The Missing Link in Church Revitalization: Leadership Development

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 story.

The truth is, many churches are not dying because the world is too strong—they’re dying because the church has grown too weak. Not in doctrine (though that's sometimes a factor), but in purpose. Not in facilities (though dying churches often suffer from much deferred maintenance), but in leadership. These churches have forgotten what it means to make disciples who make disciples. They’ve become museums of past glory rather than movements of current mission.

And at the core of it all? A profound failure in leadership development.

The One Thing Every Revitalizing Church Needs

When a local church begins to decline, there’s often a scramble to fix the problems—revamp the music, update the website, change the service times. But real change never comes from tweaks to style. It comes from a renewal of substance—and that means raising up a new generation of leaders from within the church.

Leadership development is not an optional extra—it’s a frontline strategy for revitalization.

Think about it: Nearly every seasoned pastor and revitalization leader says the same thing—if a dying church is to survive, it must develop new leaders (Clifton, 2016; Henard, 2021; Stetzer & Dodson, 2007). But despite this urgent need, very little has been written about how to do it well. And even less has been tested or verified with empirical research.

That’s a problem worth fixing.

What’s Holding Churches Back?

Here’s what the research shows: most declining churches suffer from a blend of spiritual apathy and organizational dysfunction. They may say they believe in discipleship, but they don’t practice it. They may long for growth, but they resist any real change. They cling to past preferences. They’re obsessed with “how we’ve always done it.” They struggle to reflect their changing neighborhoods. And most of all—they fail to raise up new leaders.

In too many churches, leadership has become a closed system. The same handful of people have held the same positions for decades. Younger potential leaders are either ignored or micromanaged into frustration. The end result? A church with no plan for the future, and no one ready to lead it there.

What Kind of Leaders Do We Need?

If church revitalization is going to succeed, we need leaders who aren’t just gifted—they must be grounded, growing, and graced with the Spirit of Christ.

Three leadership models—drawn from both Scripture and proven leadership theory—stand out as especially helpful:

1. Transformational Leaders – These are leaders who inspire vision, empower others, and help people grow beyond what they thought possible. Jesus was the ultimate transformational leader. He didn’t just give orders—He gave people purpose (Mark 1:17).


2. Servant Leaders – These leaders, like Jesus, lead by washing feet (John 13), not chasing status. They see leadership as a stewardship, not a spotlight.


3. Authentic Leaders – These are leaders who lead from who they are. They’re consistent, trustworthy, and unshakably rooted in God’s calling. Think of Jesus’ unwavering purpose, even in the face of the cross.

In addition to those three models, change leadership is crucial. Revitalizing a dying church isn’t for the faint of heart. Change is hard. But it’s also holy work—and leaders must learn how to navigate change with both courage and grace.

What Would Jesus Do (to Develop Leaders)?

The best leadership development model still comes from Jesus Himself.

He didn’t create a committee. He built a team. He selected twelve disciples and spent three years pouring into them—teaching, correcting, coaching, and sending them out. As Malphurs and Mancini describe it, Jesus took them through stages: from seekers, to believers, to followers, to leaders. His approach was intentional, relational, and rooted in both truth and grace.

Modern leadership theorists call this “developmental convergence”—the intersection of knowledge, experience, and coaching (Geiger & Peck, 2016). Jesus embodied this. He taught His disciples truth, gave them ministry opportunities, and walked alongside them with wisdom and patience.

A Path Forward: Leadership as Discipleship

If there’s one big idea I hope revitalizing pastors take to heart, it’s this: leadership development is discipleship.

It’s not a class or a program. It’s not something that happens in a binder or a spreadsheet. It’s something that happens in real time, in real relationships, over real ministry moments. It’s spiritual formation with a mission.

And if we do this well—if we disciple emerging leaders the way Jesus did—we just might see more dying churches come back to life.

What’s Missing: Research and Action

While theory abounds, what we still need is empirical research. We need case studies. We need data. We need to know what’s actually working on the ground in churches that have turned the corner. The more we understand the leadership development strategies that succeed in real church revitalization, the more we can multiply that success elsewhere.

The future of the American church may very well depend on it.

Conclusion: The Stakes Are High—But the Hope Is Real

The neighborhood church in America is in crisis. Many are closing. Many more are surviving in name only. But Christ is not done with His Church—and neither should we be.

If we want to see renewal, we must invest deeply in the leadership development of the next generation. That means discipling younger believers, empowering new leaders, and creating cultures of growth and grace. And it means pastors must multiply themselves—not just in tasks, but in people.

The harvest is still plentiful. But we desperately need more laborers—and we need churches bold enough to send them out.

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About the Author

Bart L. Denny is a retired U.S. naval officer and serves as the lead pastor of Pathway – A Wesleyan Church in his hometown of Saranac, Michigan. After his military career, Bart entered pastoral ministry, serving on the staff of a large church in the Tampa area and later leading a struggling church through revitalization. Bart holds a Ph.D. in Christian Leadership, as well as Th.M. and M.Div. degrees, all from Liberty University. He teaches online seminary courses, is a certified Church Consultant and Church Revitalization Specialist through Church Consultation University, and has also served as a hospital chaplain.