Table of Contents

How Do You Know If You Are Ready for Redevelopment?

by Jim Caprell

Reversing Unwelcoming Welcome Habits

by Peter W. Marty

Renewing a Mainline Congregation Requires More Than Praise Music and Small Groups

by R. Robert Cueni

How to Address the Stress Points in Turnaround Churches

by William M. Easum

Revitalizing the Rural (or Anywhere!) Church

by James A. Shelly

So Tell Me...Interviews with Faithful, Effective, and Innovative Leaders:  Featuring Ron Martoia

by Norman Jameson

Turnaround Congregations Moving from Decline to Health, Growth, Renewed Mission

by Marta Poling-Goldenne

Building the Human Resources Team

by Thomas G. Bandy

The Church That's Continually Opening New Doors

by Dale E. Galloway

Coaching Corner

by James A. Shelly

When our family bought a new house, we faced the challenge of a coal stove--the primary heat source. As the chilling November winds blew in, I had my first experiences with learning how to operate it.

First, I learned that only a blazing hot fire heats up the coal. Initially, I tried newspaper and wood chips, but the coal did not get hot enough. Eventually, I found that you need lots of big wood logs. Later, one of our church members clued me in on using charcoal to start the fire. Finally, we ended up with a glowing, even fire that heated the entire house.

Next, I learned how tricky it is to keep the coal fire going day to day. The fire needs enough draft to keep it hot. Also, a thick bottom layer of ashes builds up, preventing the air from circulating and causing the fire to go out. To keep the fire hot enough, I had to maintain the right balance of coal and draft. That means every morning and evening I have to shake the grates until only hot coals remain, carry out the ashes, and shovel in a new layer of fresh coal.

            The coal fire provides a metaphor for a congregation’s spiritual life--a people united by God and alive with God’s fire. Throughout Scripture, fire symbolizes the Holy Spirit’s presence. Church renewal comes when members experience anew the fire of God in their hearts, minds, and spirits, reigniting their relationship with Jesus Christ. The fire then ignites others in the community and beyond.

Fueling the Fire

The fuel for the spiritual fire is the Word of God, spreading from believer to believer. For example, nine-year-old Charlotte* attended our Sunday school. Concerned that her dad did not attend worship services, she asked him to come with her. Fred* started attending our early-morning worship service. He became interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and asked me to meet with him. After several weekly meetings, Fred became more and more interested in the Bible and wanted to deepen his relationship with Jesus. We focused on the power of prayer. Fred’s relationship with Jesus grew warmer and warmer. At the start of this year, Fred decided to quit smoking after being addicted for thirty-seven years. He knew it would be difficult so he asked Jesus for help. To his amazement, he quit more easily than he had expected.

Then Fred told me how God used this experience to reach a friend at work. Fred worked as a boilermaker for many years, his present position in safety control. A fellow worker noticed he had quit smoking and asked him about it. Fred said the power of Jesus Christ enabled him to quit (Fred never discussed faith concerns with this man previously). His coworker friend told Fred that his faith in God waned after the death of his nephew’s infant son. Tears welled up in their eyes. Fred then shared his own faith story and assured his friend that God still loved and cared for him. Fred’s fire rekindled the faith of his friend. Faith-fire can spread from person to person in many different ways and places.

The Word of God comes alive in us in various ways. First, by being read and studied, the Word reminds us of the presence of Jesus and of his power to work in our lives today. Fred learned that God was with him outside of the church building and that Jesus cares about every area of his life. As Fred and I spent more time in the Bible, more fuel enlarged his fire.

Recently, our postmaster told me that she reads the Bible to her husband each day, but they find parts of it difficult to understand. I loaned her a copy of a study Bible we use in our Sunday school. She enjoyed it so much that she purchased her own copy. Deeper discussions arose about Jesus Christ and how God works in our lives. Her fire grew warmer and warmer.

Second, God’s Word comes alive through prayer. In our church’s prayer ministry, thirty-five prayer partners pray each day for our church, using a daily guide that I write each month. The daily prayer petitions include our staff, leaders, organizations, committees, etc. Each week our director of Christian education updates and distributes a prayer list of those who have sickness or special needs. We have a phone chain for emergencies, as well as a weekly group that prays for each member on our rolls and for emergency concerns. Also, on Good Friday we hold a prayer vigil at the church. Members may sign up for time slots to come and pray for themselves, for others in need, and for the church ministries.

Third, the Word of God comes alive through worship. Worship honors God and renews our spirits. We offer a variety of worship opportunities. Our fastest growing service is a simple one at 8:00 a.m. with Scripture reading, a brief meditation, and Holy Communion. The only music consists of an organ prelude and one hymn at the end of the service.

Our second Sunday worship experience is a traditional Lutheran service adapted to be more seeker sensitive. We try to keep the order of service simple and clearly printed in the bulletin so visitors won’t get lost. This service includes both traditional hymns and contemporary praise songs. A formal adult choir and children’s choirs provide the special music.

A contemporary service offers a third alternative on the first and third Saturday evenings each month. A worship band drawn from our church members leads this service. Electric guitar, bass, keyboard, and rhythm instruments contribute to the upbeat sound. A bulletin with the order of service also contains the song lyrics and Scripture passages. Surprisingly, this service has not drawn a big crowd. We continue to struggle with how to make it a more effective worship experience.

On the first and third Wednesday evenings we offer a Holy Communion service similar to the 8:00 a.m. Sunday service. Some of our members must work on Sundays; others have physical conditions that make them uncomfortable in large crowds. One particular extended family that owns a restaurant has adopted this service. The children have actively participated since they were young, serving as ushers, greeters, Communion assistants, and readers. They gradually assumed more responsible roles as they matured.

Our music director and I lead worship services in area nursing homes. On a recent Sunday, Henrietta, who met us in a nursing home, joined our church. That was her first time in our church building. She moved here from out of state and needed a church home, but she had been too ill to venture beyond the nursing home to worship.

For several years, we also offered a monthly healing service. This provided a ministry to members and friends for individual prayer. One of our members, who seldom attended any of the other services, came to this service because it met his need for a small, personal worship time. Another family from a neighboring church found comfort in this service when they brought their terminally ill child for prayer. However, we have discontinued the healing service because attendance eventually dwindled.

Sometimes new services succeed and sometimes they don’t. However, numbers are not the only measure of success. We remain open to starting new services as the Spirit leads.

Fourth, the Word of God comes as we live out our relationship with Jesus through helping other people. As others are touched by our fire’s glow, they may want to be on fire for Jesus, too.

Youth mission trips have offered an exciting adventure for junior- and senior-high students to experience the hard work and joy of serving Jesus Christ. They travel to remote areas to work with other Christian teens to rebuild homes of needy people. These trips, often times of deep significance and turning points in teens’ faith commitments, help them learn to love others who are poor and disenfranchised.

Some of our members collect food and clothing for area food banks and collection agencies. Our volunteer parish nurses take blood pressures after worship services, organize health fairs, and provide health information. Members visit homebound and hospitalized people, deliver “meals on wheels,” provide transportation for those in need, and deliver audiotapes of our worship services to homebound members. We can share the spark of God’s love in many ways.

Keeping the Fire Hot

What inhibits our spiritual fire? “Ashes” can build up in a congregation and quench the Spirit. In a coal fire, ashes are the residue of the past. Spiritual ashes can be the residue of past spiritual fires such as old traditions, customs, and ways of doing ministry. At one time they served a useful purpose, but they now are spent and inhibit the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual ashes need to be identified. For example, after attending an exciting conference at Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago, I decided to make changes in our 10:15 a.m. Sunday worship service to make it more seeker friendly. A barrage of criticism met me at the next church council meeting. “It’s just not Lutheran!” “We’ve never done it that way before!” “I joined this church because I liked the service the way it was!” I explained that change is really very “Lutheran.” After all, Martin Luther wrote hymns to bar tunes and incorporated them into the worship practices of his day. To me removing the ashes of our past worship style disturbed the fire, but this was necessary to renew it.

After several attempts to establish a long-range plan based on the existing systems in our congregation, we have begun to ask bigger questions. Have we outgrown our present facilities? Do the hard pews and cramped 19th-century architecture keep people from attending worship? Do we need more staff? If so, should that be a full-time Christian education director, a youth pastor, or a paid parish nurse? Should we discontinue some services in order to add others? Does our committee structure offer the most effective way to conduct business? Can we communicate vision and do the work of the church in better ways?

These big questions have no simple answers. The changes they bring will cost lots of money, rankle those who like the status quo, and perhaps divide the church. However, they could allow the fire of the Spirit to flow more extensively in our midst and into the surrounding community. A healthy, renewing church is a growing church.

On the other hand, some still say, “I joined this church because it was small and personal. Why do we have to become big?” Our future may not necessarily include major growth in our own church building. Following our long-range plan could lead us to establish mission churches elsewhere. But we can’t just turn inward and hope to maintain the fire with no changes.

With a coal fire, removing ashes greatly disturbs the fire because you must shake the grates that support the coals under the fire, so that the ashes fall in a pan below. After adding the new coal, the glow of the fire actually disappears until the fresh coal starts fire. Gradually, intensely hot, blue flames pop up through the black coals, until at last a fresh bed of glowing red coals becomes established. 

So, too, when we remove ashes from a waning spiritual fire in the church, the immediate result will most likely be traumatic. It shakes and changes the established way of doing things. During this time we must rely on the Holy Spirit’s power to warm the new coals of change. Even though it may take time, the new fire will eventually burn brightly. The result is a fire more dependent on the Holy Spirit, burning with a brighter flame.

Be sure to communicate the reasons for the changes and have support in making them. During one period of change, our council president complained to the bishop about my leadership abilities. She didn’t see that my ministry had headed in the course she wanted. One of my toughest challenges was to remain loving toward this person as she continued her attacks. In the end, God vindicated the situation. With the bishop’s strong support, we came through that difficult period stronger and more confident of God’s direction. Sometimes changes can anger and divide members--alienating those who want the change from those who don’t. Try to keep members talking with and appreciating each other.

To make changes, leaders need a support system. I need to spend at least an hour a day in prayer--sometimes much more. Jesus understands conflict. He will compassionately get me through the changes. Our church belongs to Jesus, who will sustain it and make it grow as he desires. We also need human support: a listening ear, an objective perspective, and someone to pray for us. I have met weekly with local pastors for Bible study and monthly with the area ministerium. I also serve on our synod’s leadership support committee, which organizes annual prayer retreats and provides various opportunities for growth and support for church leaders. I have found help from a number of experts in discovering ways to accomplish changes leading to renewal. Conferences and books by pastors such as Walt Kallestad, Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, Tom Bandy, Bill Easum, Robert Schuller, and others have inspired, encouraged, and guided me.

Don’t try renewal alone. You are part of the family of God. Identifying ashes, removing them, and adding coal require a team effort. Use the resources that God brings into your life. You need to keep company with other hot coals so your fire can keep going.

Is the Fire Hot in Your Church?

Examine the life of your congregation and identify the things inhibiting your people from experiencing a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Identify the customs, traditions, practices, and beliefs that may be “ashes.” Ask, What is holding us back from experiencing a warm and glowing relationship with Jesus? Do we love Jesus with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, or do we love something more?

Are we trusting Jesus to transform us with his power, or are we trusting in our programs, institutional structure, tradition, or dogma? What is the core value of our church? Is it to know Jesus deeply and to serve him fully, or does some other value drive the mission of the church and its leaders? Are we depending on the grace of Jesus to forgive and renew us, or do we depend on a subtle “works righteousness” system, expecting to earn his grace through our ministry?

Our church mission statement is “To know Jesus and to make him known.” This central purpose has become our criterion for ministry. Everything that takes place in our church should relate in some way to this stated purpose. An activity contrary to our mission, or simply distracting us from it, is most likely an ash that needs to be removed.

Assess the “temperature” of your congregation’s spiritual fire. A low temperature signals an improperly adjusted draft or ashes blocking the Holy Spirit. Ashes are normal for any fire, but renewal takes place when you remove the ashes that stifle the Holy Spirit and replace them with the fuel of God’s Word. This leads to a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. Ask God for help in identifying the ashes blocking renewal in your church. Seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance in shaking out the ashes to let the fire burn brightly. Prayer opens the damper and allows a fresh wind to brighten the fire.

Keeping a coal fire going requires constant maintenance. So, too, renewal is not a goal to attain, but a constant process. We never “arrive” at renewal. Instead, we simply tend the fire.

May the Lord richly bless you as you shake those ashes and pour on fresh coal. In the process, take time to enjoy the warmth of the fire!

*All names have been changed.

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