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Showing posts from January, 2023

The Missing Link in Church Revitalization: Leadership Development

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by Bart L. Denny If you’ve spent any time in church leadership, you’ve likely felt the heartbreak of decline. Empty pews. Aging buildings. Once-thriving ministries now little more than calendar placeholders. Churches across America—especially in small towns and aging neighborhoods—are closing their doors at an alarming rate. And even those that remain open are often mere shells of what they once were. But here’s the good news: Jesus hasn’t given up on His Church. The gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). Still, that doesn’t mean local churches won’t die—because they do. And far too often. That breaks my heart, and I believe it should break yours, too! Why Churches Are Dying Some blame culture. And yes, the data is troubling. Fewer people identify as Christian. Fewer attend worship. And many younger adults have simply walked away from the church altogether (some recent data suggests that is changing, especially with young men). But culture isn’t the whole s...
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Ten Critical Barriers to Church Revitalization—and How to Overcome Them

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by Bart L. Denny Church revitalization is never easy. There are no silver bullets, quick fixes, or one-size-fits-all strategies. But if we’re honest, the root issue in most struggling churches isn’t a lack of programs or people—it’s a lack of Gospel focus. When Jesus Christ is no longer central, everything else begins to drift. The path forward must be prayerful and Spirit-dependent, marked by repentance and renewed devotion to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Only when we place Christ and His mission at the center of our church’s life can true revitalization begin. Below are ten of the most common barriers that keep churches from moving forward—along with general remedies to help overcome them. 1. Resistance to Change Long-standing traditions and deeply ingrained preferences often create powerful resistance to change. Many congregants fear that letting go of the past means abandoning what’s sacred. But revitalization isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about reali...
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The Overturn of Roe v. Wade: A Lost Opportunity?

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 Evangelicals, and the Republican politicians we support, have squandered a once-in-a-generation opportunity posed by the overturn of Roe v. Wade . First, let me lay my cards on the table. After all, this is my blog and my opinion. I believe that abortion is nothing short of murder—the murder of people who are the most voiceless and, perhaps, the most marginalized of our society. I will set aside the politics of how we came to have a Supreme Court that was brave enough to take on the “settled” matter of abortion in the Roe v. Wade precedent. The machinations behind Donald Trump’s nominees (especially in the matter of the death of Justice Scalia during the waning days of the Obama Administration) is undoubtedly a matter worthy of discussion, but one I will save for those more into partisanship than I am. In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022), the Supreme Court recognized that, contrary to the badly-decided 1973 Roe decision, the U.S. Constitution nowhere guarante...
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