Revitalize and Replant

Mark and Dan welcome Jared Wilson, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry, Author in Residence, and General Editor of For The Church at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, to the podcast. In this episode, they discuss Jared’s new book, Friendship with the Friend of Sinners: The Remarkable Possibility of Closeness with Christ.

Factors contributing to children leaving their faith, importance of dad's involvement, emphasizing family engagement, daily scripture reading, connecting church and family, addressing real-life issues, and individualized shepherding, strategies to engage the next generation in the church.

Explore the alarming trend of young people leaving their faith at an early age. Discover the impact of secular media and lack of adventurous experiences on declining faith commitment. Understand the challenges faced by rural churches and the needs of young people in the digital age. Learn about the difficulties young people face in maintaining their faith and how the church can adapt. Dive into insights from 'You Lost Me' on why young Christians are leaving church.

In this episode, Mark, Mark and Dan continue their discussion of Barnabas Piper’s article about why pastors’ kids struggle with doubt and disbelief. No room for questions. No room for failure. An undefined identity. Resources mentioned in this episode: https://research.lifeway.com/2020/01/21/5-reasons-pastors-kids-struggle-with-doubt/

It’s no secret that pastors’ kids often have a bad reputation. But what’s not as commonly known is how often pastors’ kids struggle with doubt and disbelief. This is the first of a two-part series discussing an article from Barnabas Piper. Peoples’ expectations vs. Jesus’s expectations Borrowed belief Resources mentioned in this episode: https://research.lifeway.com/2020/01/21/5-reasons-pastors-kids-struggle-with-doubt/

Mark and Dan welcome Andy Addis, pastor of CrossPoint Church in Salina, KS to discuss the CrossPoint story, which fostered the idea behind the Replant Hub. To learn more about Andy and CrossPoint’s story, check out the free ebook, Doing More Together, below. Resources mentioned in this episode: Doing More Together by Andy Addis

What should churches do with kids on Sunday morning? Should they have a separate “children’s church?” Should the kids join in the main worship gathering every week? Once a month? In this episode, the guys discuss this hot topic. The preaching of God’s word is transforming power – even for kids! God can communicate to even the smallest child in ways we can’t comprehend. Understood correctly, children are not a distraction in worship. Children learn songs VERY early. Children learn routines VERY early. Children need to see their parents and siblings worshipping. Worshipping together takes priority over parental ease. Resources mentioned in this passage: https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-we-embrace-children-in-our-worship-service/ Every Kid Matters: How your church can effectively shepherd the next generation by Mark Hallock and Frank Trimble.

Church discipline can be a sticky subject. In this episode, Mark, Mark, and Dan discuss an article from Jared Wilson about some ways to take the scariness and weirdness out of church discipline. Make disciples. Create clarity about church membership. Teach the process. Follow the process. Practice gospel-centeredness. Check out the full article here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/5-ways-to-keep-church-discipline-from-seeming-weird/

This podcast discusses good metrics for measuring progress in church revitalization including new Christians, total giving, first and second-time guests, community ministry involvement, worship attendance, and prayer involvement. They explore the flaws in using worship attendance as the sole indicator and emphasize the importance of evangelism, discipleship, and generosity. A personal anecdote about elderly ladies competing for attention highlights the impact of a church member's gift of giving. They also discuss scorecard metrics for church revitalization and the challenges in inviting others to attend.

What do you do when you have a church building that was designed for a much larger congregation than you currently have? Listen in as Mark, Mark, and Dan discuss some creative ways to use the extra space. Share it with other churches (as an incubator for church plants). Allow fellowship hall and kitchen to be used by community at no cost (with appropriate precautions). Create a birthday party room for the community to use. Partner with community nonprofits who need space. Consider allowing local business to use your fellowship hall or kitchen. Consider re-creating your space to bless the community.