Hosted By
Hosts: Bart Blair (Director of Church Revitalization, Assist Church Expansion) & Nathan Bryant (Executive Director, Assist)
In this episode, Bart and Nathan discuss five common obstacles that derail church revitalization efforts. Based on years of experience coaching churches through renewal and replanting, they identify specific failure points and provide practical solutions to help church leaders navigate change more effectively. This episode is designed to help church leaders position their churches for success in 2026 and beyond.
• Overestimated Readiness: Churches think they're ready for change but haven't prepared their congregation or identified cultural barriers—use health and readiness assessments before launching revitalization.
• Unrealistic Growth Expectations: Expecting to reach younger demographics without addressing cultural dissonance—conduct a demographic study and focus on reaching the lost, not just targeting an age group.
• Poor Leadership Pacing: Leaders often move too fast without relational capital or too slowly without momentum—get a coach and build a strategic vision team to maintain accountability.
• Complicated Decision-Making: Consensus-based governance on every decision creates red tape that prevents progress—delineate staff, board, and congregational decisions and simplify your structure.
• Unprepared for Conflict: Most churches are reactive rather than proactive in conflict management—implement Biblical conflict training before crisis hits and address issues early using Matthew 18 principles.
Key Points:
• Hearts say "yes" to change, but heads aren't prepared to follow
• Churches are unclear about how much change is actually necessary
• They're looking for a "silver bullet" rather than understanding systemic cultural change
• Congregants have conflated practices with theology—they believe cultural expressions are biblical mandates
• Small changes (like removing a painting or changing wall colors) can create unexpected resistance
Solution:
• Conduct a Health Assessment and Readiness Assessment before beginning revitalization
• Use the "Praying for Renewal in Our Church" 40-day prayer guide to prepare the congregation spiritually
• Download the Health Assessment at RevitalizeMyChurch.com
• Spend time nurturing relationships and moving people toward readiness rather than rushing into change
Key Points:
• Churches have lost younger generations due to cultural dissonance between the church's identity and contemporary culture
• The church's identity is often frozen at its "peak"—whatever cultural expression existed when the church was most vibrant becomes permanent
• Young people feel they're "time traveling" when they enter the sanctuary
• Young adults seek churches where they can bring friends and feel culturally at home
• Focus should be on reaching the lost, not necessarily on achieving a specific age demographic
Solution:
• Conduct a demographic community study to understand who lives in your area
• Ask and answer: "Who are we most likely to reach given our location and community connections?"
• Don't assume that hiring a young pastor automatically attracts young families
• Recognize that growth often happens with people just 5 years younger than your current average age—don't make youth the only goal
• Leaders come in with vision and urgency but haven't built relational capital
• They move like managers ("do what I say") rather than leaders ("follow where I'm going")
• Changing minor things that congregants hold dear creates major conflicts
• Leaders haven't given people time to process and buy into the vision
• Key leaders burn out waiting for change to happen
• Momentum dissipates when prepared leaders see no action
• "Should do's" accumulate without implementation
Solution:
• Get a coach who understands change management to help you discern pace
• Build a Strategic Vision Team of key stakeholders and influencers
• Include an administrator on the vision team to maintain accountability for implemented decisions
• Reference: "Canoeing the Mountains" by Todd Bolsinger—people will trust you "off the map" when they trust you "on the map"
• Reference: "The 5 Levels of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell—understand that title alone is the lowest level of leadership influence
Key Points:
• Smaller, declining churches often have all remaining members in leadership positions (church council, board, etc.)
• "Consensus thinking" requires agreement on everything—from paint colors to curriculum choices
• This structure empowers the "least common denominator" and prevents necessary change
• The congregation gets consulted on decisions where they shouldn't have a vote
Solution:
• Bring in a third party to assess your current decision-making structure
• Clearly delineate three categories: Staff decisions (made by staff/pastor with board input), Board decisions (made by board without full congregational vote), and Congregational decisions (major vision, budget, hiring senior pastor, etc.)
• Don't rewrite bylaws and constitutions—instead, temporarily suspend them and operate under a simplified structure
• Ask: "Was the constitution written for the church, or the church written for the constitution?"
Key Points:
• Change always brings conflict—it's not something to avoid but to manage well
• 80-85% of conflicts are communication issues (misunderstandings, assumed motives)
• According to "Becoming a Future Ready Church," the top cause of church conflict is people's behavior—not theology
• Churches often respond reactively: sweeping issues under the rug, allowing gossip, avoiding confrontation
• Unresolved conflict always creates more conflict
• Matthew 18 gives biblical framework: address individually first, then with two witnesses
Solution:
• Be proactive, not reactive—train before crisis hits
• Implement Biblical Conflict Management training for pastors and elders
• Teach the congregation about grace, unity, and Christ-centered relationships
• Nip conflict in the bud through healthy, timely conversation
• When addressing conflict, never go alone—bring two witnesses
• Consider being part of a denominational group for mediation help at higher levels
• Look into online courses and consultation groups specializing in Biblical conflict management
Key Takeaways
1. Assess before you accelerate. Use both health and readiness assessments.
2. Build relational capital before spending it on change.
3. Know your community. Don't assume you know who you should reach.
4. Simplify your governance. Not every decision requires full congregation input.
5. Prepare for conflict proactively. Biblical conflict management is a learnable skill.
Resources Mentioned
• Health Assessment: Available at RevitalizeMy.Church
• "Praying for Renewal in Our Church": A 40-day prayer guide for church renewal
• "Canoeing the Mountains" by Todd Bolsinger
• "The 5 Levels of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell
• "Becoming a Future Ready Church"
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About the Revitalize My Church Podcast: Since summer 2024, we've been helping church leaders navigate change and reorient to healthy futures. Our goal isn't to make small churches big—it's to help churches vision, revitalize, or restart find solid footing and healthy systems.
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