Church Planting & Revitalization
Church Revitalization Pathways
FOSTERING
Resourcing – A partnership in which a stronger church sends missionary volunteers or resources to a declining church for some time to establish/strengthen a strategic ministry.
Residency – A partnership in which a stronger church or Association sends a trained revitalization ministry resident to pastor a declining/ plateaued church with the goal of revitalization.
Merger – A merger occurs when two or more churches decide to combine into one entity. This could be a new entity (consolidation) or an absorption (merger).
Change Coalition – A stronger church sends a trained church revitalization team to lead a declining/plateaued church back to health.
ADOPTION
Refresh+Relaunch – A stronger church provides oversight and leadership to a declining church. As the healthy church’s DNA is infused into the adopted church, it becomes stronger until it can be rereleased.
Multi-site – A stronger church adopts a declining church as a campus utilizing a campus pastor or simulcast sermons from the adopting church. The adopted church can remain a campus or be rereleased once it is self-sustainable.
Network – A church with a heart for revitalization adopts a declining church to rehabilitate the church and include it in a network of churches investing in other revitalization efforts.
REPLANT
Reinvestment – A church determines that the best path forward is to close. As a part of their closure, they would sell or donate their facilities to the Association with the expectations that the assets will be used to fund ministry efforts in a more viable community.
Replant – The remaining church decides to surrender control of their facilities/ministry over to a church planter(s) with a vision for ministry in their community. The remaining church members may decide to stay in one of the new congregations.
Restart – A church pauses its current ministry and invites a new leadership team to establish a new ministry paradigm, church polity, and identity before relaunching.
Legacy – A church decides to close/disband and leave its remaining assets to the association, hoping that the association can invest in a new work in the same community. The church’s legacy is continued through its sacrificial investment into the new church.
REVISIONING
Relocation—A thriving church in a declining community decides to relocate to a different community.
Mother-Daughter – A mother church launches a daughter church on their campus which meets at different times and is targeted to reach a new demographic.
Strategic Focus – A church begins a strategic planning process in order to determine an effective future mission and vision.
Cross Cultural – A church determines to reach an underreached people group in their community with the goal of transitioning the church to that people group.
Pioneering – A church empowers the pastor and a core group to use resources and facilities to relaunch the church in a way that will reach a strategic demographic in the community.
Pastoral Transformation – A church empowers their pastor to be trained, coached, or equipped to more effectively lead the church to greater health.
For more information, please contact Dr. Josh Cook at joshc@bmbaonline.org.