Ep.13 | Leading Change Without Losing People

01/01/25 • 27 min

In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, hosts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant discuss the importance of cascading communication and maintaining unity when leading a church through revitalization. They emphasize that getting agreement and buy-in from core leaders, mid-level leaders, and key influencers before announcing major changes to the entire congregation is critical for success. Nathan advises meeting with each leadership group multiple times to allow people with different personalities and decision-making styles time to process proposed changes. He also recommends engaging potential holdouts individually to understand their concerns. Both hosts stress the need to cast a compelling vision of a preferred future to get people excited about changes, rather than just announcing what will be different.
Bart believes that Jesus is honored most when pastors recognize their dual calling to reach the lost and shepherd the saved. He encourages pastors, especially those with an evangelistic bent, to invest time and care into the existing congregation during a revitalization. Nathan advises having a thorough communication plan and taking a slower approach than most pastors would prefer in order to bring as many people along as possible.
The episode concludes with an appeal from 1 Corinthians 1:10, where Paul urges the church to "agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought." The hosts encourage listeners that their church can be unified in following God's leading to have a greater Kingdom impact in their community.

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Ep.12 | Church Growth Through Small Groups | Adam Ehrlichman

In this illuminating episode of Revitalize My Church, Build Groups founder Adam Ehrlichman shares his expertise on developing effective small group ministries. Drawing from his experience of doubling group participation at multiple churches, Ehrlichman introduces a practical six-part framework for small groups success: discover, develop, deploy, connect, coach, and care.

The conversation explores how churches can successfully integrate small groups alongside Sunday School programs, with each ministry serving unique but complementary purposes. Ehrlichman emphasizes the importance of proper leader development, warning against the common mistake of placing leaders before preparing them.

Particularly valuable is his insight into how small groups impact overall church health, from increased giving to improved volunteer engagement. Whether you're considering launching small groups or strengthening an existing ministry, this episode provides clear, actionable strategies for building sustainable group communities that foster deeper discipleship and authentic relationships.

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Ep. 14 | Five Books You Should Read in 2025

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.