How much of a risk taker are you? I’m convinced that when we get to heaven, we will all wish we had risked more for the kingdom. Another word for risk is faith. The Bible says that without faith is it impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). I think God is pleased when we take risks for Him. When we take the risk, it shows we really believe this stuff and trust Him!

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” —William Shedd

LET’S TALK…

Here’s a risk I want to challenge every church to take: Do whatever it takes to turn things around in your church! Most of our Conference churches need a turnaround. That’s right! The truth is any church that has been plateaued or in decline in the past 5 years needs a turnaround.  That’s why we are offering a “TurnAround” process for our churches.

The other day I was talking with Pastor Clint Wood about New Hope Church. I had the privilege of pastoring there for more than 31 years! I told him that he is pastoring a church that was in need of a TurnAround. We had been plateaued for the last five years of my ministry there. You see, TurnAround has nothing to do with the size of a church, it has everything to do with the direction of the church. We wait too long to face the task of TurnAround. Here are three steps of faith we need to take:

1. Ask God. We need to start with real prayer. First, ask God to break our hearts for a lost world. Many of churches have great fellowship and even are broken about those around the world, but we’ve lost our love for the ones across the street. We also need to ask God for wisdom (James 1:5). It’s His church, His kingdom, and we need to seek His best in our own local situation.
2. Become desperate. Ask yourself, are you desperate enough to change, to step out in faith?  Whether your church formally commits to the TurnAround process or not, we all need to be willing to do whatever it takes to be the church God wants us to be.
3. Take some bold steps. We must be intentional. Jesus said, “I must work the works of him who sent me while it’s day… (John 9:4)” There is work to do! We can’t just sit around and hope for change.  Never mistake talking for doing. TurnAround will require work and challenges.  But that’s okay!  We want churches to thrive, not just survive, right?

If we want to see change in our communities, it must begin with allowing God to work in and through us. God wants to use you! As we take “that risk” to pursue TurnAround in our churches, lives will be changed for the kingdom, brokenness will be healed, and the powerless will find hope.

BEFORE YOU GO…

We’re asking all of our churches to consider being part of the TurnAround process. You can download the TurnAround Commitment form to discuss with your Church Council. As part of the conversation, you might watch “Take Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here, What Won’t Get You There.”

What steps are you taking for TurnAround?