Should I Rescue or Plant a Church?

Published December 7, 2016

Christian leaders often debate whether revitalizing unhealthy churches is as vital for gospel advance as starting new ones.

Here are some helpful questions to help you determine if you should set out to rescue or plant a church.

1. Is this church really savable? If leaders can’t see with faith what God can do, revitalization seldom works.
2. Is this church really willing to change? If you constantly hit the wall of traditionalism, you’ll be battling discouragement when seemingly everybody fights change.
3. Has God obviously been preparing this church for revitalization?
4. Do you have genuine passion for revitalization to get you through the slower tough times?
5. Is your location a deterrent for revitalization? What about your building?
6. Do you like challenges and won’t run from conflict?
7. Has God really called & equipped me to this task? Revitalization is hard. Leaders often want to give up and begin to wonder whether God has gifted them to do this. By God’s design, church planters and revitalizers are wired differently.

The Great Turnaround: When and How to Revitalize a Church