Church Forward
Understanding a Few Things about the Heart of Church Revitalization
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The letters to the seven churches in Revelation offer an invitation for each church to experience revitalization. The one invitation I wish to call attention to is for the church in Ephesus. The Lord dictates this letter through John to the leaders and members of the church and to us as well:
“Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: ‘The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands says: I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. You also possess endurance and have tolerated many things because of My name and have not grown weary. But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise’” (Revelation 2:1-7 HCSB).
As I read this letter to the church in Ephesus, I found myself identifying with what the Lord was saying—and maybe you will too. The message is clear: the church’s spiritual health has declined. They have lost something that is important for them to have.
When you read the word “church,” it is important to remember that it is referring to people like you and I. Dr. John MacArthur offers this commentary: “Although these seven churches were actual, historical churches in Asia Minor, they represent the type of churches that presently exist throughout the church age. What Christ says to these churches is relevant [for the church today].” When churches find themselves on the decline (on the down side of the church life cycle), the cause(s) will have an underlying spiritual health connection. It may be that the church’s attention has been drawn away from loving Jesus and His mission. I believe we need to once again fall passionately in love with Jesus, His mission, and each other as His church. I also believe we need to then express our love for Jesus through loving and ministering to others (and through obedience to His Word). This is the heart of the two great commandments Jesus gives in Matthew 22:37-39. If you were asked to describe the degree of your passion for Jesus, for His mission, and for His church, how would you describe it? A) Hot and on fire—you are passionately in love with Christ and with His church; B) Not bad, but could be more intense, more passionate and more active; or C) Cold and not real passionate; you’re just tired and flamed out.
What was the problem in the church the Lord identifies? The Lord tells the members of the church they have left their first love. They have left Him! They have wandered away from their passion for Jesus. To me, this suggests their focus was not on Jesus nor on the mission He gave them. They have left being the church that is in love with Jesus and His mission (found in Matthew 28:18-20). Even though their doctrinal integrity, moral purity, zeal for the truth, and disciplined service was intense, they had forgotten something of great importance—the priority of love—and had lost their passion for Jesus.
We can look and act like a church but can come up short when it comes to loving the Lord Jesus Christ passionately. We can turn the lights on, have a morning worship service, even have a Bible study group, but just go through the motions without having a passionate love for Jesus—the love we had when we came to faith in Him.
What are we to do when this is where we find ourselves? The answer is to accept Jesus’ invitation. We need to fall passionately in love with Jesus. How do we do that? We need to do what Jesus tells us to do. What does the Lord say the believers in the church at Ephesus needed to do? The Lord told them they needed to do three things: First, they needed to remember. And in remembering, they needed to recognize they had moved away from where they needed to be. Their love for Jesus had changed; it had declined from where and how it should be. Second, they had to acknowledge where they were in their relationship with Jesus and admit where they were was wrong. Connected to this acknowledgement was the need to turn from sin and return to Jesus. The word the Lord uses is repent (acknowledge they were off course and turn around). Third, they were to do the things they did at first—when they first came to know Jesus as their Savior and became a church in love with Jesus.
These steps can begin revitalization; remember, repent, and return to doing what was done at first when they were passionately in love with Jesus… The beginning point is realizing and accepting the church is not where it should be and what has been allowed to slip away is a burning passion for Jesus and His mission. If the church is not where it should be, this means the members are not where they should be. And if the membership is not where it needs to be, what does this say about you? Are you where you should be in your passion for Jesus? Remember, revitalization is personal. Revitalization begins in an individual’s heart. Will you let it begin in your heart?
Chapter 4 God’s Invitation to Revitalization John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, New International Version (Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2013), 2011.
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About the Book
The heart of revitalization is a matter of the heart. If you are going to participate in and/or lead a process that results in revitalization, you will need to address the matters of the heart. Your heart needs to be ready, receptive, and open to learning and leading the process of revitalization. If I may borrow from the analogy of the farmer sowing seed, it is my desire to sow a few seeds from what I have learned, experienced, and have tried as a journeyman of church renewal, restoration, and revitalization. I share what I do with a prayerful hope that something you read will be helpful in your unique setting and quest to address the need for revival, renewal, restoration, or revitalization.
I am blessed to be both a student and practitioner of church revitalization. Leading the church in the revitalization of its spiritual health and ministry effectiveness was a passion God placed in my heart over thirty years ago. And like a Chinese bamboo tree, this desire has been developing below the surface for years and years, and now, I am asking God for His glory to guide me in expressing my heart and providing His church body, His pastors, and ministry leaders a helpful resource for addressing revitalization.
About the Author
Dr. Jerry Lanford writes from his over twenty seven years of pastoral ministry experience and advanced educational achievements. Dr. Lanford has served in two churches as associate pastor and in four churches as the senior pastor. His educational background includes earning an Associate of Arts (1981) in Liberal Art and Science from College of Marin, Kentfield, CA, a Bachelor of Arts (1986) with a major in Sociology from California Baptist University, Riverside, CA, and two degrees from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, CA.; a Master of Divinity (1991) and Doctor of Ministry (2003). To this academic preparation Dr. Lanford has added special training in church revitalization. The most recently being California Southern Baptist Church Consultant Training in June of 2015. He has also received training from Church Resource Ministry both in Refocusing Network Year One Facilitator Training Focusing Leaders (1998) and Refocusing Network Year Two Facilitator Training Refocusing Your Church (1999). He continues to read and study on the subject of church health, revitalization, renewal and leadership. In Church Forward Dr. Lanford writes on a topic that is close to his heart – the revitalization of the church. Church revitalization has been a common theme that has woven itself throughout his ministry journey. The churches he has been called to pastor have all been on the declining side of the church life cycle. He has been in the trenches when it comes to addressing and leading church revitalization. He has come to understand that while each church has unique challenges they share some common needs. One of these common needs is that of having a leadership team that understands church revitalization and are prepared to lead it. It is the hope of Dr. Lanford that Church Forward will be a useful resource to help leaders and members understand church revitalization and accept the need to lead a revitalization process.