STEPS TO TURN A PLATEAUED CHURCH AROUND
BY THOMAS NATIONS

• Pray! Pray! Pray! Pray for wisdom specifically and continually. Pray to the Lord of the Harvest for ministry helpers.

• Seek a God- given vision for growth and philosophy of ministry (core values) and continually communicate them to the church.

• Pray that God will help you identify a core group of people in your church that embrace your vision and core values of ministry and will begin to make positive change in the church.

• Start mentoring your core group. Continue to share the vision and ministry core values God has placed on your heart. Equip them (through one on one mentoring, seminars, video resources, books, etc.) Help them identify their spiritual gifts. Cheerlead them. Love them. Do everything you can to make them a success.

• Praise from the pulpit those who are reaching out. Be careful not to degrade others while you’re publicly identifying those who are making a difference.

• Utilize weekly letters in your church as a means to enhance communication, share your vision, encourage them to bring others to church, praise those who are making a difference, build excitement for Sunday’s services, etc.

• Reach out to members who haven’t come to church in a while. Complacency in the church may have infiltrated their home. It’s time to bring them back into the church.

• Seek ways to reach out to the community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Gradually begin to use visitation, mail-outs, door to door canvassing, advertising of a variety of sorts, special events, etc. to spread the name of Christ and the church throughout your area of ministry.

• Begin to assimilate your visitors. Assimilating visitors into the main stream life of the church will be a major contributing factor to making positive change in your church.

• Continue to pray, love and support those who disagree with what you are doing. Don’t alienate them. Encourage them in their walk with Christ, but don’t allow them to sway you from turning the church around.

• Begin slowly and gradually to build an outreach emphasis among your core group. Once your core group begins to own the vision – they will begin to fulfill the vision. They will begin to share Christ with others, help you organize and bear the load of the ministry, and invite their friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors to attend church.

• Use illustrations to enhance your vision in your messages. Your messages are a great time to communicate and reinforce the vision for your church. Weave it into illustrations, into one of the points of your message, into the alter call, etc.

• Don’t get discouraged! God has placed you in your church to help resuscitate new life into His body. Don’t isolate yourself from other pastors or the ample supply of resources available. You are not in this battle alone! Thousands of your pastoral associates stand with you and are ready to help you.

THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS PUBLISHED BY THOMAS NATIONS. THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY BE USED FOR STUDY AND RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.