In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, hosts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant discuss the critical role of leadership in church revitalization. As the second of their "five big rocks" of revitalization (unity, leadership, team, plan, and launch), leadership is identified as the most important component for success in renewing a church's vision and direction.

The hosts begin by emphasizing the biblical pattern of God calling leaders to guide His people through significant challenges and changes. They reference Psalm 78:70-72, which describes how God chose David to shepherd Israel with integrity and skill. This passage highlights the importance of a leader's character and ability to effectively guide others.

The conversation then turns to the common tendency of churches to prioritize finding a pastor who excels in preaching and shepherding, while overlooking the critical need for strong leadership skills. The hosts stress that a pastor must be able to not only communicate well and care for the congregation but also cast a compelling vision and mobilize people to work together towards a common goal.

When searching for a new pastor, the hosts recommend that churches look for evidence of a candidate's ability to inspire and lead others in their previous roles. This could include examining how they built and empowered volunteer teams, developed strategic plans, and achieved significant goals in partnership with others. They also emphasize the importance of assessing a candidate's character, integrity, and interpersonal skills, as these qualities greatly impact a leader's effectiveness.

For pastors currently leading a church in need of revitalization, the hosts offer encouragement and practical advice. They suggest that these leaders start by prayerfully envisioning what a thriving, fruitful future could look like for their church. By writing down this "big dream" and sharing it with others, pastors can begin to gauge the level of trust and support they have within the congregation.

The hosts also urge pastors to invest in their own leadership development by seeking out mentors, learning from successful leaders in various fields, and asking for honest feedback on their leadership skills. They emphasize the importance of shifting from a mindset of "managing" people to truly leading and inspiring them towards a shared vision.

Throughout the episode, the hosts reference Todd Bolsinger's book "Canoeing the Mountains," which compares church leadership to the Lewis and Clark expedition. Just as the explorers had to adapt their approach when faced with unexpected challenges, church leaders must be prepared to guide their congregations through uncharted territory. The hosts highlight a key quote from the book: "No one is going to follow you off the map unless they trust you on the map." This underscores the importance of building trust and credibility with the congregation before attempting to lead them through significant changes.

The episode concludes with a reminder that leading a church through revitalization is a challenging journey that requires thick skin, grace, and perseverance.

Some key takeaways and scripture references from this episode include:

1. God calls and equips leaders to guide His people through challenges and changes (Psalm 78:70-72).

2. Effective church leadership requires a combination of strong preaching, shepherding, and leadership skills (Psalm 78:72).

3. When searching for a new pastor, churches should look for evidence of a candidate's ability to inspire, mobilize, and lead others towards a shared vision (Proverbs 29:18).

4. Pastors seeking to revitalize their churches should start by prayerfully envisioning a thriving future and sharing that vision with others (Habakkuk 2:2-3).

5. Investing in personal leadership development is crucial for pastors leading their churches through revita...

Bart highlights 5 books to read in 2025 to help you revitalize your church!

1. Canoeing the Mountains - Tod Bolsinger

Subtitle: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory
Think of Lewis and Clark showing up at the Rocky Mountains with canoes - that's exactly what it feels like trying to lead a church today with methods that worked decades ago. Tod shows us how to adapt when our old playbook isn't working anymore, mixing practical leadership wisdom with deep spiritual insights about leading change in uncharted territory.

“Most of our congregations are filled with people who are blessed by what was done in the past. Leadership today is most effective, not by the way we solve problems, but by the questions we ask.” HOW WILL WE GET OVER THESE MOUNTAINS?

2. Reclaiming Glory - Mark Clifton

Subtitle: Creating a Gospel Legacy Throughout North American
If your church has struggled you’ve and wondered if there's still hope, Mark Clifton's "Reclaiming Glory" is going to give you both the inspiration and the practical steps to believe again. Drawing from his real-world experience revitalizing struggling churches in Kansas City, Mark walks you through exactly how to help a declining church rediscover its mission and become a vibrant presence in its community again.

“A replanting pastor is seeking to reclaim ground for God’s glory, ground that has been under enemy control for years - if not decades. Changing music style, adding coffee and updating your outdoor signage won’t get the job done. This ground will only be won back by prayer, the power of the Holy Spirit and real hand-to-hand spiritual combat.”

3. Our Iceberg is Melting - John Kotter

Subtitle: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions

Here's a bunch of penguins living on an iceberg who discover their home is about to melt, which is basically the perfect story to understand why change in your church is so urgent right now. Just like these penguins had to convince their colony to move before disaster struck, Kotter's fable shows leaders how to help their people understand why staying put in old ways isn't an option anymore and how to get everyone moving in a new direction together.

WELCOME: Handle the challenge of change well and you will prosper. Handle it poorly and you put yourself and others at risk.

4. What Healthy Churches Do - Bart Blair

Subtitle: 3 Things Healthy Churches Do and the Fuels That Sustain Them

Make Disciples. Grow Disciples. Send Disciples.
Just like your body needs healthy circulatory, nervous, and respiratory systems to thrive, I want to show you how healthy churches need three essential systems working together: making disciples ( circulatory ), growing disciples ( nervous ), and sending disciples ( respiratory ) out into the world. This isn't just theory though - I give you practical, down-to-earth ways to build these systems in your church, showing how things like prayer, hospitality, and generosity become the fuel that keeps your church growing and thriving.

5. The D.R.E.A.M. Church - Brian Moss

Subtitle: 5 Proven Strategies For Building a Healthy Disciple-Making Church

If you're looking for real-world advice from someone who's actually been there, Brian Moss shares how he took a struggling church of thirty-five people and turned it into a thriving congregation by following what he calls the D.R.E.A.M. principles. What makes this book so helpful is that Moss doesn't just give you theory - he walks you through practical, proven strategies that churches of any size can use to reach their community and help every member grow in their faith.

• Director of Church Strengthening for Converge Mid-Atlantic
• Staff member at a church plant near Columbus, Ohio
• Founder of the Church Talk Project and host of the Church Talk Podcast
• Vision Day consultant for 95Network

• Most normative-sized churches (50-500 members) struggle with leading leaders
• Clear distinction between delegation and development
• Biblical mandate to equip saints for ministry (Ephesians 4)

1. Attender (primary function: learning)
2. Volunteer (primary function: serving)
3. Task Team Leader (organizing and administration)
4. Group Leader
5. Leader of Leaders (shepherding responsibility)

• Pastors doing everything themselves because it's "easier"
• Focus on delegation without development
• Lack of clear vision and values
• Time constraints for both pastor and potential leaders
• The "tyranny of Sunday" - constant pressure of weekly responsibilities

• Clarify your disciple-making vision
• Spend time observing people in action
• Start with just two potential leaders (not twelve)
• Invest in your own leadership growth

• Move beyond simple task delegation
• Follow the discipleship journey:
  • I do, you watch
  • I do, you help
  • You do, I watch and help
  • You do, I cheer

• Define clear objectives beyond task completion
• Establish key performance indicators
• Regular evaluation and debriefing
• Build accountability into systems

• Start small and go slow
• Honor current leaders while developing new ones
• Focus on vision alignment
• Don't be afraid to let people try and learn
• Remember many people are eager for mentoring

• Don't be afraid despite challenging times
• Remember you have the message of hope
• Focus on serving Jesus, not just people
• Keep going even when things seem dark

• Church Talk Podcast (available on major streaming platforms)
• Website: churchtalkproject.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Converge Mid-Atlantic: convergemidatlantic.com

Lead Your Church Out Of Maintenance Mode
Signs Your Church May Be in Maintenance Mode with Dan Reiland

• Dan Reiland is a veteran executive pastor with over four decades of experience
• Served as John Maxwell's first and only executive pastor
• Spent 23 years at Twelve Stone Church in Atlanta
• Currently transitioning to full-time coaching and consulting
• Originally studied criminal justice and worked briefly as a private investigator before entering ministry
• Married for 43 years with two children and three grandchildren
• Known guitar enthusiast with a collection of 18-19 guitars

• Definition: "An ongoing and unaddressed holding pattern in momentum or attendance"
• Simplified definition: Being "stuck"
• Key indicators include:
  • No longer taking risks
  • Vision isn't compelling or clearly defined
  • Working hard but not making progress
  • Not reaching new people

1. What's my leadership lid? Where do I need to grow?
2. Who's my coach/mentor?
3. How am I a better leader this year than last year?

• Churches naturally gravitate toward discipleship
• Need to maintain balance between discipleship and evangelism
• Leaders typically lean toward one or the other
• Must intentionally fight to keep evangelism as a priority

• Many churches try to do too many things
• Need for a "lean church" model
• No church can do everything effectively
• Focus on God's specific "thumbprint" for your church

1. Put a moratorium on new ministries
2. Conduct a ministry audit
3. Evaluate productivity and alignment with vision
4. Question why each ministry exists
5. Consider better alternatives

• Go slow
• Honor people
• Invite them into something new
• Accept that meaningful change will create some opposition
• "If you change something in your church and nobody gets mad, you've just changed something that doesn't matter"

• Develop leaders before delegating responsibilities
• Start with who you have
• Never underestimate the power of one leader
• Development takes time - embrace the "awkward zone"
• Focus on developing a few leaders while handling many tasks

• Ministry is worth it - don't give up
• What you're doing matters
• Focus on "one more" - one new leader, one person saved
• Progress can be incremental
• God is pleased with faithful progress, even if it's one person at a time

• Dan's website: danreiland.com
• Contains articles and several books
• All articles are freely available