 Replant-Revitalization Reality: In many declined congregations, at least one significant “battle” must be fought in the war of moving the church forward toward health. Revitalizer/replanter don’t back down, resolve to stand, God will direct and protect.
Recently I toured the World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a fantastic destination and extremely well put together. As you walk through the exhibits, you’ll be struck by the extraordinary sacrifices from everyday folks in an effort to protect and defend freedom and democracy. Lives lost, countless cities wrecked and the indelible marks of conflict are preserved for all to see, understand and learn. Of the many takeaways from our time there, one stands out to me: The outcome of one decisive battle can set the stage for the war to be won. On its own, a battle may seem like one of any number of conflicts in an overall war, yet a victory or defeat in one decisive battle may lead to ultimate victory or loss. Battles in the church often follow this pattern. Let’s define battle: one conflict in any number of conflicts, large or small, occurring in the church, which by itself will not lead to the church’s demise but whose outcome contributes to the overall trajectory of the church. These battles can lean toward health or vitality; they also can hasten decline or even demise. In a declined church, one which has exhibiting trend lines of decline for decades, battles like these are usually common. The casualties have included lay persons, leaders and likely pastoral staff and their families. In the church, no one welcomes or seeks out a battle; they know the costs are potentially high. Yet when a battle is brewing or underway, too many pastors and church members run. By nature, most folks within the church prefer peace. It’s understandable, in fact it is our calling: “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Rom. 12:18) Sometimes, to obtain real lasting peace, you must be willing to stand up when a battle threatens or takes place:
Sadly, each of these is a reality experienced by me or pastors I know. How should we respond in the face of battles like these? Don’t Ignore battles. As much as we’d like to put our head down in sermon prep, pastoral visitation or administrative tasks, conflicts like these never get better, only worse. You can’t sweep sinful behavior under the rug. It will only get worse. Pray for wisdom. One important truth to remember is that most of the time you are fighting against more than just differences of opinion and preferences. In dysfunctional churches, you are battling deficient discipleship, an errant view of pastoral authority, idolatry (the love of anything more than the love of God) and a host of other challenges. At their heart these are spiritual issues, and you need divine insight, patience and wisdom as you face them. Confront the Antagonists. Someone who disagrees with you is not automatically being an antagonist, but someone who rejects authority, ignores bylaws and process, someone who spreads gossip, lies and devises schemes in secret is not just a person who “sees” a church issue differently than you or the leaders do. A person like this is an antagonist and must be rebuked, confronted and corrected. Follow a biblical process. We have the blessing and benefit of the Scripture, which helps us understand the right ways for resolving conflicts when we experience them. Be biblical in your approach and follow any additional instructions that may be present in your bylaws. But know this: It’s never appropriate to ignore the Bible in favor of the bylaws, just as it’s not legal to ignore the bylaws altogether. Be brave, bold, and courageous. You and I likely were not trained how to do church conflict. If we served as interns, maybe we discussed it with a ministry mentor. But you only get real battlefield experience by actually being in some battles. When the conflict is intense or when battle signs grow ominous, don’t expect to not have concerns or even be afraid. If you respond that way, congratulations – you’re normal. But don’t run, back down, give in or give up. Be sure you are fighting the right battle. We’ve all had someone older and wiser exhort us to “pick” our battles and “not die on every hill.” They are right, but at the core, these statements acknowledge that sometimes it is appropriate to stand ground with conviction and engage in conflict. Not everything is worth battling for, but some things are. If you don’t stand when it’s needed, you’ll likely lose the war. I pray God gives you the wisdom, understanding and courage to lead strongly when you’re tempted to turn and head to safety. The church needs that from you, and God has placed you there for that very purpose. This original article, by Bob Bickford, was posted July 2023 on the NAMB Replanter's Blog Site.
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 Church revitalization is one of the most important, complex, and delicate processes a congregation can undergo. For declining churches longing for health and mission renewal, partnering with a consultant can be a wise step. But not all consultants are created equal — and the differences go deeper than you might think.
The Rise of the Pay-to-Certify Church Consultant: If you've spent any time researching church revitalization help online, or simply opened your social media or inbox, you’ve likely come across polished advertisements and websites offering to turn you into a “church consultant” — quickly, conveniently, and for a fee. The appeal is strong:
But beneath the glossy surface, something is often missing. Most often, there is no requirement for previous revitalization leadership experience. No vetting, no application process, just pay the fee and take the course. This certification model emphasizes convenience, speed, and marketability over hands-on wisdom, contextual intelligence, or spiritual discernment. Pay the fee, get the paper, put out your shingle, print some business cards, get a website and boom, you're a consultant ready to help churches and collect a fee. Is this wise? Is this helpful? Should it be done this way? In this post, we’ll explore two common types of revitalization consultants, weigh their strengths and weaknesses, and offer a clear recommendation for churches considering who to walk with during their journey of renewal, and a word to those who want to consult a church in need. Two Types of Church Revitalization Consultants 1. The Practitioner-Based Consultant: This consultant has personally led a church through revitalization or replanting. Often, they’ve also volunteered with a local Baptist association or their state convention to assist other churches in similar circumstances. Key Characteristics:
Advantages:
Potential Disadvantages of a Practitioner Consultant
These are not criticisms of their effectiveness, but rather practical considerations when evaluating the fit between a consultant and a church’s revitalization needs. 2. The Self Certified Consultant: This individual has completed a Church Revitalization certification course, typically through a for-profit ministry or organization. They have a strong interest or desire in Church Revitalization as a subject - they may be looking for extra income in an adjacent field. Key Characteristics:
Advantages
Disadvantages:
The Question of Motive: Why It Matters This is where we need to go deeper. Some revitalization certification programs advertise themselves as a way to generate personal income. The program is pitched as a side hustle or a ministry-business hybrid. The motivation then could become clouded. Your consultant is not just helping churches but making money off churches. If a Consultant’s goals includes financial benefit, it may impact how they engage with your congregation:
By contrast, a practitioner-based consultant — especially one serving through a state convention or local Baptist association — is rarely paid for their efforts. The network of churches support the consulting leaders or teams. Their motive is typically rooted in mission, not money. They serve because they believe in church health, gospel advance, and kingdom renewal. They see the church in need and want to help - their view is not profiting off the needy church. Their investment is often a labor of love, not a contract fee. Why Does This Matter? Because motive influences method. A consultant who serves from a non-compensation model is often more free to:
A Simple Recommendation (For the Church and the Would-be Consultant) If your church is exploring revitalization and looking for outside guidance, choose a consultant who has church renewal experience, who has been successful and lived the process, preferably one connected to your local Baptist association or state convention. (If your church is not an SBC church - check with your denomination or even call the local Baptists-they will often be glad to help) Look for someone who:
Church - avoid engaging someone who recently or simply purchased a certification, especially if their only engagement with revitalization is academic or incentivized by profit. The stakes are too high. Choose the Consultant who knows the terrain — not just the theory. Would-Be Consultant: You want to help churches? Great! Connect with your denomination either at the Local or State level and express the desire to learn. Then make the sacrifices to attend meetings, pray, listen more than talk, ask questions and read the best of recent resources from the real practitioners who are writing from their experience, not for commercial profit. Go to as many conferences as you can - a wide variety of them of course and learn all you can. Do this for at least 3 years, participate in at least 30 consultations as a learner and then, through careful reflection, with humility and prayer offer to help churches for free. Consultants Can Be Helpful There’s nothing wrong with paying for consultative services-but there’s a lot of heartache and also a lot of churches who waste kingdom resources on someone who, with the best of intentions, wants to be helpful but just isn’t.  “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” — Colossians 1:28–29
Pastors often bear deep and quiet wounds—delivered not by unbelievers or secular culture, but by controllers inside the church: bullies who manipulate, gatekeepers who withhold permission, and influencers who use history, money, or fear to halt gospel advancement. They may hide behind phrases like “We’ve never done it that way,” or “Others are concerned,” but their intent is clear—control, not Christ. Some pastors try to reason with these strongholds. They wait, hope, appease, avoid, and pray it will change. But over time, the roots of dysfunction grow deeper. Silence is misinterpreted as submission. Nice becomes naive. And the result? The mission is stifled. The flock is confused. The pastor is discouraged. And the body remains immature. Warning with Wisdom: Paul’s words in Colossians 1 are a call to bold, biblical shepherding. Maturity in Christ comes through proclaiming the gospel, warning everyone, and teaching with wisdom. This isn’t optional. It’s essential. Warning, when done wisely and lovingly, is not unkind—it’s Christlike. Jesus never coddled the religious bullies of his day. He confronted them, exposed their motives, and made it clear: the Kingdom would not be held hostage by those protecting their platform over God's purposes. Too often, churches have confused being nice with being Christian. But Christ was not crucified for his niceness—he was crucified for proclaiming truth, confronting sin, and disrupting the religious status quo. Pastors must do the same. Gospel compassion includes courage. Bullies Grow When Unchallenged: Bullies and gatekeepers don’t disappear on their own. In fact, when left unchallenged, they often become more emboldened. Their tenure becomes tradition. Their preferences become policy. Their threats become sacred cows. In Not Being Nice for the Sake of the Gospel, Bill Easum recounts example after example of churches and staff held hostage by one or two dysfunctional members. In each case, the leaders knew the person was harming the mission—but feared doing what was necessary to confront them. So they remained quiet. And the church remained stuck. Jesus never advocated such passivity. When the Temple was turned into a marketplace, Jesus didn’t call a meeting. He overturned tables. Not out of rage, but out of love. He saw that worship was being stolen from the people who needed it most. So he drove the thieves out. In churches today, the “thieves” often aren’t selling doves, but they’re selling comfort, familiarity, and control—at the cost of spiritual freedom and growth. Confront and Disempower for the Sake of the Gospel: The answer isn’t to play nice with the unreasonable. It’s to confront them biblically and remove their functional power. Matthew 18 provides a pathway: private confrontation, followed by witnesses, and finally, church-wide correction. If the individual refuses to repent, Jesus says to treat them as an outsider. This isn’t harsh—it’s holy. We must care more about their soul and the church’s mission than about preserving appearances. To be clear: confronting does not mean cruelty. But it does require courage. The gospel calls us to speak the truth in love, not to sidestep it in fear. Every time a leader chooses clarity over comfort, the church takes one step closer to health. Leaders Must Lead: If you're a pastor in this situation, it may be time to stop waiting for the bully to have a change of heart. You were not called to appease manipulators. You were called to proclaim Christ, warning and teaching with all wisdom, that you might present the church mature in Christ. That means being willing to confront the hard-hearted, call out the manipulative, and refuse to give spiritual authority to those who’ve long abused it. This is not about being unkind—it’s about being uncompromising when it comes to the freedom of God’s people. We don’t confront because we’re angry—we confront because we love Jesus and his Bride. Moving Forward: Church renewal is rarely possible until someone leaves—or loses their grip. The path to revitalization almost always passes through painful confrontation. But the reward is worth it: a church free to grow, a people unshackled from fear, and a pastor no longer under the thumb of intimidation. So preach Christ. Warn with wisdom. Call out dysfunction. And remember—you’re not alone. Christ is with you. And the power that raised him from the dead is the same power that can break the grip of every bully in the pew. Stand firm, pastor. Be clear. Be Christlike. Be courageous.  In the middle of ministry storms—whether it's staff tension, a surprise resignation, or some unexpected firestorm—how a leader asks questions can either restore calm or stir more chaos. As pastors and leaders, our posture in these moments matters more than we think.
Too often, the stress of uncertainty pushes us into fear-based leadership. We default to control, interrogate decisions, and protect our ego. But Jesus-style leadership doesn’t posture with suspicion—it moves with trust, curiosity, and grace. Let’s unpack two radically different approaches to inquiry in crisis: aggressive inquiry and gentle inquiry. Aggressive Inquiry: Fear Wearing the Mask of Authority: We’ve all seen it. Leaders feel out of the loop and assume the worst. Questions become weapons:
This is not servant leadership—it’s self-protection in a collar. Gentle Inquiry: The Posture of Curiosity and Trust: Gentle inquiry doesn't mean we don’t ask questions—it means we ask from a place of security, trust, and maturity. These questions sound different:
Instead of fear, this creates:
Gentle inquiry says: “I trust you. I’m with you. Let’s figure this out together.” Why It Matters: Shepherds, Not Gatekeepers At the heart of gentle inquiry is the biblical call to shepherd. We’re not bouncers at the door of ministry decisions—we’re under-shepherds pointing others to Jesus. We model his gentleness, even in crisis. In seasons of disruption, we have a choice:
Gentle inquiry is the higher road. It's the Jesus road. Let’s lead like Jesus. Let’s ask better questions—with open hands, not clenched fists. Questions for Personal Reflection Before your next staff meeting or hard conversation, take a moment to reflect:
What would it look like to lead with gentleness today? How can I mirror Christ’s posture in my tone, words, and reactions?   I used to wish this for the long term declined churches: simple solutions for complex problems which could be enacted in short order, with little sacrifice, low cost and the payoff guaranteed.
You and I (dear reader) know that's all fantasy. That alone is the reason churches (read the people who lead and participate in them) struggle to make the necessary commitments to embrace and pursue change. Often, when I meet with a decades long declining church, the dear sweet congregants express their longing for the revitalization of their beloved church. I love that they care so deeply about seeing their church reach people. But often the initial thoughts of what might “fix” their church fall along two categories:
You hear it it in their expressions and confessions; “We just need to __________” “If we can just get ____________ then we'll grow" “People these days just don’t want to _____________” “Our world has become so _____________________” “If we could just go back to _____________________” I don’t doubt that behind these expressions are the desires of hearts that genuinely want to see their church grow, people to come to faith in Christ and experience transformation. And when I hear them, I also know there is work to do, often a lot of work. Look at the Data - What Works and What Doesn’t I should confess, I’ve become a bit of a data nerd, saying that with the utmost respect to actual data nerds. I love new ideas, initiatives and bold experiments - let’s do them! But let’s also measure their effectiveness. I’ve been around long enough to sniff out the church consultant/church growth strategist hype and marketing pitches that over promise and under deliver. When I see their ads for free guides on the socials, I sign up, and then unsubscribe of course so I won’t continually be bombarded by their marketing ploys. What I receive is usually the same old recycled craft ranging from marketing and promotion, to light demographic analysis, to social media strategy to tips for better sermons that have nothing to do with actually growing in your ability to exegete a text. Rarely anything on prayer, nothing on mobilizing missionaries and training them to actually build relationships with non-Christians and share their Jesus story. The material looks great on the surface, it’s eye-catching, it’s polished, the spokesperson looks great, hip, trendy, correctly be-spectacled and be-sneakered with the latest kicks. You get the idea. But does any of that really work? Does the data bear out? Not really. Recognize This:one off simple solutions sound good but don’t work well on their own. I had the opportunity to do some consultant work for a state convention and one of the resources we produced was the chart below, check it out. The main point here is that if you’re doing a thing, one thing or even a few things - they may not (likely won’t) lead to lasting change. You may see some fruit - I hope you do - but these things alone, by themselves do not turn a church around. Engage and Execute the Basics in Your Context I have a Pastor friend who now serves as an Association leader. When he was revitalizing a church in a very non-churched culture and difficult ministry setting he remarked; “It’s really about the basics: prayer, teaching God’s word, getting to know people who are not Christians, sharing your faith, discipling the congregation and serving the community. And, raising up leaders and mobilizing your people to do that along with you." Refreshingly simple, hard to do (not in that it is complicated but that it’s definitely work) and the best news of all, it works in every context. Read that again; it works in every context. If your church is in decline you’ll need a plan, you’ll need to avoid the trap of expecting quick solutions and you’ll need to be ready to work, hard, for a long period of time. I think you can do it. How about starting today? QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
 Honestly, I don’t remember ever going to a Christmas Eve service until I became a Student Pastor, strange right? Our family’s Christmas Eve tradition from my earliest memories had us at Grandma and Grandpa’s crowded house with all the out-of-town cousins enjoying laughter, food and getting hyped up about the next morning and the presents. As a vocationally employed minister, specifically the Youth Pastor or Associate Pastor, I often found myself covering the Christmas Eve service for the out-of-town Sr. Pastor, who was traveling to be with his extended family. I mean, what could go wrong with handing the responsibilities off to the “junior staff member?” All that was expected was Christmas Carols and reading the Christmas story from Luke, right? That’s like hitting the ball off of a tee-anyone can do it. Fast forward a few years later. I found myself serving at a church where Christmas Eve was a “high church” celebration (i.e. Choir Robes and Handbells.) As the Student Pastor I wasn’t asked or allowed near the stage or a microphone. Fast Forward once more to a very contemporary church where the Christmas Eve Service had been deep sixed by the lead Pastor after a scheduling mix up (A former Assoc. Pastor planned the details and then had to be out of town or was ill-don’t remember) leaving the SP alone to serve communion to the entire congregation which took a long time-interrupting his own Christmas eve plans with his immediate family and friends. That was legend-it also led to its cancelation. At that contemporary church I was asked to bring back the Christmas Eve service (not involving the lead pastor-who didn’t even have to come if he didn’t want-and often didn’t.) Over the next several years CE developed into something pretty big-eventually leading to multiple services, readings, a skit/drama and children's singing. Fast forward one more time. I served a normative sized church which was Replanted. Our Christmas Eve services were very simple, some years (especially the ones that fell on alternating years for our young families to be out of town visiting the other relatives) meant that we would have almost as many on the stage leading the service as those who were watching it in the audience. Christmas Eve during COVID19 provided another chapter-one I'm thankful only lasted a year. Our local governance mandated that our occupancy indoors could only be 25% of our building’s capacity. That meant we could host around 37 people, do the math, we have a small building. So, what to do? An outdoor Drive-in Christmas Eve service in 30 degree or below temperatures. Now my Facebook feed is regularly flooded by many incredibly creative and highly produced services being promoted by the larger churches in our area. I’m amazed at all the great creativity. This past week I attended an area Christmas Service and it was awesome and amazing, the church was packed, songs sung, gospel shared. I loved every minute of it. I'm for that absolutely. I'm also for something very different. (It is possible to be for two very different things) Why should a normative sized (under 199 in attendance) church do a much less sophisticated and less impressive service? Because that’s exactly how the first Christmas was. On a cold dark evening, in an out of the way place, glorious news came to Shepherds who were watching over their flocks and looking into the night sky. A baby, not just any baby but the Son of the living God had been born into the world. He was lying in a feed trough surrounded by animals not a soft bed in a palace. This humble spot, unimpressive as it was is the place where God chose to make his entrance into the world. Immanuel, God with us, was born to be our Savior and take away our sins. The most important and impressive happening in all of history took place in a setting no one would have ever expected it to occur. The medium is not the message. So, a highly scripted service with paid musicians and their original compositions and professional level production values is something to behold for sure. But it’s not the point. The most amazing thing we celebrate on Christmas Eve is that Jesus entered the world. So Replanter/Normative Sized Pastor, hold your service this Christmas Eve, focus on the message of Christ-it’s amazing and wonderful and beautiful.  I talk to Pastors. Let me share something with you. Many of them are tired, really tired. Not the kind of tired that a day of rest or a down weekend with no preaching responsibilities will remedy. They are bone aching, mind numbing, dark soul of the night exhausted. How did they arrive at this threat level midnight echelon of fatigue? Truthfully, it’s not just one thing, it’s a compilation of a lot of things, little things and perhaps a few big things too. Why are the Shepherds tired?
There could be more…there probably is. Let’s add in Christmas and all that comes with it.
Seems that the ones who are there to remind the flock of the “good news of great joy” struggle to believe what they might be saying….or at least only feel like they can ascent to its truth mentally, certainly not emotionally and perhaps not spiritually. Dear Pastor, remember this…. The silence from the close of the Old Testament gave way because of a slow trickle of good news that may not have seemed like good news at all.
This is the first Christmas, this is also your Christmas. Perhaps our Pastors and their families struggle in this season so they can experience all the emotions which were experienced at the first Christmas. So they can know that in the uncertainty, chaos, pain, disappointment and feelings of loneliness and rejection, God is still working. So they truly understand…. “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 Fear not Brother Pastor, Christmas is about the good news of a baby born unto us, about the breaking the grip of sin, the power of darkness and the certainty of redemption. Rest in that, be refreshed. Merry Christmas.  I love Christmas time, I really do. But what you are about to read is likely to make you think I’m a descendant of Ebenzer Scrooge or the Grinch.
So, Buckle up Buttercup. I became a youth pastor at a very traditional and affluent 125 year old (at that time) church in the deep south. It was an awesome church in many ways but also one which was struggling with the fact that it was no longer what it once was in terms of effectiveness at its location. Granted, it supported missions, church plants, one of which was succeeding wildly at reaching the community in which it was planted, and that daughter church was about to sponsor its own church plant. The granddaughter church would grow to eclipse both the grandmother and mother church in years to come-but I digress. I was called as the Student pastor and rolled into town with a few years of ministry experience under my belt, a seminary degree, a young family and the pragmatic sense to know that if you are having to manufacture energy to do some ministry activity, if people weren’t volunteering for a ministry initiative, if a ministry activity you were doing was overburdening your people, exhausting them, causing everyone who spoke about to roll their eyes and….that activity which was creating all this was not bearing fruit it might be time to rethink doing that activity, it might be time to shut it down, say goodbye to it or at least deep six it for a while and do a very very critical evaluation before ever bringing it back. All that being said…. I killed the Youth Living Nativity, not actively mind you…just through some important questions and observations. Even more true, I don’t think I killed it actually, it was mostly dead when I got there. Every time someone would reference the Living Nativity they would….
I asked a few simple questions;
Something wasn’t adding up, people eye rolled at its mention, no one wanted to volunteer and we really couldn’t point to lasting fruit or impact…Why were we doing this? Enter a church deacon with the taped together news article copied on a well worn paper. I’ll call him “The Advocate.” He was a really nice guy by the way. Apparently at some point in time, some place in US America, a depressed and suicidal man during the holiday season drove through a living nativity, he listened to the cassette tape he was given which guided a participant through the Live Nativity experience. The man was so moved he decided not to end his life, he wrote a letter to the local newspaper of his account and the Advocate clipped the article, and this source document became the yearly justification for the Youth Living Nativity. First, praise God that the man found hope and help through a ministry of the local church, I’m for that. Let’s not ever forget that there is hope in Christ and ministry to be done in reaching the hurting, especially during the holidays. Second, accessible public ministry where random passers-by can engage? Again, all for that, but let’s also recognize the sovereignty of God in orchestrating all the variables that December night for this despondent man. Third, that it happened once doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen every year, nor does it necessarily justify a yearly commitment to one specific ministry. What are we to do?
It’s not simple, although we want it to be. Here’s my suggestion. Listen for the guidance of God, through the Holy Spirit as demonstrated in the people of God, together. The clipped article, presented by the Advocate, had assumed the place of authority-it was directing our ministry, it was telling us what we must do, had to do, even when passion and support was waning in the body. And a little additional information…like it is in many places, The Advocate was no longer offering to organize, lead or volunteer to make this happen, he wanted it done, he wanted me and others to do it, but he wasn’t offering to help. Did God want us to continue the Living Nativity? I didn’t think so based on what I saw and heard from the body. So we stopped doing it. Hear this, I was not against doing a Live Nativity. What I was not for was it being something that only the student ministry shouldered each year. I was against propping up a program that people thought was nice but really didn’t want to volunteer for and I was not for allowing a paper clipped article determine the direction of our ministry. By the way….the church I’m talking about, they’re doing the Live Nativity again. And I for one, hope that it reaches someone in need…that the volunteers are enthusiastically serving and that the Camel doesn’t bite anyone.  There’s a lot of hype getting slung around the interwebs targeting pastors. It shows up on social media feeds, it finds its way into our inboxes.
Stuff like… “Tired of empty pews? Get our marketing plan!” “Unlock the secrets that can take your church from 200 - 22,000!” “Get _______ program and discover how to increase your guests by ____%” “Learn from proven church growth experts that can help you take your church from _____ to ____” 99.9% of the time the solutions being offered have more to do with marketing, organizational and human/social psychology or crowd manipulation than pastoring and discipling people and sharing Jesus. One offer actually said this: (our exponential growth) …didn’t happen just because the people in our church were more spiritual…. What made it possible is (insert the plan, video series, steps, handbook they are selling: read man made stuff) Spiritual snake oil. All of it. Does all that make you tired? Is it discouraging? It is to me. I'll be honest. It makes me mad. The church growth industry has become a way to make some nice scratch on the side for the retired gurus or a new source of income for those needing an exit ramp from their ministry because they are burned out from building what they are telling you to build with their formulas for numerical success. I get it, people who have a proven track record of putting butts in seats can come to believe that attracting a crowd is an evidence of God’s blessing - maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Crowds aren’t the point, Christ is. Seems like Jesus drew crowds too, he also noted that sometimes the people showed up not for who he was, but were there for the hype. There is a better way brother Pastor. Preach. Pray. Love. Stay Your crowds may not grow to the point you’ll be invited to share your ministry plan on a national platform. You may have to be bi-vocational or co-vocational to feed your family. You may never be podcast famous. You may be exhausted, resourced challenged, and struggle with envy wishing for greener ministry pastures. It's hard, but that's okay, you're not supposed to do ministry in your own power, wisdom or with some man made plan you bought from a dude who is selling strategy. Tend the field God has assigned you, do it to the best of your ability, let the scriptures be your guide and God be the definer of your success. Questions for Reflection
 This article was written by Bill Easum, long time Pastor and Church consultant. It can be found on the web in other places.
Throughout all of my consulting ministry, I have seen a disturbing pattern ... most established churches are held hostage by one or two bullies. Some individual or small group of individuals are usually extremely opposed to the church making any radical change, even if it means the change would give the church a chance to thrive once again. I keep hearing pastors say, "If I tried that, I'd lose my job!" Courageous pastors often ask, "What do I do when one person intimidates the church so much that it is not willing to try something new?" My response is always, "Either convert them, neutralize them, kick them out, or kill them. The Body can not live with cancer." To which someone usually cries, "That's not very Christian!" My response describes much of the wisdom of both the Old Testament and Jesus. Maturing Christians love so deeply that they will do anything, even not being nice, "for the sake of the Gospel. Jesus was so compassionate toward others that he could not remain quiet when he saw people holding other people in bondage. The Old Testament story of the wilderness wanderings contains a remarkable account of how Moses responded to a group of people who insisted on keeping the Hebrews bondage to the past .1 A group of people led by Korah came to Moses asking him to relinquish leadership because they wanted to take the Hebrews back to Egypt. Moses responded by falling on his face prostrate before them in prayer. Then he got up and slew all of them. Not very nice, but necessary if they were going to get to Canaan. Moses knew that freedom with God was better than slavery with Pharaoh. The same is true today... freedom to grow in grace is always better than enslavement to the status quo. Almost every struggling church has at least one dysfunctional bully who goes out of the way to be a big fish in a small pond. Often, that is the primary reason the church is struggling. This person gets his/her sense of self-worth by keeping the church so intimidated, either by their actions or their money, that very little can happen without that person's approval. The sad thing is most of the leaders know that this person is a stumbling block to the church's' future and they will not do anything about it. The church leaders ignore the bully thinking that is the Christian thing to do, and in so doing, assist in the stunted growth or death of the congregation. For example, I was working with a staff in a large church. The first day I met with the staff the tension was so high I could cut the air with a knife. The staff hardly said a word to one another. The next day when we met the staff laughed and cut up together as if they were one big happy family. As I looked around the table, the only apparent difference was that one staff person was not present. I asked the staff if they sensed the difference I was feeling. They knew exactly what I meant. Finally one of them blurted out, "Jim is not here today. Staff meetings are always better when he's not here." It turned out that Jim was a dysfunctional bully who ran to the personnel committee every time he didn't get his way. Because of him several competent staff members had been fired. To make matters worse, the staff knew that Jim seldom contributed anything to the health and vitality of the church. I asked the staff if they had confronted Jim with how they felt. Their response was typical for church folks. "That would not be the Christian thing to do. It would hurt him deeply. After all, the church is all he has." Sure, it's all that he has; no one else would put up with him. Who is the most dysfunctional, Jim or the staff? A church not far from me told its Bishop that it wanted a young pastor. It wasn't long before they got one. One of the first things the young pastor did was ask the Board to change the appearance of the church newspaper. The Board unanimously voted to do so. Four months later, I noticed the newspaper was switched back to its old form. I called the pastor to ask why. His response is a classic. "Most of the Board were present the night we voted. However, one man was out of the country. When he returned to find that a decision had been made in his absence, he demanded that the chairperson immediately call another meeting. At the second meeting, the Board voted unanimously to rescind their previous decision about the newspaper." When I asked why, he replied: "This man always pays off any deficit at the end of year and he wanted the vote changed. The Board was afraid to buck him." The future of that church was held hostage to a bully. I'm convinced that one of the main sins of the established church is that we have taught ourselves to be nice instead of being Christian. In spite of aspiring to be a disciple of Jesus, we teach that the essence of Christianity is to be nice. Where do we get such a notion? Certainly not from the actions of Jesus. One of the hallmarks of Jesus's ministry was his constant attack on the status quo. He challenged it every time he could. He even went out of his way to upset the religious bullies of his time. He called them "white sepulchers" and by doing so attacked the very heart of their priesthood based on purity.2 Jesus loved church leaders too much to allow them remain such small persons. When Peter showed his displeasure over the impending death of his Lord, Jesus said to him "Get behind me Satan."3 Jesus loved his disciples too much to let them miss one of the more important lessons of servanthood. Jesus, the man who said, "be compassionate as God is compassionate,"4 had no desire to be nice because ...being nice has nothing to do with being Christian. Being nice is often nothing more than a lack of compassion for people. Let's explore what this means. At one point, in a holy rage, Jesus entered the Temple with a large, metal-tipped whip and drove out the money changers. As he did, he quipped, "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves."5 If we discover why Jesus responded to religious bullies this way, we will also discover why so many church leaders refuse to follow his example. When Jesus cleansed the temple he was in the Court of the Gentiles. This was the only part of the temple where gentiles were allowed to worship. What ticked Jesus off was that the religious leaders were using the only place gentiles could worship God as the place to sell their wares. What was to be a place of spiritual discovery and worship for the gentiles, was turned into an economic opportunity for the religious leaders. (Sound familiar?) The focus of the religious leaders was on themselves, not the spiritual vitality of the gentiles. So he drove them out. Therefore, thieves are those who do religious things for their own purpose. So when we are doing things that only benefit those within the church, we become a den of thieves. When we say that we want it this way because it has always been this way, we are a den of thieves. We when focus on only the needs of our members, we are robbing the community of a chance to join us in our journey of faith. Such action is intolerable for people of compassion and love. Church leaders are robbing people of their spiritual birthright when they allow dysfunctional people to sell their petty wares in the house of God rather than to proclaim release from bondage. We really need to get clear on this problem and do something about. If we really love people, and if we really want them to experience the love of God, then we will not ever allow the bully to rob others of their spiritual birthright. Anyone who knows how family systems work, knows that the worst thing one can do with dysfunctional people is to give them more attention by giving into their every whim. Instead, tough love has to be applied. The compassionate thing to do is to hold them accountable for their self-centered actions for in doing so they may begin the journey with God. Jesus shows us what to do with people who do not want to grow spiritually. In training his disciples how to spread the word of God's love, he told the disciples to "shake off the dust of your feet" when they encountered people who did not receive them graciously.6 Jesus loved people too much to let anything slow down the process of setting people free from their bondage whatever it is. People who would rather be nice than Christian do not love enough. They do not have enough compassion. Instead, they are afraid of hurting someone or of being hurt. Remember, fear is the opposite of love. "Perfect love casts out all fear."7 If we really cared about people, we would not allow anyone to bully others into submission, instead we would want every person to feel free enough to express their hopes and dreams, to stretch their wings, and to reach their God-given potential. If we really loved people, we would not base our decisions on whether or not people would like us for those decisions. Being nice or being liked is never a goal for followers of Jesus. What does being nice accomplish in the church?
One of the basic lessons I'm learning as a consultant is that before renewal begins in a church or denomination, it is normal that someone has to leave or be denied. Almost every time a dying church attempts to thrive once again, someone tries to bully the leadership out of the attempt. And almost every time, if a turn around is to take place, such persons are lost along the way because they are no longer allowed to get their way. When they can't get their way, they leave. Not even Jesus got through the journey with all of their disciples. Why should we expect too? This does not mean that we should set out to intimate the bully or to kick people out of the church. It does mean that we care enough about the future of our church not to allow anyone to stifle its ability to liberate people from bondage or victimization. It means that we care enough about the bully that we will not allow the bully to intimate the church because we know the spiritual vitality of both the bully and the church is at stake. Matthew 18 gives us a formula for dealing with the dysfunctional bully. First, an individual privately confronts the person with what he/she is doing and asks the person to stop. If this doesn't achieve positive results, two or more people are to confront the person. If this does not resolve the matter, the person is to be brought before the entire church. Listen again to the not- so-nice words of Jesus. "And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican." In other words, withdraw from that person's presence, or in our case rem ove that person from office! Never, ever, allow such a person to dictate the direction of the church.8 The next time someone in your church attempts to intimidate or bully the church out of taking a positive step forward, go to God in prayer, and then get out the metal-tipped whip and drive that person out of the church....of course in love.9 ______________ 1 Numbers 16
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