Revitalize Your Church

Church Metrics is a new free resource to help churches keep tabs on attendance, giving, salvations and baptisms. Of course, these statistics, in themselves, do not show the whole picture. For instance, it is difficult to measure the depth of love, the strength of prayer and the heart of missional service. However, it is wise for church leaders to keep an eye on the measurable "dashboard indicators." If attendance, giving, salvations and baptisms are all going down, there's probably an issue somewhere that ought to be addressed.

Upright Christians pray without ceasing; though they pray not always with their mouths, yet their hearts pray continually, sleeping and waking; for the sigh of a true Christian is a prayer.. -- Martin Luther, Table Talk

Yesterday, I found myself neck deep in suffering. That's the lot of a minister. We're called to enter into the sufferings of others. On any given day, I find myself facing a plethora of heartaches, struggles, and fears. Some days bring more than others. The last two days, it just seemed overwhelming. Late yesterday afternoon, I wrote down all the different issues and sufferings that came across my path. There were so many hurting people. My heart broke for them. I carried these heavy burdens home. I dreamed about them last night. Even this morning, the heaviness was there. In my early morning prayer, I brought all these issues to the Lord. Then Jesus said, "You give them something to eat." (Mark 6) "I can't possibly give these dear people what they need! I don't have enough!" "What do you have?" "Just a few small loaves -- just crumbs of energy and insight. Surely, not enough to meet these desperate needs!" "Give them to me...

Revival is when God gets so sick and tired of being misrepresented, He shows up Himself. -- Leonard Ravenhill

A powerful observation from my blogger friend, Bob Roberts: I must not know what Missional Church is. I received the current Leadership Journal issue that dealt with this issue. It was all about “converts” and “church”, absent as to engagement. That isn’t to say church and converts don’t matter, it is to say we have made missional about us, and not them, about redefining church and not enlarging and engaging the Kingdom of God, a big mistake. When will we get back to disciples and society? This was what “making disciples” of “all nations” is about, raising up spiritual and loving people to touch nations with the love of God glocally! I don’t know what I am, or what we would be labeled, as a church. I just don’t think it matters. The power is in the outflow of the love of God, not in the brand or label. Read the rest of the post here

The key to revival is not getting our churches filled with people, but getting the people who come to our churches filled with God." -- Duncan Campbell

God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede. -- Oswald Chambers