I would not still be pastor of FBC if God had not graciously given me some men as fellow warriors for the revitalization of our church. Some of those men were at FBC when I arrived and had been praying for years that God would transform their beloved church. Others were called by God to join after my arrival. Without their courageous and sacrificial leadership, I would have been evicted from my ministry long ago. No one can revitalize a church alone. God must raise up godly men to strive together in the work, or it will inevitably fail.
Inspect the Rubble First, Then Gather Leaders
What are the first steps a pastor should take in revitalization? Perhaps Nehemiah is a pattern to follow. Nehemiah was burdened with a passion for the glory of God and the good of his people. He received a report from his brother Hanani concerning the lamentable condition of the city of Jerusalem, which was little more than a pile of rubble, stripped of all defenses because its wall had been demolished. Jeremiah was cupbearer to the Persian king, who ruled the mightiest empire that region of the world had ever seen, and was in a position to ask for the resources necessary to attempt the rebuilding project. Having pleaded with God for grace and having received the grant of resources from the king, Nehemiah traveled to Jerusalem to begin this massive undertaking.
My counsel for the first steps of revitalization begins with Nehemiah’s actions when he arrived in Jerusalem (Neh. 2). First, he rested from his journey for three days. This is reasonable, for we don’t make wise decisions when we’re weary. Correspondingly, when a pastor first comes to a church, he needs time to settle. He also enjoys a brief “honeymoon period” with the church (mine did not last too long!) in which he is acclimated into ministry there.
Next, Nehemiah took a few men along with him on a secret nighttime tour of the city walls. Nehemiah is very clear that he kept hidden what God had laid on his heart to do for Jerusalem. This is also an extremely important aspect of the revitalization work of a new pastor. He hopefully has come in with a clear vision of what a healthy church looks like, both in doctrine and in life. Nehemiah kept his thoughts to himself, but he led these few men around with him to see the condition of the entire circuit of Jerusalem’s city wall. This corresponds to a pastor beginning to bring other men in on his inspection of the church and its condition. He may ask these men questions about the preaching that went on before he came, about the Sunday school program or other educational ministries of the church, the outreach patterns, the social life, the organization. They are metaphorically “riding around the walls at night,” seeing the condition of the dying church with new eyes.
Having completed his inspection, Nehemiah unburdened his mind to the leaders who would be instrumental in doing the work—the priests, nobles, and officials:
“You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. (Neh. 2:17–18)
I love this example of visionary leadership by Nehemiah! It was obviously impossible for him by himself to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem out of massive piles of rubble. Yet it was only after he had made a careful inspection of the actual scope of the problems with his own eyes that Nehemiah was ready to involve other leaders with him. No leader, no matter how visionary, can revitalize a dying church alone. He must involve other men as leaders with him. But he must do so wisely, after he has inspected the spiritual “rubble” of the church for himself.
Early Stages: Gathering Key Men to Pray
Practically speaking, I would recommend a new pastor begin his ministry by praying daily through the church directory. This is a habit that should continue as long as he is a pastor, not just when the church needs revitalizing. He should especially be seeking like-minded men who could be future leaders in the effort at church renewal. He should quietly be “inspecting the walls,” talking to men about their lives, their doctrine, their dreams for the church. He is seeking key co-laborers who will join with him in the challenging journey ahead. He does not need these men to be copiously trained theologically or to be fully mature leaders, but they need to be born again, living for Christ, loving God’s Word, and eager to learn.
When the time is right, he should begin gathering these men together for focused prayer times. These gatherings are the beginning of the plurality of elders in that church, if that church has never had that biblical pattern of leadership before. All of these early prayer partners will not necessarily be qualified as elders or established in that office. However, the strength that comes from these hand-selected men will be invaluable for the often difficult journey ahead. Imagine how beneficial it would be to have men to pray with you and give you counsel before a climactic church vote on a key issue. Think of the value of having men who will hold you accountable to respond to bitter enemies with kindness and love, or who will be willing to have difficult conversations with folks so you don’t always have to do it yourself. And beyond this is simply the power of united prayer, of pouring out your hearts together for the transformation of the church.
Communicating the Vision
Such gatherings of key men are where you can also begin doing solid biblical instruction on elements of a healthy church—what it is you want to see that church become. You can root these elements in Scripture and persuade the men that this is what Christ wants his church to be. Just as Nehemiah held his peace until the right time and then communicated the vision to the leaders, so you should do with your hand-selected men. If any of them push back or disagree, be patient and keep instructing. Prove your argument using Scripture, and they will join you in the work—if they are in fact Spirit-filled men. If not, they will not want to keep meeting and praying with you.
Male Leadership
Let me offer a brief word regarding male leadership of the church. In all successful church revitalization situations, God will certainly raise up godly women who will be absolutely vital in the work. They will have many invaluable, God-given spiritual gifts for the blessing of the church. They will pray fervently, offer wise counsel, serve tirelessly, offer hospitality, and instruct other women if they have teaching gifts. But God has reserved the leadership of both the family and the church to men. This was the very issue FBC was fighting over during our journey of revitalization. The biblical proof of this is found in key Scriptures like 1 Timothy 2:12, which says, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” Churches are blessed with godly, humble, and Christlike male leaders who honor women and treat them with respect but do not shirk their duty to lead as Adam did in the garden of Eden.1
One of the great benefits of a new pastor gathering a group of godly men will be evidenced once things start to get “hot,” once the false accusations start to fly. Satan will raise up powerful opposition to the revitalization of the church “from among your own selves” (Acts 20:30), and the fight may get pretty dirty. The insults and accusations that came my way during those years were amazing! But if you have a group of godly men around you who know your heart, see your vision, and recognize your humble example, they will be motivated to stand up for you. Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” In the same way, “Let another defend you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” If the attack is at you and not at the issue, let someone else defend it.
In the same way, these godly men will be ready to confront you if they think you are doing anything wrong. I remember two of the men in my support group confronted me about a tone of pride they had heard in one of my recent sermons. They were right; I repented and asked their forgiveness. They prayed for me. This is the rich benefit of having a group of men around you when working to revive a dying church.
The Goal for Leadership: Plural Elders
In 1998, FBC had five points of power, and it was unclear how each should relate to one another in the governance of the church. These were the five:
(1) Senior pastor and staff. The senior pastor was responsible for directing the paid staff and leading the focus of the church’s ministries. He was “checked and balanced” by the deacons and the committees.
(2) Board of deacons. The deacons were elected annually by a church election and were tasked with generally overseeing the life of the church in partnership with the pastor. However, the deacons were not filtered by spiritual criteria in 1 Timothy 3:8–13; names were written on a nominating ballot, the nominating committee contacted them to see if they were willing to run, and the eight with the highest votes were elected. The vote tallies were tabulated and retained, and the one with the next highest vote was named an alternate. In case any deacon that year needed to resign, that alternate would step into the role. Many key deacons sought to control church life by controlling the important committees.
(3) Church committees. The church had many committees (more than I can remember), but some of the most influential were nominating, budget and finance, personnel, building and grounds, and missions. The nominating committee was the most powerful in a sense—because they identified the chairs of each of these committees, who generally controlled those committees. The budget and finance held the purse strings. Some FBC pastors before me told me that key financial givers would control the “financial health” of the church by withholding their giving to make the pastor look bad. The personnel committee (where is that in the Bible?) considered themselves the supervisors of the pastor and all paid staff. They gave annual performance reviews for the pastor and controlled salary increases.
(4) Church council. Made up of the chairs of all the committees (including minor ones, like the flower committee), this odd group felt it had the power to make key decisions pertaining to the life and direction of the church, which the pastor had to abide by.
(5) The congregation. As in any Baptist church, the congregation was the final and highest human authority. It voted on all key issues and initiatives, especially at bimonthly church conferences. These meetings were run democratically according to Robert’s Rules of Order. But they were often quite contentious and easily manipulated by “getting out the vote” and by the “old-boy network” of influence and relational pull. Many votes were rubber stamps of what the key committee chairs wanted done.
This hodgepodge of lines of influence and competing areas of power was a confusing, unbiblical mess. Beyond this came the problem of a prideful “turf warfare” in which various factions would defend their areas with sinful pride. Servant leadership in the pattern of Matthew 20:25–28 was the remedy Jesus commanded for this kind of pride and self-interest. God established a better pattern in the pages of the New Testament in the plurality of elders. I began mentioning the desire I had to move to this pattern in my initial interviews with the pastoral search committee, but it would be a long time before we could see it come to fruition.
The biblical case for plural elders is made plain in Titus 1:5: “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.” One town, one church, plural elders. We see the same in Acts 14:23: “And when [Paul and Barnabas] had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.” Again, plural elders in each church.
The key issue with elders2 is the spiritual criteria used to filter these men and make certain they are fit for the office as it is taught clearly in Titus 1:6–9 and 1 Timothy 3:1–7.
Many churches think pastors are always paid professionals who have a degree from seminary and that the only role for lay leaders is that of deacon. In actuality, deacons in the New Testament are never portrayed as having authority or as being leaders. They are servants tasked with practical responsibilities under the elders. Lay leaders who meet the biblical criteria of elder should be elected by the congregation and established with equal responsibility and authority as the senior pastor.
The wisdom of God in establishing this plural leadership is amazing. These men can hold one another accountable, support one another in times of conflict, rebuke and correct one another, and see their varying gifts employed to maximize the ministry of the church. “A threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccles. 4:12), but at FBC, we have ten elders. A cord of ten strands all united, all leading the church sweetly and lovingly in the same direction, is especially difficult to break.
A Pipeline of Godly Men
A healthy church will have a regular pipeline of godly men being raised up to do the work of shepherding and leading the church. First Timothy 3:1 addresses this: “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” In other words, for any man to be an overseer is a godly ambition. Even if they never “make it,” especially because God does not give them the gift of teaching, the yearning for growth in all the key areas is a godly one and will produce much good fruit in a man’s life. If it is true that it is a godly ambition for a man to be an elder, then by extension it must be a healthy thing for a church to develop a pipeline of godly men in training to be leaders at some point. The more mature a church is, the more meticulously planned their spiritual leadership development pattern will be.
Now, a church in the early stages of revitalization will not have anything like this up and running. Nonetheless, the communication of this as the future of the church will inspire godly men to rise up, and godly women to pray for it and help influence husbands and sons toward this end. The church will rise and fall with its leaders.
PRACTICAL ADVICE