By Dr. Tom Cheyney
Founder & Directional
Leader
Myths About Rural Church Revitalization Growth!
Uncovering some common misconceptions about Rural
Church Revitalization and Renewal.
Prepared for Lafayette Baptist Association
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Myths About Rural Church Revitalization
Growth!
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a copy of this presentation or subscribe to the Church Revitalizer
Weekly Blog from Tom Cheyney.
The Real Realities of Rural
Revitalization
Millions of rural people are moving from country
to city in a stream that has not slackened from the
end of World War II until now. And the strongest
force behind this migration, then as now, has
been economic challenges on the farm.The farmto-city migration has obviously produced
advantages to the corporate economy. The
departure of so many people has seriously
weakened rural communities and economies all
over the country.
Seven Pillars of Church Revitalization
Revitalization
Realignment
Restart &
Repotting
Revisioning
Refocusing
Restoration
Reinvention
Renewal
Tom Cheyney ©1997
+
Myths About Rural Church
Revitalization Growth!
The typical congregational church
revitalization planning process is
overloaded with wishes, dreams, and
myths that undermine effective
decision-making. Nine common
examples illustrate this syndrome:
+ Myths About Rural Church
Revitalization Growth!
Myth 1: If we refurbish it, they will come.
recent and projected population growth in this community suggests that if we
refurbish now we will grow shortly. It is a realistic goal. Therefore we have
launched a capital fund campaign to refurbish our physical facilities. We’re
convinced that if we refurbish it, they will come.”
“The
Reality:
That slogan was a great story line for a wonderful
baseball movie, but for renewal churches, it overlooks two
crucial variables. First, the initial focus on responding to rapid
population growth should be on expanding the ministry and
raising the quality of what is offered. Adding program staff should
come before construction and refurbishment of the facilities.
A
second issue is the assimilation of newcomers. Unless the
process for the assimilation of new people is improved and
expanded, a 50 percent increase in membership may produce
only a 10 percent increase in worship attendance.
+ Myths About Rural Church
Revitalization Growth!
Myth 2: Don’t make changes in the first year.
A
Church Revitalizer said: “When I came to this renewal
congregation, three veteran pastors advised me to spend the first
year identifying the lay of the land and getting acquainted with
the people. They warned me to minimize the number of changes
I should introduce in the first year.”
Reality:
That may be wise advice for congregations whose
leader left under a cloud and for whom the number-one priority
is reestablishing trust in the office of pastor. In most rural
churches, however, the new pastor would be wise to take
advantage of the honeymoon period to (a) earn trust, (b) build
alliances with future-oriented leaders, and (c) initiate overdue
changes. It gets harder the longer you are there.
+ Myths About Rural Church
Revitalization Growth!
Myth 3: If we emphasize friendliness it makes visitors
return.
a friendly church. We make it a point to welcome
every first-time visitor. Less than a fourth of our first-time
visitors, however, return a second time, and fewer than half of
those join our church. How can we be more effective in
persuading visitors we want them to return?”
“We’re
Reality:
While some church shoppers, especially those who
live alone and those who were born before 1935, place
friendliness at the top of their list in evaluating churches, the
vast majority have another criterion: Will this congregation
appear to be relevant and responsive to my religious needs?
+ Myths About Rural Church
Revitalization Growth!
Myth 4: In renewal money precedes ministry.
we could solve our churches financial problems, we could
concentrate on evangelism, missions, and improving our
ministry. Our people, however, are not generous contributors.
Every year we have a deficit in our operating budget. What can
we do to improve our financial base?”
“If
Reality:
In one of five congregations, this is a genuine
problem. But in most churches, a financial squeeze is
symptomatic of a larger issue. The three most common causes of
a low level of financial support by the people are (a) a low level
of commitment resulting from low expectations, (b) no
compelling and unifying vision of what God is calling this
congregation to be about, and (c) inadequate internal
communication of financial needs. When these conditions
prevail, a low level of financial support is inevitable.
+ Myths About Rural Church
Revitalization Growth!
Myth 5: Effective leaders are facilitators.
was taught in seminary that a renewal pastor should be
an enabler or facilitator.”
“I
Reality:
The enabler style of pastoral leadership is
appropriate in perhaps 75,000 Protestant churches in the
United States. These congregations average forty or fewer at
worship. Most of them want a loving shepherd, not an
initiating leader. That may explain why they remain small.
Another
75,000 Protestant congregations average 125 or
more at worship. In these, the guiding principle is that the
larger the size of the congregation, the more important it is
for the pastor to accept and fill the role of initiating leader.
Myths About Rural Church
+
Revitalization Growth!
Myth 6: As the rural community growth it means
the church will grow.
“The county planners tell us the population of this community will double
during the next decade. We must plan to accommodate the influx of
newcomers. If the population doubles, our church should at least double in
size.”
Reality: The number-one consequence of rapid population growth for longestablished congregations in need of renewal is usually not an increase in
attendance. A more common result is a sharp rise in the level of
competition among churches. New congregations are founded. Several
existing congregations upgrade their physical plants or relocate to a larger
site and construct new facilities. Staffs are expanded, ministries are
enriched, and new programs are designed to reach the newcomers.
A second result is a rising demand for quality. The long-established
congregation that earned a grade of B on the quality, relevance, and scope
of its ministry ten years earlier waits patiently for newcomers to come
knocking on the door. The church shoppers, after comparing this
congregation with the competition, will likely give it a grade of C or D.
Rapid population growth means the bar for a grade of above average has
been raised a couple of notches.
+ Myths About Rural Church
Revitalization Growth!
Myth 7: Accommodate everyone in one
service.
so crowded for space we’ve had to go to four worship services
every weekend, one on Saturday evening and three on Sunday morning. Our
dream is to build a new worship center in which we can accommodate
everyone at one service on Sunday morning. That should reinforce our sense
of community.”
“We’re
Reality:
That may be the dumbest myth on this list. Cutting back to one
worship service on Sunday would mean that most, if not all, of the people
would have to change their schedule. That would probably reduce worship
attendance by at least 15 percent.
A
wiser alternative would be to answer two questions: First, how
can we sharpen the differences among the four services so that
each serves a clearly defined constituency? Second, when should
we add a fifth service to the schedule and what people should it
reach?
+ Myths About Rural Church
Revitalization Growth!
Myth 8: Sermons should be shorter.
been told that sermons are getting shorter. In the 1950s the typical
sermon was thirty minutes. In the 1970s it was twenty-two minutes, and now
I’m told I should plan on sermons lasting no more than fifteen to eighteen
minutes. Television and the faster pace of life have shortened people’s
attention span. I noticed at the Republican Convention that most of the
platform speeches were ten minutes or less.”
“I’ve
Reality:
Those are two irrelevant reference points. The number-one
context for the length of sermons is the size of the crowd. Three basic
generalizations apply.
First,
the larger the number of people in the room, and the greater the
degree of anonymity among the people, and the larger the proportion who
have been worshiping there for less than two years, the more time is
required for music and intercessory prayer to transform that collection of
individuals into a worshiping community. Small congregations take five to
fifteen minutes. Very large congregations take twenty-five to thirty-five
minutes.
+ Myths About Rural Church
Revitalization Growth!
Myth 8: Sermons should be shorter.
Second,
the larger the crowd and the greater the emphasis on
teaching, the longer the sermon should be. That also applies to
the need for humor, change of pace, revealing personal
anecdotes, and redundancy.
Third,
unless it includes a highly liturgical format built around
the Lord’s Supper, the larger the crowd, the longer the service.
Forty to fifty minutes may be appropriate when attendance is less
than a hundred, but if it exceeds five hundred, the worship
experience should be in the sixty-five to ninety-minute range.
+Renewing Vintage
Churches
Churches Older
than 40 need a plan
to stay fit!
By Dr. Tom Cheyney
+
Renewing Vintage Churches
In his book, What Have We Learned? The Best
Thinking on Congregational Life (Abingdon, 2001), Lyle
Schaller writes, “While exceptions do exist, the general
pattern is that congregations that have been meeting at
the same address for more than forty years tend to give
a higher priority to (a) perpetuating the past rather
than creating the new, (b) taking care of today’s
members rather than seeking to reach the
unchurched, (c) maintaining the real estate rather than
launching new ministries to reach new generations.”
He concludes: “Never before in American church history
have there been so many congregations that are
vulnerable to this ‘forty-year syndrome.’”
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Renewing Vintage Churches
Research indicates that three-fourths
of all U.S. congregations are at least
40 years old. Daunting challenges
await those of us who would
transition long-established churches
from decline to health.
A few foundational principles are
key:
+
Renewing Vintage Churches
1. Don’t dodge the real issues.
Effective
renewal leaders measure results in terms of
changed lives. They are impatient with “playing church.”
They know that some churches will be content to discuss
change endlessly, if those discussions enable them to avoid
taking action they deem risky. Honest doubts and struggles
are one thing; there must always be room to hear and
respond to those. But when discussions are interminable and
data requests insatiable, good leaders point out the pattern of
work-avoidance and get people back on track.
Determining
what matters is something persistent leaders
must do continually.
+
Renewing Vintage Churches
2. Patiently keep the heat on.
A
congregation’s potential is like an egg.
You can’t hatch an egg with a blowtorch.
You must wait for the egg to mature. But it is
also true that unless eggs are warmed
continuously, they will never hatch. The
process cannot be rushed; neither can it be
neglected. Eggs either hatch or go bad.
Those whom God uses to renew declining
congregations will patiently keep the heat
on.
+
Renewing Vintage Churches
3. Connect past to present.
Sometimes
the way forward is first a creative look back.
Take time to research your congregation’s history. Your
church’s heritage can be a gold mine with cobwebs
strewn across the entrance. You can emerge with
nuggets in the form of stories. When these stories are
told and retold, corporate identity is enriched.
Members
of long-established congregations will
pursue growth when they sense that what is being asked
of them now is consistent with the ways God has been
active among them in the past. That is what legitimizes a
renewal process in an older congregation.
+
Renewing Vintage Churches
4. Farewells and fruitfulness.
 Starting
a new worship service designed to
reach unchurched people was one of the most
difficult changes our church ever made. We lost
some people over it. But new people joined us
soon afterward. Some were new to faith; others
came to us as Christians who wanted to share in
the outreach.
+
Renewing Vintage Churches

Our job as leaders is to focus on one overriding
concern: restoring the fruitfulness of our
churches. Many long-established congregations
have enjoyed wonderful seasons of productive
ministry in times past. Renewal leaders are
filled with anticipation that there are more such
times to come. They respond with hope to
Kennon Callahan’s “watershed question” (from
Twelve Keys to An Effective Church): Do you
believe that your best years are behind you, or
do you believe that your best years are yet
before you?
+
Renewing Vintage Churches
They remember that Jesus said:
“My true disciples produce much
fruit” (John 15:8, NLT).
And they will not rest until their
congregations are producing
disciples again.
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
Why is it that so many smaller churches are
not growing?
Good question. It rarely has anything to do
with how much the pastor and key leaders
love God. Some of the most devoted followers
of Jesus I know lead smaller churches that
are not growing. It also has little to do with
whether or not the church is part of a
denomination.
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
There are rural denominational churches that are
growing, and rural denominational churches that
aren't. Location isn't a deal killer either. Location is
important, obviously, but alone doesn't prevent
growth. Let's say, for example, your church is
located in a small rural area. That will have a
definite impact on the rate of growth and overall
growth potential of your congregation. But it doesn't
prevent it from growing. We know this from smaller
churches in little towns that are doing well. We know
this even more so because of the reverse. There are
smaller churches in huge cities that aren't growing
at all.
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
So what is it?
Before I offer some thoughts about why smaller
churches aren't growing I want to mention
something that I have written about a few times.
It's "The Big Three". They are prayer, evangelism
and leadership (development). This is a given.
There is and will always be a direct relationship
between the emphasis on these things and the
growth of your church. The intriguing thing about
these three elements is that they apply to both
smaller and larger churches.
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
The following five questions are connected to
possibilities about why your church isn't growing, or
could stop growing. They are meant to serve you as
a tool for evaluation that can move to
implementation and ultimately change that
produces growth.
These five ideas are not designed to be specific
solutions, but a set of leadership lenses to help you
see your church more clearly. I pray that as you
consider these five, you may be encouraged about
the potential of your church's future.
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
Has friendship outpaced focus?
On
of the best things about a smaller rural church
is that the fellowship is alive and vibrant. People
love and care for each other deeply. People know
each others names and connections are tight. That's
a good thing, a very good thing, but it can backfire
when it comes to growing the church. New people
visit and the church is friendly, but friendly like in a
hotel where the guests are not expected to stay for a
long time.
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
It's easy for a smaller rural church to turn inward and
invest most of its ministry energy into itself. In time
this will begin to shape how decisions are made, how
money is spent, and ultimately what the church does
and doesn't do in order to reach people.
In one way or another, the Great Commission is the
focus of your church. It's why your church was
started and why you keep it going. A focus on
friendship and relationships in general can take your
leadership eyes off the goal. So, how about your
church, which is truly first? Is your focus on the
Great Commission or caring for long established
relationships?
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
Have you stopped believing its possible?
I'm
certain that when your church was started there was
great passion and hope for its future. That's how all
churches start. Years into the journey, however, some or
even all the zeal can fade. And when the road has been
particularly difficult for some time, it's possible to no
longer believe the church will ever grow again. You can
talk the talk in the lobby and even on the platform, but
deep down inside you may have given up.
This sounds bleak, but I'm compelled to say it because
it's true in far too many churches. If you are the pastor or
a key leader, you must believe your church can grow.
You must believe it has a future. And if you can't believe
that, then believe that God has imagined a future and He
can grow it, but He needs you in the game. God needs you
to change your mind to match His. Capturing the mind of
Christ about your church is essential.
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
Kevin Myers, Senior Pastor of 12Stone Church
in Lawrenceville, GA occasionally tells the
story of when he gave up. Many years ago the church
was small and struggling and he lost faith in the
church's future. He shared this with a close pastor
friend and his friend said; if you've lost faith that your
church can go on, borrow mine! Kevin did! Today
12Stone has thousands of people attending. The size of
the church isn't as important your belief. Find some
leaders close to you who still believe and tap into their
faith until yours is once again strong enough to take
the lead.
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
Have you embraced a shotgun ministry style?
Over-simplified
and exaggerated for affect, there are
two approaches to ministry design in your church. 1.)
"If you have an idea for a new ministry that might
help somebody, do it." 2.) "No new ministries are
started here for the next two years." The general vibe
of the first one is "Yes." And the general vibe of the
second is "No." The second is the wiser of the two.
If you and your church team employ a nearly random
freedom to start ministries, even though they may be
good, you create a busy mess of activity. You
inadvertently experience a lack of focus that drains
the best ministries, and exhausts volunteers and
staff. In the big picture, you are doing more and
accomplishing less.
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
Have you embraced a shotgun ministry style?
It's important that you offer fewer ministries in order
to accomplish more life-changing ministry impact.
To do this, you need to be very intentional in your
choice of ministries. No one church can do every
ministry, that's an obvious fact. So what you choose to
do needs to be selected wisely and prayerfully.
Saying no to all other ministry options is not
squelching the Holy Spirit, its common sense granted
from God. Doing less allows you to do it better and
with deeper impact.
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
Is there a lack of courageous teaching?
Loud doesn't indicate truth and thundering away doesn't
guarantee courage. Courage comes from the inside. This
kind of godly boldness overcomes personal fear. When you
know God is speaking to you, there is a quiet confidence
that allows you to stand before the people and speak the
truth, letting the chips fall where they may.

I've been reading commentaries for many years. I respect
the hard work the authors put into their craft. But I get
frustrated when they get to the difficult verses and glance
over them or skip them altogether. I don't need
commentaries for the easy verses! People in your church
feel the same way about the messages, even if they don't
say it. Don't skip saying the hard stuff. I'm not referring
only to difficult biblical passages. In fact, I'm really
talking about the spiritual leadership contained in your
teaching.
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
Is there a lack of courageous teaching?
If you are the pastor, let me shoot straight. Ask God what
He wants to say to your people and say it. Don't back down.
Say it in love, but say it. People respond to truth, they don't
always like it on the first round, but they instinctively
know its right.
People respond better, over the long haul, to robust vision
over nicely crafted scholarly sermons! Don't expect one
Sunday to accomplish the big picture. This is a 52 week a
year process.
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
Does popularity override good decision-making?
Pressure
is part of every leader's life. How you handle it internally
and what you do with it externally matters. Pastors have to deal with
their issues just like anyone else. Pastors love people. That's a good
thing. The bad thing that often accompanies that reality is that
pastors want to please people. In a smaller church that can turn into
an issue of popularity. If the pastor's desire to be liked becomes
unhealthy, that can have a huge impact on decision-making in the
church. This does not reflect integrity or morals, just human
nature.
I'm a pastor and I love people. I prefer that people love me back.
But that doesn't always happen. Especially if I have to deliver an
answer that goes against what someone wants. But I must choose
the right leadership decision over being liked. Candidly, those
moments aren't much fun, but they are necessary. And they can
make the difference about whether or not a smaller church stays
small or grows larger.
+
Why Smaller Churches Don't Grow!
Take an honest look at these five questions. I
trust that addressing one or more with serious
effort will help your church reach its potential!
Here’s why I think locals resist those
innovative revitalization ideas
Using outside experts from the beginning sets up resistance.
Then they leave… and the plan is shelved, never to be seen
again.
The wrong townspeople are involved in the planning process
from the beginning. In small towns, and by this I mean towns
under population 10,000, run on volunteerism. The only way to
get stuff done is to organize a group of volunteers to do it. So,
many residents feel directly responsible for some part of their
towns current success. Too often, the ideas and views of the
people with the most influence and understanding of the town’s
current situation aren’t heard. Those residents are too busy
making the best of the current situation
Here’s why I think locals resist those
innovative revitalization ideas
To find these influential people takes a little
hunting. Go to your organized clubs,
churches and informal citizen gatherings and
ask the same question:
“If you were working on a project to make
our town better, name three people who
would have to be on your team.”
Here’s why I think locals resist those
innovative revitalization ideas.
Enlisting the support and involvement of
these people spreads the word and the good
work faster that lightning. You’ll avoid the
usual resistance and bring in workers and
volunteers who don’t usually step up,
because they have been asked to participate
by someone they respect.
+
Steps for Rural and Small Town
Revitalization
•
Keep a positive outlook about growth and renewal.
•
Seek to develop a micro-church in a microcommunity. The micro-church in a community of
1000 or less is different that most churches!
•
Rekindle the flame in a rural church by working
with what you have, refresh the organization and
restructure the church to be in pace with the new
rural often callled “neral.”
+
Steps for Rural and Small Town
Revitalization
•
Add relevant programs and eliminate nonrelevant ones. Adding fresh air helps a church
get buring again. Add people who are
responding to the new ideas and programs.
•
Allow the Lord and the Holy Spirit to gain control
and lead his church.
•
Define the roles of the Pastor and the People.
The Pastor is the Sphepherd and not the church
errand boy. The Laity are the servers and not the
rulers of the ministers.
+
Steps for Rural and Small Town
Revitalization
•
Take a realistic look at your churches structure
and determine if it is part of the reason you are
in decline.
•
Develop a new plan for reaching your area and
for relaunching your church with a fresh vision.
•
Teach your members how to get ready for
visitors. Reminding them that people today are
looking for friends not friendly churches.
+
Steps for Rural and Small Town
Revitalization
•
Take the church out into the community. Get
into the events which are part of your rural area.
This will help with visibility for your church.
•
Discover church members with a potential for
outreach.
•
Stop living in the past and start preparing for the
future.
•
Learn how to create excellence that does not
coast much.
+
Steps for Rural and Small Town
Revitalization
•
Resist the urge to settle for the every day and
mundane. Be a bold leader and seek excellence.
•
Slaughter the sacred cows which are killing your
church!
•
Stop puffing up the Status Quo.
•
Remember seeing requires believing. So believe
in the impossible and whatch God do it.
+
Steps for Rural and Small Town
Revitalization
A spiritual re-birth that comes from a renewed
understanding of the purpose of church in general and
of this church specifically. This can be fostered by a
careful study of Ephesians and the letters to the
churches in Revelation. Prayer is key.
Appropriate pastoral leadership. Good people skills. A
“becoming” vision. Knows how to do church. TRUST.
Lay leadership which is accepted by the congregation,
shares the vision of the pastor and cooperates with
him.
+
Steps for Rural and Small Town
Revitalization
Rethinking of the church field—from six miles to 30
miles.
Encouraging people to form new ministries and use
their '”gifts and graces.”
Break the less than 40 barrier, and for some the 75
barrier, and still others the 200 barrier.
Be blessed by the stork.
+Steps for Rural and Small Town
Revitalization
Adopt and work together on one or more successful
projects.
Reaching, even being mostly replaced, by a new people
group.
Finding and implementing a “signature' ministry. e.g.
Firewood ministry.
Resolving a conflict and moving forward in unity and
love.
Desperation. What to do when the “bell cow” or the
“stud duck” dies?
By Dr. Tom Cheyney
Founder & Directional
Leader
Myths About Rural Church Revitalization Growth!
Uncovering some common misconceptions about Rural
Church Revitalization and Renewal.
Prepared for Lafayette Baptist Assocication