self-defeating attitudes, casting a God-sized vision, and raising expectations. In addition, comeback leaders often discussed the issue of vision. Having a clear and compelling vision was foundational. Then, casting that vision to other leaders and the congregation was described as an integral part of effective leadership. As comeback leaders engaged in vision casting, a sense of unity developed as other leaders adopted a common vision for church growth and reaching the lost. Comeback congregations displayed a shared sense of vision, unity, and ministry, at least in part, because of strong, effective leadership. In concluding this analysis of comeback leadership, several comeback leaders described the importance of leadership. Perhaps one of the most vibrant examples of revitalization leadership was found at Greenville Community Church in South Carolina. Pastor Ned Topper stated, We make all of our leaders go through the Saddleback Leadership Seminar. We constantly talk in our meetings about what it means to be a leader. In addition to being a member, our leaders must go through a spiritual gifts test and a spiritual maturity class.13

Ned Topper, interview by Chris Gaskin, 2 February 2006, survey id 1113, Greenville Community Church, SC.

13

92 Pastor Topper also described a bigger picture of comeback leadership. Branch Baptist Church (started 1958) was a dying church in Greenville about to close its doors, but the church asked Pastor Topper to preach one Sunday, which he did. Afterwards, the church asked him to be the interim pastor. He refused, citing the lack of life in the church. However, he offered the Branch church family the option of joining a group who was starting Greenville Community Church, and Branch Baptist Church accepted. Branchs building was closed three months for renovations, after which it became the new home of Greenville Community Church. Pastor Karl Everett used to believe that people did not want pastors to lead. After a year and a half into his pastorate at Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Pennsylvania, he read about Joshua taking over after Moses death (Deut 34 and Josh 1). This passage of Scripture led him to conclude that people did want to be led. Consequently, starting with the deacons, the pastor made changes in his leadership style. If Everett perceived the Lord telling him to do something, he followed Gods direction, but Everett also listened to the counsel of the deacons. If the deaconate believed some actions should wait, Everett was willing to wait. In time, the deacons began to discern a change in their pastors approach to leadership, and the Lord began to bless the pastors efforts in regard to doing new things. This different approach by the pastor led to attitude changes among the deacons, and then, filtered down to the congregation. In addition, the church provided finances and worship leaders for the Saturday night service of its church plant.14

Karl Everett, interview by Chris Gaskin, 2 February 2006, survey id 1159, Rolling Hills Baptist Church, PA.

14

93 Some key leadership factors for the Dover Christian Alliance Church in Delaware, were the maturation of lay leaders, strategic planning, and prayer. Pastor Derrick Keeling said, One leader has worked to mentor and develop other small group leaders; another trains evangelism teams. Some key leaders have decided they are going to be true disciples of Christ and have really studied the scriptures. Also, we have studied Growing Healthy Churches, a Christian and Missionary Alliance leadership training program.15

Time Management After leadership, several questions were asked to gauge how comeback leaders utilized their time. First, they were asked if no change, some changes, or drastic changes occurred in their weekly schedule and time management in regard to the comeback. Then, if some or drastic changes occurred, respondents were asked, What areas received a greater priority or emphasis of time for the pastor (sermon preparation, personal evangelism, prayer, training members, etc.) and how? Finally, respondents were asked to indicate what areas received a greater priority or emphasis of time during the comeback and what areas of responsibility, if any, might have been removed in order to refocus time for comeback leaders. In Appendix 15, a sampling of responses regarding time management has been provided. These responses indicated several insights regarding time management. First, since over forty percent of the comeback leaders stated that sermon preparation received

Derrick Keeling, interview by Chris Gaskin, 30 January 2006, survey id 4004, Dover Christian Alliance Church, DE.

15

94 a greater priority or emphasis of time, many comeback leaders had felt the need and carved out the time to focus more on study and message preparation. Even though time demands and responsibilities increase as growth takes place, many of the comeback pastors still made the effort to focus more on sermon preparation. Second, a notable number of the respondents indicated that people stuff received a greater priority or emphasis of time in regard to the comeback. The comeback leaders spent more time doing visitation, staff management, mentoring, leadership training, and counseling. As growth occurred, comeback churches were in a position to hire new staff members, which meant the need to manage those new staff members. In addition, growth meant more people to visit in the hospital and new prospects to visit in their homes. Also, comeback leaders saw the need to train lay leaders to reach a higher level of ministry involvement and commitment, which ultimately relieved time constraints and responsibilities for comeback pastors. Third, whether through hiring new staff members or lay people stepping up to take over, many comeback leaders cited two key areas where their responsibilities were reduced. The tasks of church administration and custodial work/building maintenance were often removed from the list of responsibilities of comeback leaders. Some also mentioned that they spent less time in meetings. Several comeback leaders described changes in their management of time. Pastor Reed Harley of the First Assembly of God in West Virginia, made schedule changes in order to meet the growing demands of peoples needs. The schedule change was partially because of the growth. I had to make time for concentrated prayer for the

95 needs of my people. I also had to create more time for hospital and new prospect visitation.16 My schedule changes came about as a result of our growth, said Melvin Bailey, pastor of Beaver Falls Baptist Church in Montana.17 As the church grew, more people became involved in leadership, which required more meetings during the week for service planning. Also, Pastor Bailey met with his staff an hour and a half before the Sunday morning service for prayer. Making time for personal prayer and concentrated sermon preparation times was difficult. Bailey said about leadership, If you dont have a strong leader with strong leadership skills, youll go nowhere. When asked how he sees himself as a leader, he said, Its terrifying to see a church grow under your leadership and then go home and realize your own shortcomings.18 Nelson Parker, pastor of Olive Branch Baptist Church in Arkansas, said his churchs growth was the cause of his change in time management. The addition of the music, youth, education and childrens pastors required leadership training, staff management and group prayer times. The growth required more outreach and visitation. Personal prayer time and sermon preparation time also had to be scheduled differently.19

Reed Harley, interview by Chris Gaskin, 2 February 2006, survey id 3099, First Assembly of God, WV. Melvin Bailey, interview by Chris Gaskin, 2 February 2006, survey id 1116, Beaver Falls Baptist Church, MT.
18 19 17

16

Ibid.

Nelson Parker, interview by Chris Gaskin, 2 February 2006, survey id 1171, Olive Branch Baptist Church, AR.

96 Michael Bates, associate pastor for Misty Creek Assembly of God in Oklahoma, said, We hired a secretary with experience, so no training was necessary. We also hired a custodian with experience. The pastor trained key leaders and let them lead some meetings that were really unnecessary for him to attend.20

Staff Changes Following the issue of time management, the survey asked respondents about the impact of pastoral or staff changes upon their churches turnarounds. When asked, Did the turnaround coincide with any significant pastoral or staff changes? YES/NO. If yes, please briefly describe the changes without mentioning specific names of people, 276 survey respondents answered YES to this question. Within those responses, over 29 percent of those churches that made a change in this area indicated that only the lead pastor was changed. In addition, over 34 percent of the respondents indicated that the lead pastor was changed as well as other staff. Therefore, over 63 percent of those responding indicated that a change in the role of senior or lead pastor had been made. As a pastor, this writer struggles with the possible ramifications of that finding. Would almost two-thirds of the plateaued and declining churches need to change senior or lead pastors in order to make a comeback? In some cases, maybe a churchs plateau/decline could be related to the short tenure of many pastors over a period of time. As Rainers study seemed to indicate in Breakout Churches, longevity appears to be a positive factor in regard to church growth scenarios. In other words, maybe some churches happened to come across a pastor who could lead the church into a growth

Michael Bates, interview by Chris Gaskin, 2 February 2006, survey id 3128, Misty Creek Assembly of God, OK.

20

97 pattern more quickly, and that was the reason a comeback was made, while other churches stayed in a pattern of plateau and decline because they kept changing pastors. Studying the reasons behind these pastoral changes could be an excellent topic for further study. On the other hand, maybe this finding just indicated the need for change in general, when a church was in a pattern of plateau and decline. This entire study was a study about change. All these churches made or experienced change in regard to their comebacks. As in sports, often organizations have found it easier to change the coach rather than figure out how to change the players or other organizational dynamics. And in many cases, making a coaching change altered the overall dynamics of the team in a positive way. In addition, maybe fewer changes could be made in regard to the role of senior or lead pastor if more pastors could be trained to make the right kinds of personal and organizational changes. A sample list of the responses regarding pastoral or staff changes was compiled in Appendix 16. In regard to staff changes, the most significant finding cannot be ignored over 63 percent of 324 comeback churches indicated that a senior or lead pastor change coincided with their comebacks. In addition to the senior or lead pastor, revitalization involved other staff changes as well in over 34 percent of the comeback churches surveyed. As the responses indicate, four areas of ministry stood out in relationship to pastoral or staff changes other than senior or lead pastor. Youth was mentioned in 37 percent of the YES responses. To some degree, this percentage coincided with the ratings of various factors and the degree to which they changed during comeback (see

98 Figure 7); a majority of the respondents indicated that many changes were made in regard to youth ministry. Also, worship/music was mentioned in 25.4 percent of the YES responses. Children was mentioned in 13.8 percent of the YES responses. Also, secretary/ administration was listed in 12 percent of the YES responses to this question. In addition, some of the responses indicated that some comeback churches hired staff to fill less traditional ministry roles such as audio-visual, small groups, communications, assimilation, or congregational care. Last, some of the responses indicated that changes were made in regard to the training and development of staff as well as lay people.

Membership Requirements After staff changes, survey respondents were asked about the relationship of membership requirements to making a comeback. First, they were asked, What were the churchs membership requirements BEFORE the comeback started? Please answer yes or no as I read each statement. Then, respondents were given the following list of items: water baptism, transfer of letter, tithe, new member class, statement of faith, ministry involvement, signed covenant, small group participation, and other. Then, the survey asked, As your church made its comeback, did membership requirements stay the same, become lower, or become higher? Finally, the respondents who indicated that they had lowered or raised their membership requirements were asked this specific question, If they changed, what requirements were added or removed? In response to the first question about membership requirements before the comeback, almost all respondents required a statement of faith (94 percent). In addition, almost as many indicated that they received people into membership based upon a

99 transfer of letter (92 percent). Also, 78 percent required baptism for membership. Other factors rated the following: new member class (28 percent), signed covenant (22 percent), tithe (21 percent), ministry involvement (9 percent), and small groups/Sunday School (2 percent). In the next follow-up question, 47 percent stated that their membership requirements stayed the same, and the other 53 percent stated that their membership requirements had been raised. When asked that last question regarding membership requirements, only one respondent indicated that his church lowered its membership requirements. This significant discovery meant that all the responses to the last question, except one, were given by comeback leaders who had raised membership requirements. How were membership requirements raised? Almost all the respondents mentioned that they had added a new member class (93.2 percent). A less significant factor, but important to note, was that 33.9 percent also added a signed covenant to their membership requirements. Overall, the key finding was that the majority of comeback churches raised their requirements in regard to membership, and all the rest (but one) maintained their existing membership requirements. This finding indicated that churches may need to raise expectations as part of developing an effective comeback strategy. The experience of one comeback church illustrated this point. Bart Smiley, pastor of Beaming Hill Baptist Church, in Nevada, said his vision included leading all church members to a deeper level spiritually. First, Pastor Smiley communicated this vision to his deacons. Once they agreed on this vision, a plan was revealed to the committees and then discussed in small groups and Sunday morning

100 sermons. Finally, the plan was adopted at a church business meeting by a unanimous vote. This church was dead and ready to close its doors. They were desperate for anything that might bring life. We know it is working because we have seen very few people leave or stop coming to the church.21 Their membership requirements were changed to include the following: (1) a new member class and (2) a new members boot camp, which was a one year journey consisting of classes in spiritual foundations, spiritual formation, evangelism training, and then, spiritual equipping for ministry.

Worship Following the questions regarding membership requirements, comeback leaders were asked several questions regarding different aspects of worshipstyle or mood, instrumentation, types of songs, and additional services. The responses regarding instrumentation indicated that the majority of comeback churches tend to utilize a blend of instruments with an overall preference toward less traditional instrumentation. Survey respondents indicated that the more traditional instruments of piano and organ were used in 71 percent and 30 percent of comeback churches, respectively. The less traditional instruments of guitar, drums, and keyboard were used by 71 percent, 62 percent, and 61 percent of comeback churches, respectively. Music selections indicated an overall trend toward a more contemporary approach, as well. Praise choruses, hymns, and contemporary Christian were utilized in 90 percent, 75 percent, and 59 percent of comeback churches, respectively.

Bart Smiley, interview by Chris Gaskin, 2 February 2006, survey id 1218, Beaming Hill Baptist Church, NV.

21

101 In regard to additional services, less than 30 percent of the 324 respondents answered this question. In addition, the majority of those answers discussed a Wednesday night prayer and Bible study emphasis, not a worship service. Thus, this question did not provoke a significant response from those surveyed in regard to the area of worship. The most significant finding in regard to worship came from the results of asking about worship style or moods (see Figure 5). The top two responses indicated that comeback churches utilized a balanced approach in regard to worship stylea balance between being celebrative (96 percent) and orderly (95 percent). While comeback leaders described their primary worship mood as celebrative, that did not mean the worship experience was without structureit was done in an orderly fashion. Moreover, the next three highest responses in this category were informal (84 percent), contemporary (69 percent), and expressive (62 percent). Analyzing these responses together definitely pointed to an overall trend among comeback churches of being more contemporary and less formal, especially when information about instrumentation and music selections were combined with these results. Follow-up interviews with a couple of comeback leaders illustrated how some comeback churches combined these elements. Northside Baptist Church in Tennessee, had services that were orderly, celebrative, and informal in nature. Pastor Gary Lewis explained, Orderly means the services are planned out. Celebrative applies to the fact that the music is a blend of hymns and choruses, and there is clapping, raising of

102 hands and greeting. Informal applies to the casual or business casual dress. The services are similar to the style of Hillsongs, mixed with hymns.22 Pastor Frank Reed described the services at Rocky Knoll Wesleyan Church in Utah: Orderly applies to the structured pattern of the service. It is not a restrictive feel; the worship leader may add a song if he feels led. Songs, announcements, prayer, etc., may not always be in the same order. Celebrative applies to the exuberant clapping and the greeting of one another. Informal applies to dress. This is a farming community, and most people wear jeans or casual clothes. There is also an informal atmosphere.23

Preaching Style After questions regarding worship, the survey asked about the preaching style utilized in comeback churches (see Figure 6). While it was difficult to analyze these results in any significant way because respondents were not asked for further information, follow-up interviews seemed to indicate two important factors in regard to preaching style: (1) pastors selected their preaching style based upon their own personal preference, and (2) pastors changed styles or selected a style in some cases because of context. Clay Reese, associate pastor of the Canyon Assembly of God in Idaho, gave his assessment of Pastor Alvin Myers preaching style choices, The topical style is a

Gary Lewis, interview by Chris Gaskin, 3 February 2006, survey id 1097, Northside Baptist Church, TN. Frank Reed, interview by Chris Gaskin, 3 February 2006, survey id 6003, Rocky Knoll Wesleyan Church, UT.
23

22

103 personal choice for Pastor Myers. This style seems to work well for the people. They come away with a better understanding of how scripture applies to life.24 Pastor Guy Childress of the North Country Church of the Nazarene in New Hampshire, stated, Topical preaching requires a thesis and a take home principal.25 Because themes and topics seemed to reach his congregation, often North Countrys services, from class themes to songs to messages, were set around a central concept. Childress made a final observation, We havent figured it all out, but were transforming lives. It [the key to growth] is relevant ministry that connects with people on a heart level.26 At Blue Lake Church of the Nazarene in North Carolina, Pastor Bradley Lamont said his journey took him through two or three different preaching styles. Pastor Lamont tried both narrative and inductive styles, and he felt that the thematic style was best. He chose themes based on the church calendar and important topics of the day, which seemed to be the best format for his congregation.27

Comeback Changes In the final set of numeric responses, those being surveyed were asked to respond to a list of factors and rate the degree to which they changed during the

Clay Reese, interview by Chris Gaskin, 4 February 2006, survey id 3134, Canyon Assembly of God, ID. Guy Childress, interview by Chris Gaskin, 3 February 2006, survey id 8033, North Country Church of the Nazarene, NH.
26 27 25

24

Ibid.

Bradley Lamont, interview by Chris Gaskin, 3 February 2006, survey id 8042, Blue Lake Church of the Nazarene, NC.

104 comebackTo what degree did the following change during your churchs comeback? (see Figure 7). The top two responses rated above 3.8 on the scale of 1 to 5; they were prayer (3.83) and childrens ministry (3.82). Four other factors were fairly close in rating as wellevangelism (3.78), youth ministry (3.76), leadership (3.73), and missions (3.68). After missions, the ratings dropped in a significant way among the rest of the factors. Because of the constraints of space and time, only the top two items rated in response to this question have been analyzed briefly here. Furthermore, the items rated third (evangelism), fourth (youth), and fifth (leadership) have already been discussed. In addition, note that preaching rated next to last among all the factors listed and surveyed in this question. In his books Effective Evangelistic Churches and Surprising Insights, Thom Rainer sighted the vital significance of preaching in relationship to church growth. The findings in this study do not necessarily contradict those findings. In this instance, comeback pastors were simply conveying that their preaching style had not changed significantly during the comeback. They were not evaluating the importance of preaching in regard to the revitalizations of their churches. Also, many comeback leaders already indicated that they started spending more time in sermon preparation in a previous question, and they rate preaching among the top three factors for making a comeback according to the results of one of the final questions asked in the survey. Comeback leaders rated prayer as the top factor.

Prayer. Prayer was a significant factor mentioned within many of the survey responses. Strategic prayer rated 4.13 when surveyed as a component of vibrant faith. Prayer was also mentioned as an important aspect of time management for comeback leaders; prayer became a higher priority among many comeback leaders who changed the

105 way they spent their time. In addition, prayer was mentioned as an important aspect in the responses regarding influential people (see this summary topic below). In this part of the survey, comeback leaders indicated that many changes were made in regard to prayer during the comeback. Changes in prayer were analyzed further through a follow-up interview process where comeback leaders were asked to describe how changes were made in this area. A Saturday morning prayer meeting was the first project for Pastor Wally Stevens of the Louisville Church of the Nazarene in Kentucky. Next came a prayer lab an entire Sunday morning service of music and prayer for the community. The lab occurred twice per year. Other prayer related items included twenty-four hour prayer vigils twice per year, church-wide prayer chains, and one preaching series per year specifically on prayer. The staff also met to pray four days per week at nine in the morning.28 At The Vision Center in Chicago, Dick Tarrant was Director of Ministry Development and Associate Pastor; he intimated that the key to The Vision Centers growth was prayer. The staff has prayer meeting once per week. We also make sure to have short times of prayer every day.29 The church had a service focused on corporate prayer two or three times per year. In addition, monthly healing services were held and a 24-hour prayer hotline was utilized.

Wally Stevens, interview by Chris Gaskin, 27 January 2006, survey id 8009, Louisville Church of the Nazarene, KY. Dick Tarrant, interview by Chris Gaskin, 27 January 2006, survey id 3019, The Vision Center, IL.
29

28

106 The only tools used were scriptures said Larry Fitzgerald, pastor of First Baptist Church in Arizona, when a new emphasis was given to prayer during Wednesday evening services.30 Pastor Fitzgerald read scriptures dealing with prayer and then led the church to focus on praying for the needs of the church based on those scriptures. This pastors belief in the power of prayer caused others to believe. This church was $109,000 in debt in July 2001; they were completely debt-free by November 2002! In addition, the giving continued to increase. Once a dying church, this church was now alive and ministering to the community around them.

Childrens ministry. When surveyed, a significant majority of comeback leaders indicated that the area of childrens ministry changed in many ways during the comeback. In follow-up interviews, some comeback churches were asked to describe the changes that took place in their childrens ministries. Why was this area of ministry rated in such a significant way among comeback churches and their leaders? Mike Davidson, pastor of Praise Baptist Church in North Dakota, explained that childrens ministry has been extremely important for us. We have used this avenue to reach people in a predominately Mormon community who came because their children had first attended one of our events.31 Pastor Davidson saw the need for a more effective childrens ministry. The church tried many different programs and found that

Larry Fitzgerald, interview by Chris Gaskin, 31 January 2006, survey id 1079, First Baptist Church, AZ. Mike Davidson, interview by Chris Gaskin, 3 February 2006, survey id 1207, Praise Baptist Church, ND.
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107 AWANA worked best for them. They had children from families who were members, regular attenders, sporadic attenders, and some whose families did not attend at all. In regard to Sunday, two couples did an excellent job with the childrens worship time. A certain level of enthusiasm and a passion for the children was exhibited by the adult leaders. Childrens ministry was a major reason that revitalization occurred at Praise Baptist Church. Barrington Baptist Church in Vermont, had a dynamic childrens ministry that took off in the last several years. Pastor Wesley Clayton was a musician as well as a pastor. He utilized a band comprised of members in the church, which formed when he first came as pastor. Forming that band influenced the children to form their own worship band, which was made up of people from age nine to adult and was geared specifically toward children. Children learned to play instruments on their own and gained practical experience as they participated in the worship services. Other childrens ministry events included a yearly emphasis focused on children in the Sunday morning worship service, summer VBS, and activities on Saturdays during the summer based on themes. Another example of creative childrens ministry was also provided. When a Messianic Jew came to the church during a sermon on the Battle of Jericho, he marched around the sanctuary in a circle with the children and blew the shofar. At that time, the pastor asked if the walls of the church would fall because of the marchers expression of faith; a pre-planned sound effect of crashing walls

108 was heard in the sanctuary. The church in Barrington made ministering to, challenging, and creating a child-friendly environment a priority.32 According to Pastor Larry Keller of the Hope Assembly of God in New Mexico, the key to a more effective childrens ministry was placing the right people in the right places of ministry. A lady who was more gifted in music was leading the childrens ministry. She was unorganized, undisciplined and not a gifted teacher. We reluctantly replaced her (she was such a nice lady) with someone who has an elementary education degree. Now, we are using new curriculum; we need more teachers, and the children are telling their parents that they want to come to church! The teachers received on-the-job training from the director. 33

Summary Issues In the last section of the survey, respondents were asked four summary questions. Respondents were asked about helpful books, influential people, top factors, and biggest challenges. Asking about these issues was a helpful way to round out this study.

Helpful Books The first summary question was, What three books (other than the Bible) were the most helpful in your transition? The most frequently referenced resources were connected to the Purpose Driven model. In follow-up interviews, we sought to gain

Wesley Clayton, interview by Chris Gaskin, 3 February 2006, survey id 9002, Barrington Baptist Church, VT. Larry Keller, interview by Chris Gaskin, 7 February 2006, survey id 3030, Hope Assembly of God, NM.
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109 insights on how some of the books and resources mentioned by comeback leaders made a positive, practical impact upon comeback churches and their leaders. Pastor Miles Spencer, of the New Gospel Center in Florida, said, The Purpose-Driven Life helped bring focus to what a balanced life of the believer should look like. The 40 Days of Purpose helped us launch our small groups.34 According to Pastor Daniel Karver of The Church at Annapolis, Warrens books helped them refocus their ministry for the entire Maryland region. The Purpose-Driven Church served as the basis for a total shift in focus for the church. We made major changes in our bylaws, allowing most decisions to be made by our deacons and staff. We also initiated the membership 101 class, including the signed member covenant.35 For Billy Jaspers, pastor of First Baptist Church in Wyoming, John Maxwell had been very influential in his life, both as a person and as a pastor and leader. In The Twenty-One Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, the two points most influential to me, and cardinal, are The Law of the Buy-In and The Law of the Lid. People arent going to buy into the vision until they can buy into you. With the Law of the Lid, God has designed you do to something. The question is what are you doing with what God has given you? Like it has been said, everything rises and falls on leadership.36

Miles Spencer, interview by Chris Gaskin, 3 February 2006, survey id 3017, New Gospel Center, FL. Daniel Karver, interview by Chris Gaskin, 3 February 2006, survey id 1045, The Church at Annapolis, MD. Billy Jaspers, interview by Chris Gaskin, 4 February 2006, survey id 1211, First Baptist Church, WY.
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110 Pastor Steve Morrison, of the First Assembly of God in Texas, played football in high school and college. In those contexts, he saw leaders and followers in action. The Twenty-One Irrefutable Laws of Leadership helped mold me into the leader I am today. I am more informed and try to put everything I learn into practice. I mentor leaders to deal with problems I dont need to deal with, which lessens my load tremendously. Quoting Maxwell, Pastor Morrison said, Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things. He then said, Id much rather do the right things. 37 Two apparent insights were revealed from the survey responses and these interviews. The first insight was that comeback leaders were learners. Almost 92 percent of all the church leaders surveyed listed books or resources that had been helpful to them in ministry. The second insight was that these comeback churches and their leaders sought to practically apply insights from those books and resources strategically in ministry.

Influential People After being asked about helpful books, respondents were asked to identify key people who influenced the comeback in a positive way. The respondents were asked this specific question, What three people were the most influential during your churchs comeback and what role did they play in the process? Several key insights were apparent when the survey responses were analyzed.

Steve Morrison, interview by Chris Gaskin, 3 February 2006, survey id 3058, First Assembly of God, TX.

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111 First, 321 out of 324 respondents provided responses to this question, which displayed that comeback leaders realized the vital importance of people. Whether they named specific deacons, leaders of different ministries, certain lay people, or their wives, comeback leaders recognized that making a comeback did not depend on their efforts alone, and they readily identified others who had made an impact in revitalization. Second, two key words among the responses pointed out two types of people who made an impact in regard to church revitalization. Those two words were lead and supportboth mentioned in 56.4 percent of the responses. In other words, comeback respondents recognized that both leaders and supporters were significant influencers in regard to the revitalization process. Third, in discussing influential people, respondents used two other key words in a significant number of responsespassion in 35.5 percent of the responses and vision in 30.8 percent of the responses. People who helped lead in and support the comeback process were often described as passionate and connected to the churchs vision. Apparently, respondents saw these as key elements that helped make the people listed influential.

Top Factors After being asked about influential people, survey respondents were asked to identify the top three factors that led to their church being revitalized. The survey asked this specific question, What are the top 3 factors that led to your church being a comeback church? Overall, the top three responses were prayer, evangelism/ outreach, and preaching. These words were identified in 44.7 percent, 37.2 percent,

112 and 25 percent of the responses, respectively. Several comeback pastors described how these elements were emphasized and combined in the comeback process. The Oregon Trail Church of the Nazarene in Nevada, had grown through an increase in evangelistic zeal, experienced by Pastor Terry Williams and the members themselves. Pastor Williams emphasized the importance of the churchs weekly prayer meetings. Prayer for salvation, healing, and other needs was emphasized. Outreach events, including the REACH program, as well as a weekly visitation program, were strongly promoted. The REACH evangelism training was conducted by lay people who had already been through the program. 38 Harry Milton, of the Gary Church of the Nazarene in Indiana, explained the need to be sensitive to his congregation because he came on staff immediately following a split in the church. Milton immediately set the churchs priorities as (1) prayer, (2) leadership, and (3) evangelism. Most often these priorities were conveyed through his sermons. The people of the church were so desperate for anything that would give them life and growth.39 New Life Assembly of God in Texas, established a relationship with three churches of other denominations. One major evangelistic event sponsored by the four churches was a joint showing of The Passion of the Christ. New Life has also participated in Assembly of God evangelism events. The church also conducted in-house witnessing seminars. In addition, a resource that helped New Life become more

Terry Williams, interview by Chris Gaskin, 7 February 2006, survey id 8011, Oregon Trail Church of the Nazarene, NV. Harry Milton, interview by Chris Gaskin, 3 February 2006, survey id 8031, Gary Church of the Nazarene, IN.
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113 evangelistic was Contagious Christians by Bill Hybels, according to Pastor Greg Arbuckle.40

Biggest Challenges After being asked about top factors, survey respondents were asked to identify the biggest challenges their churches faced in making a comeback. The survey asked this specific question, What were the biggest challenges facing your church during the transformation from its plateau/decline to its revitalization? Three major issues surfaced in the responses to this questionattitude, finances, and facilities. Since the issue of facilities has already been discussed and was placed third after attitude and finances, this section has focused on those two items mentioned as the biggest challenges.

Attitude. Attitude surfaced as the biggest challenge among comeback respondents through words and phrases like change, tradition, mindset, mentality, disunity, small church, and small town. In follow-up interviews, some comeback leaders were asked to describe how they overcame these attitude challenges. Pastor Lenny Bryan of the Hopewell Church of the Nazarene in South Carolina, said, I just really preached on the purpose of the church using Ephesians 3. The church organized a community carnival called Family Fest in which they had games and activities for kids, music, and door prizes for adults. Anyone who came had to register for the door prizes, which gave the church a prospect list. Bryan added, However, they knew up front they would receive an information packet from the

Greg Arbuckle, interview by Chris Gaskin, 7 February 2006, survey id 3085, New Life Assembly of God, TX.

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114 church.41 The church did excellent follow-up on those prospects, which resulted in a new attitude. A by-product of the attitude change came in the form of a new youth and childrens building (the church was mostly older couples with no youth or children). The church had overcome a poor attitude, in part, by sponsoring the outreach event. Sparkle Road Baptist Church in Georgia, used focused campaigns to spur its attitude change. Several things led to our new attitude, said Pastor Burton Caldwell. Two major events were the 40 Days of Purpose and 40 Days of Community campaigns. Also, we make our services positive and inviting, which helped with visitors.42 Two other contributors to the attitude change were FAITH and a strong Vacation Bible School. According to Mark Samuelson of Bush Trail Baptist Church in Massachusetts, Experiencing God and The Purpose-Driven Church helped in our change. They both helped us see clearly Christs mission for the church. The empowerment of lay leaders, increased reconciliation, service, and missions involvement, helped the people of Bush Trail change their prevailing attitude. Concerning missions involvement, Samuelson offered, God really blessed us when we became a mission-minded church. 43 Westside Baptist Church in South Dakota, was down to nine members in 1998 when Randy Priestly came to be a bi-vocational pastor. According to Priestly, The

Lenny Bryan, interview by Chris Gaskin, 7 February 2006, survey id 8041, Hopewell Church of the Nazarene, SC. Burton Caldwell, interview by Chris Gaskin, 7 February 2006, survey id 1015, Sparkle Road Baptist Church, GA. Mark Samuelson, interview by Chris Gaskin, 7 February 2006, survey id 1143, Bush Trail Baptist Church, MA.
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115 church had no mission, vision or excitement for ministry. I came in, under the Lords leading, and empowered the people to do ministry. I led by example. I have a nononsense approach to leadership. My leaders now are proactive and excited about ministry because it is more enjoyable. 44 By 2004, the churchs morning worship attendance was seven hundred forty-four.

Finances. After attitude, comeback respondents cited finances as the next biggest challenge to a comeback. Over 21 percent of the respondents mentioned a lack of financial resources as one of their biggest challenges in making a comeback. In followup interviews, some comeback leaders were asked to describe how they overcame this revitalization challenge. Pastor Justin James of the Clear Creek Baptist Church in West Virginia, brought the churchs financial needs before the people. Also, financial needs were placed in the churchs newsletter, which circulates to 175 non-member, prayer, and support partners in and out of the state. The financial needs of the church were met through prayer and the practical steps of informing those who can help financially.45 Clint Davidson, pastor of Park Place Baptist Church in California, said, Park Place is unique in that we are debt free. Whenever a need arises, we seek counsel from the Lord and our church leaders. When the decision is made that the need is legitimate, we put forth a campaign, challenging our people to give to the need. The Lord has

Randy Priestly, interview by Chris Gaskin, 7 February 2006, survey id 1201, Westside Baptist Church, SD. Justin James, interview by Chris Gaskin, 7 February 2006, survey id 1101, Clear Creek Baptist Church, WV.
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116 always allowed us to raise the money to pay for the needs immediately. It is a great challenge because most of our members are in the low income bracket. But our theme verse is Philippians 4:19.46 Peter Preston, pastor of the First Assembly of God in Louisiana, said, We dont stop doing the things that need to be done. We just become more creative in our approach. One example of creative financing was the churchs Valentines Banquet, which required substantial financial resources. Rather than paying for items, the church asked businesses to donate decorations, candy, and other related items. In addition, rather than underwriting the costs of mission trips, the church required its members to raise money for the mission trips which they took. Pastor Preston said, This makes the trip more meaningful for everyone involved. 47 Finally, this church family discussed and prayed for its financial needs during the weekly age-graded prayer meetings.

Conclusion Survey respondents provided a substantial pool of data and information in this study of 324 comeback churches. According to the results of this survey, these church growth factors were rated as having a greater effect to a lesser effect on revitalization: leadership, vibrant faith, lay ministry, evangelistic efforts, small groups, facilities, and marketing. Statistically, a significant difference was evidenced between the first four

Clint Davidson, interview by Chris Gaskin, 7 February 2006, survey id 1059, Park Place Baptist Church, CA. Peter Preston, interview by Chris Gaskin, 7 February 2006, survey id 3109, First Assembly of God, LA.
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117 factors listed and the last three factors listed. Conclusions about these findings have been outlined in the next chapter. In addition, survey results have pointed toward a particular style of worship. Almost all comeback churches perceived their worship as celebrative and orderly. Also, the large majority of churches that were surveyed defined their worship mood as informal, contemporary, and expressive. Conclusions have been drawn regarding this finding in the next chapter as well. Three other significant findings were related to staff changes, prayer, and childrens ministry. Almost two-thirds of the comeback churches cited making a change in the role of senior or lead pastor in connection with making a comeback. In regard to areas of ministry that changed most significantly during the comebacks, prayer and childrens ministry were rated the highest. While these findings have not described all the observations that could be made about church revitalization based on this project, the factors listed above represented the most significant findings of this study. Hopefully, this analysis of survey results has provided insights that can spark many other churches toward revitalization. In the final chapter, conclusions have been drawn regarding the comeback process and the overall findings of this study.

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS

The Church must be forever building, and always decaying, and always being restored. . . . The Church must be forever building, for it is ever decaying within and attacked from without; for this is the law of life. . . Much to cast down, much to build, much to restore. Let the work not delay, time and the arm not waste. Let the clay be dug from the pit, let the saw cut the stone, let the fire not be quenched in the forge.1 From its inception, the church has followed that very pattern throughout its historygrowing, decaying, and being restored. As this writer asserted in chapter one, the state of the North American church has been in a period of time when it is decaying. Segments of the North American church have been in a pattern of plateau and decline. What would it take for a significant number of those churches to be restored, renewed, or revitalized? Is there a process that plateaued or declining churches can follow to make a comeback, to move from being stuck and stagnant to vibrancy and growth?

Comeback Process In this study, 324 comeback churches were surveyed in order to seek answers to that question. How did 324 churches start growing again after experiencing a pattern of plateau or decline? Based upon the information gathered in this study, some church

T. S. Eliot, Collected Poems 1909-1962 (New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1991), 153-54. 118

119 growth factors were perceived to be more important than others by comeback leaders. When asked to rate certain church growth factors, survey respondents rated them in the following order (from greater effect to smaller effect on a five point scale): leadership (4.17), vibrant faith (3.95),2 lay ministry (3.87), evangelism (3.67), small groups (3.14), facilities (3.04), and marketing (2.91). From category to category, the largest statistical drop in rating occurred between evangelism and small groups. This drop was an indicator that the comeback leaders surveyed perceived that leadership, vibrant faith, lay ministry, and evangelism were the most significant factors in the revitalization process, in that order. Of lesser importance were small groups, facilities, and marketing. One key purpose of this study was to test the premise that certain factors, identified by the CGM, would be vital influences in churches that were experiencing revitalization. Those factors were leadership, evangelism, lay ministry, small groups, vibrant faith, and worship. While these church growth factors were present in most of the comeback churches, the factor of small groups was deemed least influential in this group through the survey process. If this research finding was valid, this discovery about small groups could indicate that small groups may not have been as important to the revitalization process as the CGM perceived it might have been. Facilities and marketing were factors added to the survey process because they were identified as other possible key components of church revitalization by this writer.

Five aspects of vibrant faith were rated. The ratings of the five aspects (renewed belief 4.44, servanthood 4.23, strategic prayer 4.13, setting goals 3.48, and relationships 3.47) were averaged (3.95) to rank vibrant faith second among the other factors.

120 While facilities and marketing were significant factors for some comeback churches in this study, their overall ratings placed them last in the list of rated factors. This finding has indicated that the noted writers in the CGM were right not to include these two factors in their writings in a more significant way. Worship was not listed among the rated factors because it was surveyed in a different manner than the other components. Conceptually, all churches engaged in some form of worship. Of greatest importance was to distinguish in some way how different churches worshipped, specifically, how 324 comeback churches worshipped. In order to gauge worship in these churches, two key aspects of worship were surveyedmood of worship and style of preaching. Based upon the results of this survey, almost all comeback churches identified their mood of worship as celebrative and orderly with a significant emphasis on being informal and contemporary. Most survey respondents perceived their worship mood as balanced between celebration and order. In addition, a slight majority of the surveyed churches utilized an expository, verse-by-verse style of preaching, although three other preaching styles were used a fairly significant amount of the time. If the research findings are valid, it would be reasonable to expect that churches and pastors desiring to make comebacks will need to utilize the following principles as guidelines to attain revitalization. First, leadership is the most important factor in making a comeback; it is rated as the most significant factor by comeback leaders. Also, the importance of leadership is reflected in the fact that almost two-thirds of the churches surveyed experienced a change in the person serving in the role of senior or lead pastor in regard to making a comeback.

121 Survey respondents identified several important components of leadership in their responsesthe development of an attitude of growth, intentionality and proactivity, shared ministry, and the activation of a shared vision. Comeback leaders are not willing to settle for a slow or no growth mentality; maintaining a small church mindset is not an option. They are willing to identify and make necessary changes and set growth goals. Survey respondents describe an environment where the ministry is shared with the people based upon a common vision. Second, vibrant faith is a significant factor in revitalization, particularly, renewed belief in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church. If the percentages hold true in the larger picture of North American churches, then what churches believe about the person of Jesus and about Gods mission for the church really matters. Creating a renewed focus and emphasis on Jesus is vital to making a comeback. Believers need to experience the reality of Jesus Christ in their everyday lives. Then, in order to create an atmosphere of renewed belief, comeback leaders will want to find ways to translate that belief into practical activity. Third, an atmosphere of lay mobilization is also very important in the revitalization process. Lay people being actively involved in meaningful ministry is a significant factor in church renewal. If the research discoveries are valid, increased expectations, equipped people, and empowered people are key components of developing an atmosphere of lay ministry involvement. Fourth, churches will want to be more intentional about their evangelistic efforts. Those churches that make plans to reach out to the people in and around their communities, and then, prepare people to engage in those outreach efforts will be more

122 likely to experience renewal. In addition, if the research findings are accurate, then churches should not necessarily expect to discover only one effective evangelistic strategy. These 324 comeback churches use many different strategies and methods of outreach. Thus, the discovery of evangelistic methods or strategies which work best for a given church may take a while to discover. Those churches that have the desire to be revitalized will want to engage in intentional outreach efforts, become active agents of community service, and pray for the Spirit of God to draw people to Jesus. Fifth, if the research indicators are valid, a celebrative and orderly mood of worship is a very significant factor in revitalization. If worship in a church cannot be described as celebrative and orderly, then that church might want to find ways to gradually introduce some energy, enthusiasm, and contemporary flavor into its worship experience. In some cases, churches and pastors might want to consider making changes in regard to other factors such as small groups, facilities, and marketing, but these factors are not as important or influential as leadership, vibrant faith, lay ministry, evangelistic efforts, and worship, according to the findings of this study. Overall, the most significant aspect of this study is that it proves revitalization can occur; 324 churches are comeback congregations. Revitalization can happen, and this study reveals some insights that will help churches that want to get on the comeback pathway.

Comeback Obstacles In one of the summary questions, survey respondents were asked to identify the biggest challenges which they had faced in regard to making their comebacks. The two most prominent issues identified by comeback leaders were attitude and finances.

123 If a comeback movement is going to take place in North America, these same issues will likely be obstacles for many other churches as well. If these research discoveries hold true in the larger picture of churches in North America, then many other plateaued or declining churches will likely struggle with a small church mindset, a slow growth mentality, a no-growth mentality, a maintenance mindset regarding traditions, or a fear of change. The issue is, Do the people in plateaued or declining churches really want to grow? According to some of the comeback leaders interviewed, these attitude issues can be addressed in practical ways. In some cases, an attitude of growth can be created by utilizing good tools and resources like the Purpose Driven materials. In all cases, an attitude adjustment toward growth will involve influencing people to change. In regard to finances, money is always a necessary resource to conduct ministry and live life. If the research discoveries hold true in the larger context of plateaued and declining churches, some of them will see a lack of finances as a major obstacle to revitalization. Some of the follow-up interviews reveal the need for prayer and creativity in overcoming this obstacle. One indicator within this study reveals another potentially huge comeback obstacleleadership. If the research findings are valid, it would be reasonable to expect that nearly two-thirds of plateaued or declining churches may need to change their lead pastors as part of making their comebacks. In a scenario like this, many pastors and their families could face a very difficult future. What can be done to address this vital leadership issue? In addition, where would thousands of plateaued or declining churches find enough pastors who are ready to fill that many roles in stagnant churches?

124 Other Matters Churches can address comeback obstacles and create a movement toward revitalization by making changes, and consequently, reverse the overall trend toward decline and stagnation. First, healthy church growth will require that churches not live in denial of their problems; stagnant churches will need to change their mindset. Churches will have to clearly and specifically acknowledge that they are in a pattern of plateau and decline, and then, seek to discover the reasons behind that pattern. Before plateaued and declining churches can be revitalized, they will need to realize the unhealthy patterns which exists in their midst. As this writer reflects on this issue, only one solution comes to mindprayer for revitalization. God will need to awaken his church to its state of decay. Second, a system to train pastors in how to overcome growth obstacles and engage in the comeback process would be extremely beneficial. If the state of plateau and decline among segments of the North American church is valid and the findings of this study regarding leadership are accurate, then pastors could be trained to become effective comeback leaders. From 324 churches that have made comebacks, many other churches and pastors can learn some important lessons about revitalization and be encouraged to engage in the process of revitalization. Third, this study contains a couple of significant limitations in regard to the research conducted. One limitation relates to some aspects of the survey instrument. The findings would be more statistically valid if all of the questions were mutually exclusive. In addition, not all the terms are defined for survey respondents, specifically the terms for

125 worship moods. Defining those terms would strengthen the results in this category and might provide different results. Another significant limitation in this study is that it does not include very many responses from lay people. Their inclusion would provide a different set of results or, at least, a different perspective on the revitalization process. An important follow-up study could be done by seeking the responses of lay people within the same churches that have been surveyed in this project.

Conclusion Three hundred and twenty-four comeback churches from ten denominations participated in this phone survey. For the most part, the results affirmed the tenets of the CGM that were identified in this study. Comeback leaders described a process of intentional change, especially in the areas of leadership, renewed belief, lay ministry, and evangelism. In addition, they described their worship as celebrative, orderly, and rather informal and contemporary. While segments of the North American church are in a period of decline or stagnation according to sources mentioned in chapter one of this dissertation, this study reveals that there is hope for struggling and declining churches. Churches can be restored, renewed, and revitalized. This writer hopes that this study in revitalization will help many churches and their leaders recognize that some things need to be torn down (slow or no-growth attitudes) and some things need to be built and restored (leaders, laity, and a path to revitalization). May the work of revitalization not be delayed.

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129 McGavran, Donald A., and George G. Hunter III. Church Growth Strategies That Work. Creative Leadership Series. Nashville: Abingdon, 1980. McGavran, Donald A., and Win Arn. How to Grow a Church. Glendale, CA: G/L Publications, 1973. ________. Ten Steps for Church Growth. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1977. McIntosh, Gary, and Glen Martin. Finding Them, Keeping Them: Effective Strategies for Evangelism and Assimilation in the Local Church. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992. McIntosh, Gary L. Biblical Church Growth: How You Can Work with God to Build a Faithful Church. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2003. Mead, Loren B. The Once and Future Church: Reinventing the Congregation for a New Mission Frontier. Washington, DC: The Alban Institute, 1991. Mittelberg, Mark, with Bill Hybels. Building a Contagious Church: Revolutionizing the Way We View and Do Evangelism. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000. Mundey, Paul. Unlocking Church Doors: 10 Keys to Positive Change. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997. Neighbour, Ralph W., Jr., with Lorna Jenkins. Where Do We Go from Here? A Guidebook for the Cell Group Church. Houston: Touch Publications, Inc., 1990. Nelson, Allan, and Gene Appel. How to Change Your Church without Killing It. Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000. Nevius, John L. Planting and Development of Missionary Churches. Nutley, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1958. Nixon, David F. Leading the Comeback Church: Help Your Church Rebound from Decline. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2004. Rainer, Thom S. The Book of Church Growth: History, Theology, and Principles. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993. ________. Breakout Churches. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. ________. Effective Evangelistic Churches: Successful Churches Reveal What Works and What Doesnt. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996. ________. High Expectations: The Remarkable Secret for Keeping People in Your Church. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.

130 ________. Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001. Reeder, Harry L., III, with David Swavely. From Embers to a Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2004. Richards, Lawrence O. A New Face for the Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1970. Robinson, Darrell W. Total Church Life: Exalt, Equip, EvangelizeChurch Growth Strategy. Rev. ed. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993. Roxburgh, Alan, with Mike Regele. Crossing the Bridge: Church Leadership in a Time of Change. Costa Mesa, CA: Percept Group, 2000. Rusaw, Rick, and Eric Swanson. The Externally Focused Church. Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, 2004. Russell, Ronny. Can a Church Live Again? The Revitalization of a 21st Century Church. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2004. Scazzero, Peter, with Warren Bird. The Emotionally Healthy Church: A Strategy for Discipleship That Actually Changes Lives. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003. Schaller, Lyle. E. Discontinuity and Hope: Radical Change and the Path of the Future. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998. Schwarz, Christian A. Natural Church Development: A Guide to Eight Essential Qualities of Healthy Churches. Carol Stream, IL: Church Smart Resources, 1996. Schwarz, Christian A., and Christoph Schalk. Implementation Guide to Natural Church Development. Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 2001. Shawchuck, Norman, and Gustave Rath. Benchmarks of Quality in the Church: 21 Ways to Continuously Improve the Content of Your Ministry. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994. Shawchuck, Norman, and Lloyd M. Perry. Revitalizing the Twentieth-Century Church. Chicago: Moody Press, 1982. Sisemore, John T. Church Growth through the Sunday School. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1983. Snyder, Howard A. Radical Renewal: The Problem of Wineskins Today. Houston: TOUCH Publications, 1996. ________. Signs of the Spirit: How God Reshapes the Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1989.

131 Southerland, Dan. Transitioning: Leading Your Church through Change. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000. Spader, Dann and Gray Mayes. Growing a Healthy Church: Complete with Study Guide. Chicago: Moody Press, 1991. Stedman, Ray C. Body Life. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1972; twentieth printing, 1986. Stetzer, Ed. Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003. Tidsworth, Floyd. Lifecycle of a Congregation. Nashville: Broadman, 1992. Tillapaugh, Frank R. Unleashing the Church: Getting People out of the Fortress and into Ministry. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1982. Towns, Elmer L., and Ed Stetzer. Perimeter of Light: Biblical Boundaries for the Emerging Church. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2004. Towns, Elmer, C. Peter Wagner, and Thom S. Rainer. The Everychurch Guide to Growth: How Any Plateaued Church Can Grow. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998. Troeger, Thomas H. Preaching While the Church Is Under Construction. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1999. ________. Ten Strategies for Preaching in a Multi Media Culture. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996. Trudinger, Ron. Cells for LifeHome Groups: Gods Strategy for Church Growth. Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1979. Van Gelder, Craig. The Essence of the Church: A Community Created by the Spirit. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000. Wagner, C. Peter. Church Growth and the Whole Gospel. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1981. ________. The Healthy Church: Avoiding and Curing the 9 Diseases That Can Afflict Any Church. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996. ________. Leading Your Church to Growth. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1984. ________. Strategies for Church Growth: Tools for Effective Mission and Evangelism. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1987. ________. Your Church Can Grow. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1976; rev. ed. 1984.

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ABSTRACT AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS LEADING TO THE REVITALIZATION OF COMEBACK CHURCHES

John Michael Dodson, D.Miss. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006 Chairperson: Dr. George Martin This dissertation examines some church growth factors and how they impacted 324 comeback churches. Chapter 1 explains the tremendous need for many North American churches to make a comeback because of their unhealthy state. Next, there is a brief discussion of the background of church revitalization. Chapter 2 reviews some of the writings, key leaders, and proponents of the CGM. Several themes emerge in these writings with regard to church revitalization vibrant faith, evangelism, leadership, lay ministry, small groups, and worship. Chapter 3 describes the research process and how data and information have been collected from comeback churches and leaders. Data and information are presented. Chapter 4 analyzes in greater detail the individual components of the comeback process and their impact upon the turnaround made by 324 churches. Chapter 5 outlines conclusions about the overall process and key obstacles of church revitalization. Suggestions are made for improving the current state of the North American Church.

VITA John Michael Dodson

PERSONAL Born: Parents: Married:

December 13, 1966, Manassas, Virginia John R. and Phyllis E. Dodson Kelly Ford June 22, 1991

EDUCATIONAL Diploma, Fauquier County High School, Warrenton, Virginia B.B.A. in Finance, James Madison University, 1989 M.Div., Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary MINISTERIAL Church Plant Intern, Trinity Baptist Church, Niskayuna, New York, 1989-1994 Pastor, North Country Baptist Church, Berlin, New Hampshire 1994-1996 Church Planter Strategist, Northwest Pennsylvania, 1996-2000 Pastor, New Hope Community Church, Meadville, Pennsylvania, 2001-2006 SPECIALIZED TRAINING NAMB Assessment Process, certified assessor Basic Training for Church Planters, certified presenter Mentor & Supervision TrainingLevels I & II Billy Graham School of Evangelism