- The birth of renewal, like the delivery of a child, includes pain, struggle, and tears of suffering — as well as tears of joy.
- Unrelenting grace-full, loving, persistent leadership is an important element for effective renewal.
- God honors biblical motives about lost people coming to know the Savior and growing in discipleship.
- God’s timing is not your timing. If you are not committed to the long haul, you may not be the right person to lead renewal.
- God does great work, but it often starts out with a small group committed to conversation with God through prayer.
- Challenges and obstacles can be expected along the way to renewal.
- A clear vision, received from God, is an essential element of moving a church to renewal and growth.
- Every Christian, by definition, has saving faith. However, if you are called to lead a church to renewal, it takes faith to believe God for the impossible. Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
- The leader will have abilities to share vision and, in time, coalesce a critical mass of Christians to move together toward desired objectives.
- Most of all, those involved will operate from a conviction of certainty that where they are going is in the center of God’s will.
This is excerpted from the May/June Church Doctor Report – Is There Hope for Your Church? Evidence from a Real Case Study.
Kent R. Hunter has consulted hundreds of churches in North America and taught thousands of church leaders in a dozen countries. His 30 books are widely read with translations in six languages. Contact him at (800) 626-8515, by email, Twitter, Facebook, or visit www.churchdoctor.org.
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