Reconnect Your Church provides a practical, road-tested vision and process to equip church leaders to reinvigorate their church
How can churches stay healthy and dynamic over the long-term? What’s needed to avoid or reverse church stagnation and decline?
While some churches are vibrant and growing, many more are struggling, especially after Covid. The congregation might be declining and ageing, there’s little success in reaching out to with the gospel, and more time is spent on inward facing problems than loving God and loving others. But the potential that could be released is huge.
David Brown draws on his experience revitalising a church in central Paris to offer a vision and a process for church revitalisation, with a focus on UK and European contexts. Whether you are church planting, in a well-established and thriving church, or looking to turn around a church in decline, Brown provides biblically grounded wisdom along with change management principles for long-term health.
When we reapply God’s priorities to the church, we unleash new life and energy in following Christ in community.
Mục lục
Acknowledgments ix
Case studies 1
Introduction 5
Chapter 1 My revitalisation story 7
Chapter 2 The need for revitalisation 16
Chapter 3 Is revitalisation biblical? 30
Chapter 4 What should a healthy church look like? 42
Chapter 5 Getting started with change 59
Chapter 6 The process: developing a strategy for change 74
THE SOCIAL DIMENSION OF REVITALISATION
Chapter 7 The social dimension of revitalisation: community 90
Chapter 8 The social dimension of revitalisation: outreach 100
THE SOCIETAL DIMENSION OF REVITALISATION
Chapter 9 The societal dimension of revitalisation: plausibility 112
Chapter 10 The societal dimension of revitalisation: adaptability 123
THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION OF REVITALISATION
Chapter 11 The spiritual dimension of revitalisation 138
Chapter 12 Discipleship in a healthy church 153
IMPLEMENTING THE VISION
Chapter 13 Starting the movement 171
Chapter 14 Working towards lasting change: leadership 181
Chapter 15 Working towards lasting change: practical issues 194
Chapter 16 Working towards lasting change: strategic issues 200
Further resources 205
Giới thiệu về tác giả
David Brown has 40 years of experience as a pastor and church planter in France, with a dozen books published in French. He is leader of the Church Revitalisation Network run by the European Leadership Forum, teaching seminars and mentoring pastors across Europe.