Ep. 018 | Lead Your Church Out of Maintenance Mode | Dan Reiland

03/15/25 • 43 min

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

Episode Overview In this episode, Bart interviews Dan Reiland, an experienced executive pastor and church leadership coach, about identifying and addressing church stagnation. Dan shares insights from his article "Seven Signs That Your Church May Be In Maintenance Mode" and provides practical guidance for church leaders looking to move their churches forward. Guest Bio

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

Key Discussion Points Understanding Maintenance Mode

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

Leadership Self-Evaluation Questions

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

Common Issues in Stuck Churches
1. Emphasizing Discipleship Over Evangelism

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

2. Ministry Busyness

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

Evaluating and Streamlining Ministries

Put a moratorium on new ministries
Conduct a ministry audit
Evaluate productivity and alignment with vision
Question why each ministry exists
Consider better alternatives

Tips for Making Changes:

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"

Leadership Development vs. Delegation

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

Final Encouragement for Church Leaders

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

Resources

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

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

Key Discussion Points Understanding Maintenance Mode

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

Leadership Self-Evaluation Questions

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

Common Issues in Stuck Churches
1. Emphasizing Discipleship Over Evangelism

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

2. Ministry Busyness

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

Evaluating and Streamlining Ministries

Put a moratorium on new ministries
Conduct a ministry audit
Evaluate productivity and alignment with vision
Question why each ministry exists
Consider better alternatives

Tips for Making Changes:

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"

Leadership Development vs. Delegation

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

Final Encouragement for Church Leaders

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

Resources

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

Previous Episode

Ep. 017 | Evangelism and Outreach | 6 Principles of Effective Evangelism

Episode 17: Show Notes The 6 Core Principles of Effective Church Evangelism - Revitalize My Church Podcast What Are the Most Effective Principles for Church Evangelism and Outreach? In this episode of Revitalize My Church, hosts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant discuss six foundational principles for effective church evangelism. These principles are designed to help church leaders develop a more strategic and sustainable approach to reaching their communities.
Why Do Traditional Church Evangelism Methods Often Fail?
Nathan shares his early experiences with evangelism, including teaching Evangelism Explosion classes where dozens made decisions for Christ but none became active church members. This led him to develop a more relationship-based, process-oriented approach to evangelism.
What Are the Six Core Principles of Effective Church Evangelism?
1. Evangelism is a Process, Not an Event

Most people come to faith through a journey rather than a single moment
The farming metaphor in the New Testament illustrates this principle
God works through multiple touchpoints and interactions over time
Events can be part of the process but shouldn't be seen as the whole strategy

2. The Goal is to Make Disciples, Not Just Decisions

Focus on helping people understand who Jesus is before asking for a decision
Avoid the "get out of hell free" prayer mentality
Success is measured by transformed lives, not just prayers prayed
Biblical example: Jesus' command was to make disciples, not just converts

3. Evangelism is Most Effective in the Context of Relationships

Christians need to be "salt and light" in real relationships
Restructure life to naturally engage with non-believers
Community involvement creates opportunities for spiritual conversations
Balance Christian fellowship with intentional outreach relationships

4. The Primary Message is Relationship with Jesus, Not Heaven and Hell

Lead with God's desire for relationship rather than consequences
Heaven and hell are real but secondary to the relationship aspect
Reference John 17:3 - eternal life is knowing God
Focus on adoption into God's family (John 1)

5. God Called the Church, Not Individuals, to Reach the World

The Great Commission was given to the disciples collectively
Different gifts work together in evangelism just as in other ministries
Team approach allows people to use their natural strengths
No one person needs to carry the full weight of evangelism

6. We Are Completely Dependent on the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit works through Scripture, people, and circumstances
Be sensitive to the Spirit's leading in each situation
Methods and scripts are tools, not rigid rules
Prayer and spiritual sensitivity should guide outreach efforts

How Can Church Leaders Implement These Principles?
This episode is part of a four-part series on evangelism and outreach. Future episodes will cover:

Exegeting your community
Five pillars of effective outreach strategy
Engagement and assimilation in the church

Download the Evangelism Training Workbook at www.revitalizemy.church/podcast/principles-of-evangelism

Next Episode

Ep. 019 | Outreach and Evangelism | The Farming Model of Evangelism

Episode Summary
In this episode, Bart and Nathan discuss the "Farming Model" of evangelism, building on principles shared in Episode 17. They explore a strategic approach to both individual and corporate evangelism based on the parable of the seed from Matthew 13. Hosts:

Bart Blair
Nathan Bryant (Executive Director of Assist Church Expansion)

Key Points

The Need for Evangelism

A 2021 LifeWay research study found 71% of people are open to hearing someone's life story when meeting them for the first time
In the UK, 75% of non-Christians who had conversations with Christian friends about Jesus felt comfortable, and 33% wanted to know more
Only 55% of non-Christians who knew a Christian said that person had ever talked about their faith

The Farming Model of Evangelism (Six Steps)

Choosing the Field
- Identifying who God is calling you to reach
- Focus on relationships where ongoing connection is possible
- Consider both individual relationships and corporate community focus
Preparing the Soil (90% of the work)
- Removing obstacles to faith through building relationships
- Addressing sociological barriers rather than just theological ones
- Creating connections between non-believers and multiple Christians
- Building spiritual momentum through relational momentum
- Listening more and talking less
Planting the Seed
- Sharing the Word of God, specifically about Jesus and the gospel
- Creating the right environment for growth
Cultivating
- Giving time for the message to grow and mature
- Not rushing to "close the deal" prematurely
- Creating the best circumstances for spiritual growth
Harvesting
- Picking the fruit when it's ripe
- Recognizing when someone is ready to make a decision
Creating a "Greenhouse" Environment
- Evangelistic Bible study approach (5-7 weeks)
- Elements needed: Word of God, prayer, connection to believers, gifted teachers
- Research shows significantly higher retention rates with this approach

Corporate Evangelism Strategy

Churches need a clear process and strategy
Leveraging different spiritual gifts within the church body
Providing clear pathways for members to connect non-believers
Working as a team to reach the community

Resources Mentioned

Book: "The Soul Winning Church" by J.A. Metters
Previous Episode: #17 on the principles of evangelism

The Revitalize My Church Podcast releases two episodes each month with the goal of helping churches navigate change and reorient to a new and healthy future.