At a recent Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) roundtable for students considering church revitalization, Pastor Justin Frank framed his ministry story with four words: Invigorating, Infuriating, Clarifying, Humbling. Like many pastors “from away”, Justin first came to New England (from Oregon) to study at GCTS. It was in Massachusetts that he met and married Kellie, a …
At Overseed, we describe revitalization pastors as patient catalysts. Leaders who understand that building trusting relationships and revitalizing a church takes time and intentionality, especially in New England. George Ray was a great example of being a patient catalyst. For 35 years, George served as Senior Pastor of Trinity Evangelical Church of North Reading, MA. …
Okay, I admit I am envious. I’m envious of the new house my friend recently built. I’m especially envious of the energy-efficient spray foam insulation, modern windows and doors, and fuel-miser heating system. As I lug firewood and watch my woodpile shrink through the long Maine winter, I often wish I could start over, building …
One Sunday during last year’s Christmas season, my wife and I worshipped at the church of a young, dynamic pastor whom I had been coaching. His message was biblical, practical, and well delivered, and the worship music was uplifting and skillfully led. Only one thing was missing: Christmas! No mention was made of Christmas anywhere …
One Sunday morning in my early days of pastoring, I stepped into the pulpit and opened my Bible to where I thought I had placed my sermon notes. To my horror, they were not there. In an instant, I remembered that I had left them on my office desk. A sense of panic swept over …
A few months ago I worshipped at the church of a talented young pastor whom I had been coaching. His sermon was good, surprisingly good. While I was chatting with him after the service, another parishioner we both knew well joined us and told him how much she enjoyed his message. She then remarked, with …
A common mistake seen among church replanters is their failure to do the hard work of discerning the starting point of their church. If the church replanter fails to grasp the starting point then their plans and ideas are often unhelpful and typically face resistance. The difficulty of determining the starting point is compounded by …
On April 24, 2012, I became a grandparent for the first time. Prior to my grandson being born, I began asking other grandparents what it was like to be a grandparent. All I ever got was “it’s fun.” I replied, “but being a parent was fun, so what do you mean by it’s fun?” But …
Church replanting is the intersection or the merging of two key ministry centers; a Chaplaincy and a Church Plant. The Chaplaincy focus consists of loving the people who are there. In most New England church plants, those who are there are elderly. They have worshipped at that church for much of their life with a …
Churches have been in need of revitalization since the New Testament church began because churches are made up of sinners who individually and collectively need to be sanctified. Typically, churches go through seasons of growth and decline. Unfortunately, some times the decline is not addressed and the decline continues. The attendance numbers decline, the mission …
