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Revitalization is on the upswing, and with it, so is pastoral tenure. While these may not be in a causative relation, they certainly do compliment one another. Today, we discuss why.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM TIMOTHY
Are pastors starting to stay longer at churches with a commitment to revitalize them? Or is there still a sense of ladder climbing in the ministry? Anecdotally, it seems that the ladder climbing has abated when it comes to younger pastors.
Episode Highlights:
- Younger pastors tend to value different things in ministry than the generation before them. Ladder climbing isn’t as prevalent as it once was.
- More and more Millennial pastors are going into revitalizations for the long haul.
- Church revitalization is becoming something that pastors actually want to do. It is a noble call.
- Revitalization pastors need a network of peers to help fight loneliness and frustration.
The five reasons we discuss are:
- More younger pastors have a long-term call to revitalization
- More retiring boomers have a long-term call to revitalization
- Most leaders understand the incremental nature of revitalization
- Revitalization is increasingly perceived to be an honorable calling
- There are more revitalization networks
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
- InterimPastor.University
- RevitalizeNetwork.org
- Revitalization Outside the Bible Belt
- ChurchReplanters.com
- ChurchAnswers.com
- Replanter Assessment
- Find more resources at the Revitalize & Replant page at ThomRainer.com
Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit ChurchReplanters.com.
Submit Your Question:
Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Scrappy Church and Reclaiming Glory.
I am a retired Christian school teacher who is also ordained and am now the pastor of a very small church in a town of around 2000 hoping to see God help us survive and grow. Loving the people God has called me to serve!
I am just finishing my third year in a revitalization. My intention is to stay for at least another 15 years. This will bring me to age 65, to the church’s 200th anniversary and make me the longest serving pastor. This city is also my family’s hometown and it is where we want to retire.