You pastor a Baptist church, and your church is dying. You’ve tried all the things the denomination has recommended, been through all their revitalization workshops and talked to all their consultants, but nothing seems to help.
What are you going to do now?
I have been involved with Baptist churches (traditional Baptist churches, to be more precise) for nearly 30 years in nearly every capacity possible—volunteer, team leader, deacon, lead deacon, and pastor (four times).
This varied experience has allowed me to see the entire range of Baptist life and culture, and view firsthand every kind of sin, dysfunction, conflict, and rebellion.
What I can tell you from all that experience is that Baptist leaders are dead wrong about the cause of the decline of our churches and the process by which that decline can be reversed.
In the paragraphs that follow, I will use the standard set forth in the Bible to identify the root cause of Baptist decline and, based on that analysis and my own experience, recommend a step-by-step process pastors can implement to give their churches a real opportunity for true biblical revival.
The (Actual) Root Problem
The first challenge in reviving a traditional Baptist church (referred to as TBCs in the remainder of this article) is identifying what the problem actually is. Baptist leaders and consultants are quick to point to shallow, humanistic issues.
To them, it is always a “mission, vision, and strategy” problem. Churches have lost sight of their mission, they say, have no vision for a better future, and fail to develop and execute an effective growth strategy.
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There is no doubt that TBCs fail in these areas. It would be difficult to find a single one that understands these concepts well and carries them out with any proficiency. As important as these are, however, they are not the root cause of their decline. The root cause is spiritual rebellion against Christ.
TBCs have abandoned virtually every command Christ has given for the organization, conduct, and activity of his churches. Over time, the church has moved away from one requirement after another until they are hardly recognizable as New Testament churches at all.
And, despite the clarity of Christ’s instructions on these matters, the people are completely unwilling to repent and realign themselves with his will.
Common Areas of Rebellion
In what areas have Baptist churches rebelled? Here are six of the more significant ones.
Spiritual Maturity and Holy Conduct
Most members of TBCs have walked with the Lord, so they say, for 40 or 50 years. But their actions do not reflect the maturity and wisdom those years should have produced. On the contrary, they carry on more like spoiled children than men and women of God.
They complain, backbite, and sow discord continually. They are self-centered and self-absorbed, always seeking to have their own way no matter how it damages others or the church. And they have an insatiable appetite for power, determined to control every move the church makes.
Authority and Decision-making Structure
TBCs have utterly thrown out the organizational and power structure described in the New Testament for the local church (known formally as church polity). The majority have a single pastor and make nearly every decision, no matter how minor, by majority vote.
Furthermore, their deacons are biblically unqualified, accomplish none of the work for which they were established (Acts 6:1-4), and frequently exercise authority over the pastor (the pastor reports to them, in other words).
All of these are patently unbiblical and are a primary factor in the incessant conflict and splitting that has occurred in TBCs over the last 50 years.
(If you have questions about my assertions here regarding biblical polity in Baptist churches, I will address it more detail, including the provision of additional study resources, in Step 3 later in this article.)
Evangelism
Baptist pastors and members verbally acknowledge their commitment to the Great Commission. “Evangelism,” “outreach,” and “mission” are common terms in their vocabulary. But in practice, the great majority of their churches refuse to do any kind of ongoing, aggressive evangelism.
Their efforts in this regard are limited to the yearly vacation Bible schools and minor donations to missions’ organizations. Moreover, nearly all Baptist church members have absolutely no intention of sharing the gospel with the lost and have not tried to in years.
This is true of most of their pastors, as well. They completely ignore the command to complete their ministry by regularly engaging the lost (2 Tim. 4:5).
Mercy Work for the Poor and Oppressed
If TBC evangelism efforts are meager, their work for the needy borders upon starvation. While God requires tireless efforts on behalf of the hungry and oppressed (Isa. 58:6-12, James 1:27), TBCs do little more each year than donate a few canned goods to a local food drive or round up a few bags of school supplies for the local elementary school.
And when it comes to ministries for the oppressed, like prostitutes, trafficked children, and drug addicts, they make no effort at all. These groups might as well be invisible where TBC pastors and members are concerned.
Standing for Truth
The Lord describes his church as the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15), but you wouldn’t know it if you attended a TBC in the last 50 years. The world systematically dismantles every teaching the Bible puts forth. Evolution undermines its history, atheism undermines its God, and critical race theory undermines its justice.
But TBC pulpits are utterly silent on these (and many other) important issues, leaving both the lost and saved vulnerable to the doctrines of demons and the destructive consequences of their ideas.
Pastoral Abuse
TBC congregations treat their dogs better than their pastors. To them, the man of God in the pulpit is nothing more than a spiritual punching bag. They criticize him without mercy, resist his every idea, attack his family, go after his pay, and throw him out on his ear if he doesn’t bow to their fleshly whims.
The accounts of their treatment of their shepherds would be comical if not so tragic. The American landscape is littered with the broken lives of pastors torn apart by these lawless churches.
What this list tells us
This sampling of sins demonstrates why well-meaning efforts to turn TBCs around don’t work, and why good, godly pastors find it impossible to change them. It also explains why they are so unproductive in the work of Christ and why they have so much conflict.
Rebellion, then, is the root cause of TBC decline, not the failure to implement an organizational leadership process that includes a proper mission, vision, and strategy. If they are to return to health, this must be addressed before any other measures can work. So, how can this be done?
The following 6-step process provides a broad guide for TBC pastors to address the rebellion overwhelming their churches, bring them back into alignment with the will of Christ, and provide a genuine opportunity for revival to take place.
Step 1—Repent and Pray
Our leadership does not begin on the outside, directing our people on how to think and what to do. It begins inside of us, with an honest evaluation of our own ministries and a season of intercession before God.
Evaluation and repentance
When we understand the true condition of our churches, our first thought can be to blame the people, and indeed they bear much of the blame. But as their leaders, we must also take stock of our role in the decay of these churches. Many of the areas of rebellion mentioned earlier are actually a result of our poor leadership.
How many of us know the Bible requires multiple pastors (elders) but have not tried to implement that structure in our churches? How many of us have refused to develop aggressive, ongoing outreach programs to obey the command to reach the lost? And how many of us have abandoned continual, sacrificial work for the poor and oppressed?
What about our moral failures? How many men of God reading this article have given themselves over to pornography, have used church funds in an inappropriate way, or had an unseemly relationship with someone in their congregation?
Christ understands the burden we carry and the temptations we face. He knows we are only flesh, and he is willing to forgive our sins. All we must do is repent. Remember the words: “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Take a moment now, get on your knees, and fully confess all your sins as a man of God. Christ will forgive you.
Intercessory prayer
Now that your sins have been dealt with, it is important that you enter into a season of dedicated and intense prayer. The situation has degraded so much in our churches that there is very little to revive.
Most churches are under 50 in average attendance, and most of those who darken the doors on Sunday morning are well north of 60 years old. Not a whole lot to work with, to put it mildly. It reminds me of Ezekiel 37, where the Lord described his people as being like dry bones, dead and capable of nothing.
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In this situation, the only hope for revival is a supernatural, miraculous act of God. He must take the dry bones left in our small, aging congregations and make something out of them, because only he can.
As such, I recommend daily prayer for at least 60 days before you take any of the additional steps listed in this article. In that time, pray that God would:
Glorify himself through his mercy by granting repentance to the people
Subdue Satan’s influence on you and your congregants
Bring a spirit of conviction on the church for its sins
Give you
The courage to lead the changes needed
Specific wisdom about what to do, how to do it, and when to do it
Men in the church who will stand beside you as lead
The strength to endure the persecution that will accompany your efforts
Step 2—Come to Terms with the Personal Cost
Earlier, I mentioned the abuse pastors endure in TBCs. In most cases, even the mildest attempt at change is met with a brutal response.
To derail his efforts, members attack their pastors in public and private; send nasty emails and text messages; spread rumors about him, his family, and his ministry; go after his pay and benefits; and fire him without cause if he persists in his driving the church forward.
If the Lord is leading you to take on the rebellion outlined in this article, you will receive the worst your people and the demonic agents behind them have to offer. You must come to terms with that before you begin. There is no way to survive it if you do not.
So, how do you do that?
1. Accept that you will be mistreated.
There is no scenario in which you will come out of this unscathed. Remind yourself you are experiencing the sufferings of Christ, and that you were always called to this kind of life and work.
As such, Jesus will give you the strength to endure it and will use it to perfect you. In the end, it will be a means of blessing to you, even if your efforts fail.
2. Take steps to protect yourself in case you lose your job.
Our hope and prayer is that God allows our efforts to succeed, but some churches are too far gone to be revived. Christ has given them over to rebellion and will not allow you to alter their destiny.
In these situations, there is a high likelihood you will be terminated. You must prepare for that reality.
To do that, ask yourself how you would provide for your family if you lost your pastorate tomorrow. For most of you, that would mean getting a secular job. If you’ve never worked outside the church, or haven’t done so in years, start to think about what kind of job you could get or what you need to do to become qualified for one.
3. Prepare your wife and family.
Pastoring is one of the only jobs in the world where your family must come to your workplace every time you do (or nearly every time). If your church turns against you, you must be ready to protect your wife and children. Here are some ways to do that:
Prepare your wife: Speak frankly with her about what you are going to face by trying to reform your church. Tell her what the situation is, talk to her about the rebellion of the people, and tell her in no uncertain terms what they are likely to do to you, her, and even your children as a result. She must understand it, come to terms with it, and be willing to face it with you.
Prepare your children: For the most part, you cannot tell your children what the church will likely do to you or them. But you must know that they will pay a price for your efforts to save the church. What you can do in these situations is protect them from the most traumatic aspects of the church’s response to your leadership (next point).
Protecting your wife and children: Here are a few ways to protect both your wife and children once your efforts to revive the church get underway:
Do not require them to volunteer in any ministry or attend any meeting or event they do not want to. Give them the freedom to participate as any other person in the church would be.
Do not take them to business meetings. Absolutely do not let them sit through the arguments and attacks that will inevitably occur in these meetings.
Never give critics access to your family. Sometimes when we are the subject of an attack, our enemies will try to corner our wives or children to criticize or rebuke them. Never let this happen.
Do not criticize or punish your wife or children based on the unreasonable or unbiblical expectations of people in the church. Sometimes, we hold our families to a hurtful standard because of the criticisms of other people. Do not do this to yours.
Do not tell your wife everything that is said and done in the church. Your wife needs to know what you are getting into, as stated earlier, but she does not need to know every detail once your efforts begin. Remember, you are the pastor; she is not. Do not burden or hurt her with the ugly things people say or do, particularly if it has anything to do with her or the children.
Step 3— Recognize the Two Most Fundamental Problems
The church has so many things wrong, it is impossible to fix them all at once. We must therefore prioritize. In my experience, the two most fundamental problems are the spiritual maturity and holiness of our members and the authority and decision-making structure of the church.
The maturity and holiness of members keeps the church in constant conflict, eats up all your time trying to manage that conflict, and subjects you to ongoing abuse.
The authority and decision-making structure then allows those immature, fleshly members to exercise authority over you, preventing you from implementing any of the changes that will help the church move forward.
The spiritual maturity and holiness of its members
There are two reasons TBC members are so immature and wicked. First, many of them are not saved. For the last 50 years, the gospel has been watered down to saying a simple prayer are walking down the aisle.
No genuine repentance, life change, or sacrificial service has been preached or required as the fruit of repentance and faith. This has created a surge in “believers” who are Christian in name only.
Second, many of them have not been instructed in the Bible’s standards for Christian conduct or had their sins challenged when they have failed to meet these standards. The last few generations of preachers have steered clear of offending members and almost universally avoid strong rebukes of the people’s sins.
This has left believers thinking they are holy and mature when they are actually wicked and childish.
The authority and decision-making structure of the church
For a man of God to implement the changes necessary to restore obedience and revive the church, he must have the authority to make those changes and maintain them into the future. The problem in traditional churches is that the pastor actually has no authority whatsoever. Let me demonstrate this with an illustration.
A man tries to implement a minor change in the music ministry, for example, introducing a guitar into the worship service. The music leader agrees, and the change is implemented. But then the people start to complain.
Sooner or later, they go to the deacons and tell them they are not happy about what the pastor has done. The deacons then go to him and tell him he needs to get rid of the guitar. He refuses, knowing the music ministry needs to change for the church to grow.
But the members don’t let up. Their complaining grows louder and louder, and eventually the deacons tell the pastor if he doesn’t cut the guitar, the church will call for a vote of confidence on him at the next business meeting. He must stop what he’s doing or lose his job.
How can this happen? How can the man called of God to lead the congregation, the man given the authority over the people by Christ himself, not to be allowed to make even the most basic change? Because the authority structure is set up to put the pastor at the bottom and the people at the top.
If this upside-down polity is not corrected, there is no man on earth that can revive a TBC, no matter how well-trained, how tough, or how determined he might be. The system will simply not allow it.
What does a biblical authority structure look like?
I have dealt with this subject extensively in other places, so I will only provide a summary here. For a more detailed treatment of this subject, see the following resources:
A church that is organized per the New Testament pattern will have the following:
Multiple, biblically qualified pastors of equal authority in every church who have sole spiritual authority. Churches with a single pastor, a Senior Pastor with Associate Pastors, or an elder board (or the like) and a pastor are not biblical. (For more on multiple pastors/elders, see Elders and Deacons video.)
Multiple, biblically qualified deacons who serve the physical and temporal needs of the people under the authority of the pastors. Deacons chosen based on popularity or availability alone are not qualified. Deacons in a position of authority over the pastor(s) is not biblical. (For more on deacon qualifications and work, see Deacon Video Series.)
A congregation of submissive disciples whose involvement in church decisions falls under the authority of the pastors. Making decisions by majority vote is unbiblical as it negates the authority of the pastor(s). The pastor(s) have the final say on all matters related to the life of the church. (For more on congregational voting, see Congregational Voting and Revival.)
How to overcome these fundamental problems
How do we address these fundamental issues? What can pastors do to overcome them? Steps 4 and 5 will provide details for each.
Step 4—Preach for Salvation and Necessary Sanctification
As indicated earlier, the two reasons TBC members are immature and wicked are 1) the fact that many of them are not saved and 2) those who are saved have not been properly instructed in righteousness. What is the solution to these realities? By and large, the public preaching ministry of the church.
Public preaching is central to God’s purposes to save and sanctify human beings (Rom. 10:14-15, 1 Tim. 4:13). The Word is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), and that Word is proclaimed by men called of God.
If we are looking for a solution to lostness and unrighteousness in our congregations, we must bring to bear strong, biblical preaching to reverse these conditions.
Preaching for the salvation of elderly “Christians”
Elderly church members are some of the hardest people in the world to convert. They all believe they are saved, so the gospel message does not apply to them.
Many are also full of pride regarding their church accomplishments and years of service. “I’ve taught Sunday school for 40 years,” they say, or “My father started this church.”
This creates a double barrier to conversion and requires a specialized gospel message.
Here’s what I recommend in these cases:
Invest significant time in prayer beforehand. The Holy Spirit must break down the inner barriers they have to receiving the gospel.
State upfront you are talking to members of the church. This will prevent them from turning you off at the beginning of your message.
Inform them that many of them are actually not saved. Confront them with this truth as a way of shocking them into listening.
Tell them why they are not saved. Cultural Christians generally rely on something other than Christ’s sacrifice as the basis for their forgiveness. The following provides some examples. You may list and discuss a few at random, or focus on specific items that apply to your congregation based on your knowledge and experience with them.
Time in church, baptism, years of service in a particular position, believing they are in-and-of-themselves good
They grew up in church or in a Christian family, their father or mother was very devout
They love to come to church, love their Christian friends, and love the church building, furniture, and decorations
They go to church every time the doors are open; attend Sunday school, Bible study, and prayer meetings; and read the Bible and pray
Challenge them regarding the basis for their salvation. Ask them to 1) think about what they are really trusting in for their forgiveness, and 2) consider the consequences of putting their faith in the wrong place (having to bear their own sins for eternity).
Share the gospel. I trust each of you knows what the gospel is. The key here is to emphasize:
That only a sincere trust in Christ’s atonement as the basis of forgiveness will result in salvation. Even the slightest trust in any other kind of righteousness (like the ones listed above) will result in damnation.
That the only sure sign of genuine salvation is fruit born to Christ as defined in the New Testament. Jesus requires sacrificial, ongoing effort to believe and obey him, which results in sincere works of righteousness (Luke 6:43-45).
Preaching for the sanctification of elderly believers
Sometimes we do not know we are sinning until someone calls us out. But preachers today rarely address the sin of their congregations in a direct and convicting way.
This denies believers a chance to repent and grow, and it keeps the church locked in a cycle of conflict and dysfunction. This must change if TBCs are to revive.
To provide guidance on how to preach in this situation, we will address the following items:
How to decide what to preach
Sermon organization
The role of direct confrontation
How to decide what to preach
Topics for these types of sermons can come from two sources. First, pay attention to the sins that are preventing your church from moving forward. What are the people doing that is getting in the way of implementing needed changes?
Pick one that seems most important at the time, and address it in your preaching.
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Second, choose something that is a common sin among seniors in TBCs and address it preemptively. Here is a list of some of those common items:
Gossiping, complaining, and sowing discord
Self-centeredness, resisting change, and focusing on trivial issues [1]
Lust for power, electioneering [2], and resisting authority
Sermon organization
Sermons of this type should follow the general pattern of the prophets, apostles, and Christ himself. Based on their examples, sermons intended to address sin should include the following:
1. An accusation of sin
The behavior in question must be identified specifically. You cannot use generalities or broad statements in this type of sermon. For example, if gossip is the issue, you cannot say, “We are not always as nice to one another as we should be.” You must say, “Gossip is one of the main reasons churches do not grow.”
Further, you should directly state that the sin is occurring in your church. “This isn’t a sin other people are committing,” you may say in the introduction of your message. “This is a sin occurring in this very church.” If you don’t do this, people will think, “Oh, that’s not us! That’s the church down the road.”
You may also want to identify the specific situations when this sin occurred or groups within the church that are committing it. I do not mean that you mention individuals by name. You should never do that from the pulpit. What I am referring to is identifying the situation or group as a whole.
For example, you might say, “In a recent business meeting, I noticed several members had been working behind the scenes to make sure the vote went their way,” or, “I have heard that some of you are upset about me not wearing a tie on Sunday morning.”
Doing this will help bring conviction to the people involved; they will simply have nowhere to run.
But wouldn’t this stir up conflict? Yes, it will likely make some people mad. But you must remember, they are already mad. Publicly identifying the sin and the group committing it is a means of bringing discipline to the body.
That is why Paul instructed Timothy to do this very thing in 1 Timothy 5:20, and why he did it himself (1 Cor. 5:1-5), even calling out specific individuals when it was appropriate (Gal. 2:11).
Now, I am not suggesting you make the pulpit a place where you lash out at people you don’t like. We do not want our people to fear we will use the Sunday morning sermon to come after them individually.
But when sin rises to the level of public rebuke, you must call out those responsible. The Lord will give you wisdom as to when and how to do this.
2. The Bible’s teaching on that sin
Having clearly identified the sin, we now need to teach the people what God has to say about it. Take them through several passages that deal with this sin. Give them a thorough understanding, the real meat of the Word on this subject.
Talk about the discipline God will bring on his people if they continue in this sin, and describe the benefits of obedience, both to the individual and the church at large.
3. An application to the situation
Take these teachings and apply them to what you see in your church. Give them specific instruction on how they should have acted or should have handled the situation. Do not assume they will make the connection themselves.
Close this section by stating that you, as their pastor, expect them to follow the teachings of the Bible and improve in this area in the future.
4. A call for repentance
We want our people to fall under conviction, to feel the guilt of their sin, and to mourn the consequences of their actions. But we also want them to feel the joy of forgiveness. As you conclude your message, extend God’s loving offer of forgiveness if they will repent, and promise them his full restoration if they do.
The role of direct confrontation
Preaching is a critical component in turning our people away from sin and developing them in holiness. I would be remiss if I did not point out, however, the need also to directly confront individuals when they continue in rebellion.
A pointed sermon addressing sin is not always enough. Sometimes we must take the message directly to the individual.
Jesus commanded this in Matthew 18:15-18. If someone has sinned against you, he said, you have no choice but to go to them and discuss it directly. This is one of the most difficult things to do in the church, and it is one very few people have ever tried.
But, as the leader of the congregation, and as the one responsible for moving the church forward, you must make this an ongoing part of your leadership.
Here are a few recommendations when doing this:
Bathe the situation in prayer beforehand. Ask God for courage to speak to this person, to open his heart to your words, and to give you the grace to listen to his point of view.
Speak to them privately and in person. Make sure no one else is around, and never do this over the phone or text.
Tell them specifically what they have done. Focus on the facts. Do not make any assumptions or draw any conclusions as to motive. Just state what they did.
Tell them how this made you feel and the effect it has had on the church. Make sure they know the consequences of what they have done.
Listen to their side of the story. Many times these situations come down to misunderstandings. Give them a fair hearing.
Put them on notice that this behavior cannot continue. After discussing the situation, if their explanation is not sufficient and/or they are not repentant, warn them sternly that, if they continue, you will take further disciplinary action.
An encouraging example
At the last church I pastored, I had to do this with one of the seniors. He was resisting nearly everything the elders were trying to do to rebuild the church. He made false accusations in business meetings, huffed and puffed when I was preaching, and criticized my sermons openly right after the services.
I tried to be patient with him, but it got to the point where I had to call him out to his face.
I was very anxious about the discussion and found myself dreading it as it approached. I told him I needed to talk to him about some of the things he was doing. I prepared a list and went through it one item at a time, focusing on the facts.
To my surprise, he did not argue with me while I was talking but listened quietly. He then thanked me for bringing these things up and said he was going to think about them.
From that moment on his behavior toward me and the change process overall was radically different. He became an ally as opposed to an enemy, and he finally showed me the respect he should given my office.
A few years after I left that church, I went back to visit. After the service he came up to me in the sanctuary with others standing around, reached his hand out to shake mine, and said, “I just want to thank you. You called me out when I needed to be called out, and it has totally changed my life. Thank you so much for doing that.”
I was stunned, frankly, but the Lord taught me a great lesson through this experience. These kinds of confrontations can be very productive for the individual and the kingdom if we will only summon the courage to carry them out.
Step 5—Align Church Polity with New Testament Teaching
Now that you have begun to deal with the sin of your people, you can turn your attention to the other foundational issue, church polity. Changing the way the church makes decisions will be viewed as a major change within your church. Because of this, you must be careful how you go about it.
Some pastors take a head-on approach to changes like this. They deal with it directly and try to push through all the changes at once. While I recognize some of the benefits of this, I do not recommend it for several reasons.
Most believers know very little about biblical polity, so they need time to learn what it is and why it is better than their current approach. Pushing it through can also come across as a pastoral power grab. “He just wants to run everything,” many will say.
And finally, there is no time for people to see how it will work in real life before they agree to the change. This can lead to a great deal of disagreement and conflict and prevent the biblical approach from ever being adopted.
Practical steps to change church polity
A better approach, and one I have had success with, is to take it a step at a time, building up to a formal adoption of a biblical polity at a later date. To do this, take the following steps.
Preach and teach on the New Testament requirements for church polity
Begin by explaining the Bible’s teachings in this area. The people probably have never heard anyone talk about this. They just assumed that the way they have always seen it done is the right way. You can approach this from several angles.
Teach it from the pulpit in a series. Directly lay out the New Testament pattern and explain its benefits over the course of a 6- to 8-week series. You can also mention it when the opportunity arises in other sermons. Make it something you talk about often.
Teach it in a Sunday school or Bible study. This will give you more time to get into the details, take questions, and encourage discussion. It will also give you a feel for how the people are receiving the information.
Provide articles for the congregation to read or videos for them to watch. When I was leading our church through this process, I printed articles on the subject and handed them out on Sunday morning. These were very helpful in changing people’s minds. Videos can be just as effective. Here are some resources to share:
Train your deacons in the New Testament requirements for their office and work.
One way to begin to change the polity in your church without causing division is to put your deacons through a training program on New Testament deacons.
I have an 8-part group study covering the office, its authority, and its activity on this website. It is extremely faithful to the New Testament, incorporates a discussion of biblical polity, and is totally free. You can find it below.
Make minor alterations to the business meeting schedule and process.
Steps can be taken to move the church in the direction of biblical polity and allow your people to see its benefits by making changes to the way the church conducts business meetings. Here are some things to work on immediately:
Reduce the number of things on which the church votes. Some churches vote on minor purchases, church décor, and other trivial matters. These create conflict and train the church that everybody must be involved in every decision. Work with the church to eliminate these kinds of votes and instead leave these decisions to the teams that are responsible for them.
Reduce the frequency of business meetings. Some churches have business meetings every month. Again, this provides more opportunities for conflict and the micromanagement of the pastor(s). Use your influence to move these meetings to quarterly or every six months.
Do not take a vote if there is a disagreement on an issue. When you do vote, if there is more than a minor disagreement, do not take the final vote. Delay it, and work with the parties to come to a consensus. This will teach the people that votes are not needed to make decisions. It will also set the stage to adopt Informative Voting, which we will talk about next.
Study the Informative Voting process.
Moving a church away from the traditional Baptist congregational voting model can be difficult for longstanding members to accept. Furthermore, the congregants can have a legitimate fear that their leaders will ignore their desires and rule as dictators if they have no say in church decisions.
To address these concerns, I developed a voting process that provides a means for the congregation to have input but also maintains the final authority of the pastors in making decisions. I call this process “Informative Voting” (IV).
In essence, IV provides the church with an opportunity to vote on key matters, not as a means of making the final decision, but as a way of communicating their opinion to the pastors.
If the church agrees with the pastors, as demonstrated by a unanimous vote, the proposal moves forward. If they do not, the pastors are required to delay the decision, speak to everyone who disagreed, consider their desires, and make a final decision at a later date.
The goal is to find consensus between the people and the pastors on all major decisions, thereby preserving unity.
I recommend you consider this process as the final goal of your changes to congregational voting. (For more information on IV, see the video An Alternative to Congregational Voting.)
Determine what parts to formally adopt at that time
Depending on your situation, you may need to adopt pieces of this structure at a time. In the end, you need to move to 1) multiple pastors, 2) biblical deacons, and 3) IV. But you do not have to do all of them at once.
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In my experience, addressing items 1 and 2 are the easiest. Members can quickly see the benefits of multiple pastors, and the changes to deacons is mostly internal to the deacon team (unless the deacons are over the pastor in authority).
Voting is the most significant and therefore most difficult, as I have said, so you may do that one last.
At this point, you need to decide what exactly you want to do at this point. This will allow you to proceed to the next step.
Talk with key influencers about adopting your proposal
You have done all the prep work and are ready to lead the church to make the change. To get this process moving, begin communicating with people directly about what you want to do. Here are some ways to do this:
Speak to the deacons and other influential men in the church about this issue.
Talk with your congregation. Tell them from the pulpit what you would like to do. Go into their Sunday school classrooms and Bible studies to discuss your ideas.
Have question and answer sessions with the church at large. Schedule these separate from your regular services so you can devote all your time and attention to them.
Take your time; do not rush this step. Make this an open and ongoing communication process where you show you are listening and that you are not a tyrant trying to grab control. Do not bring it before the church until you have the support you need. Practice the IV process now. This will help the people see that it is not a danger to them.
Bring your proposal to the church for a vote
When you feel you are ready, set a date for a vote and put it in the God’s hands. Do not be afraid. Trust in the Lord, no matter which way it goes.
Step 6—Implement the Full Work of the Church (The 7 Pillars Model)
You are well on your way to dealing with the two most important issues in your church. As you continue those efforts, it is important that you begin to lead your people to do more of the work the Bible requires that they do.
Most believers see the work of the church as twofold in nature, making converts and discipling them. While this is certainly central to our work, it does not represent the full orb of responsibilities we have as the people of God.
To help you understand the complete picture of church activity, I developed a model I call the “7 Pillars of the Church.”
This framework breaks down what churches are to do into seven core activities. Let me list and explain each of them for you now.
The 7 Pillars of the Church
The sections below list each pillar by name, explain what it means, quote a verse that establishes it, and provide examples of how it can be carried out.
Pillar 1: The Pillar of Truth
Meaning: The church is to maintain a witness to the truth of the Bible in all areas, especially those which are attacked by Satan and the world at that time.
Verse: I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 1 Timothy 3:15
Examples: Sunday morning preaching, Sunday school, Bible studies, guest speakers, and conferences.
The key here is in the content of the teaching. It must include common issues in the culture where Satan is leading people into lies and destruction. I call these “Issues of the Day.”
An Issue of the Day is any moral, social, or spiritual issue that arises as time and culture progress. Some are simply repackaged errors that existed in the past, while others are new and innovative.
Examples include transgenderism, climate change, assisted suicide, socialism, marijuana, and gambling. They are important because they 1) reject God’s truth in an area, 2) lead to bigger problems down in the future, 3) destroy lives, and 4) deny people the opportunity for salvation.
Pillar 2: The Pillar of Mercy
Meaning: The church is to wear itself out serving the needs of the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of the love of God for mankind.
Verse: Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit [or help] orphans and widows in their trouble. James 1:27
Examples: Volunteering at homeless shelters, allowing a Christian addiction ministry to meet on church grounds, or developing a ministry to support prostitutes.
Pillar 3: The Pillar of Teaching
Meaning: The church is to teach disciples all that Christ has instructed them in the Bible, bringing them to maturity and fruit-bearing.
Verse: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you. Matthew 28:20
Examples: Sunday morning preaching, Sunday school, Bible studies, guest speakers, and conferences. The key here is to address issues the people are facing at the time and provide deeper, more thorough teaching on those issues.
Pillar 4: The Pillar of Provision
Meaning: The church is to seek to meet the genuine spiritual, physical, and financial needs of believers under her care.
Verse: Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10
Examples: Financial support to needy members, cleaning an elderly couple’s home, repairing the roof of a shut-in, or providing courses on biblical financial management. These ministries need to be organized and supported in an ongoing way and not just a one-off when someone asks for help.
Pillar 5: The Pillar of Salt & Light
Meaning: For the good of the nations, the church is to attempt to influence the cultures in which she finds herself toward righteousness and fairness.
Verse: You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:13-14
Examples: Preaching and teaching on political issues that are moral in nature (such as homosexual marriage, the legalization of drugs, or gambling); organized attempts to influence local, state, and national governments toward righteousness; and conferences and events sharing the Bible’s teaching on important moral and political issues.
Pillar 6: The Pillar of Prayer
Meaning: The church is to gather regularly for prayer to God for, among other things, the success of his kingdom, the defeat of his enemies, the salvation of souls, and the satisfaction of the needs of the poor, sick, and oppressed.
Verse: And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer.’” Matthew 21:13
Examples: Small group and churchwide prayer gatherings where the focus is the success of the kingdom of Christ, the revival of the churches, provision for the poor, relief for the oppressed, and the end to wars. The key here is not to allow these to devolve into a laundry list of temporal requests of members but to keep them focused on kingdom-centric concerns.
Pillar 7: The Pillar of Evangelism
Meaning: The church is to share the gospel with new souls by any righteous means necessary to nations near and far that every man would have the chance to believe unto eternal life.
Verse: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19
Examples: Sunday morning evangelistic services, distributing tracts to homes, guest speakers, cookouts, sporting events, and apologetic seminars. The key here is to make these an integral part of church life and to expand them beyond traditional activities like revivals, VBSs, and fall festivals.
Implementing 7 Pillars Activities
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to moving your church forward in these areas. So, what should you do first?
My recommendation is to start with the low-hanging fruit. Read through the 7 Pillars and think about which would be the easiest for your church to do.
Maybe you know a creation speaker who can talk about creation, evolution, and the book of Genesis. Bring him in for a weekend event and Sunday morning service. This will hit the pillar of truth, salt and light, and evangelism.
Or maybe you’ve got a member who is a former alcoholic. He volunteers at a local Christian addiction treatment center. Reach out to him to see what the church could do to support that ministry, financially, through volunteering, or maybe even by using your facilities.
Your goal should be to get others involved in leading and organizing these. You do not want to do all the work yourself. The involvement of others is key to building ministries that will last and can grow to meet new needs in the future.
You will also want to work on developing all seven of the pillars over time. At the end of every year, review what you are doing relative to all seven and work on the areas where you are weak in the coming year.
Conclusion
The prospect of reviving a rebellious TBC is truly daunting. Typical recommendations of Baptist leaders simply will not work. But there is a way men of God can lead their churches toward true biblical health in the future.
Put the recommendations of this article into practice in your ministry and see what the Lord will do with your bold, courageous efforts.
If you need to speak with me about your ministry situation, simply contact me through the Contact form on our site.
NOTES:
[1] These include things like bulletins, orders of service, sanctuary temperatures, seating arrangements, dress codes, hair length, podiums, plaques, tables, and general building décor.
[2] Working behind the scenes to control the outcome of church decisions, whether in congregational votes, committee meetings, or other group decision processes.