January 17th, 2025
by William Earp
by William Earp
The role of Christ and the revitalizer in church revitalization.
The greatest tool that the leader of a church revitalization can have, especially in the revitalization process, is humility. Humility reminds the leader that they cannot and should not attempt to revitalize the church under their own power and authority. In Revitalize Andrew Davis wrote about how a leader should feel about submitting to Christ’s authority. He wrote, “A passion for the exaltation of Christ as head over the church must enflame the heart of all church revitalizers. You must burn with passion for the supremacy of Christ in your local church. Churches need revitalization precisely because they have become increasingly cold toward the glory of Christ and increasingly dominated by man’s glory, wisdom, efforts, agenda, and power. If a church is to be revitalized, then the absolute ownership of the church by Christ must be central to everything you yearn for and do.”[1]
Davis is describing the way that a leader should seek Christ’s involvement as more than a necessity, but something the leader craves in every sense of their being. Matthew 16 shares a conversation between Peter and Jesus about how Jesus will build the church and Peter will manage it. On this occasion, Peter confesses Jesus as Christ, and Jesus responds by saying, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16:17-19). This relationship shows that Christ is the builder and Peter is the laborer. To use the general construction analogy as Christ did, the roles of builder and laborer have different responsibilities, but both need to be skilled at their tasks. The builder must be able to provide the location, materials, designs, conflict resolution, and so on. The laborer must know how to place those materials, manipulate them into place, make the right cuts, and manage the property.
While Christ is the master builder and the one who ultimately provides growth, this does not relieve the leader of any responsibility. The leader must stay ready and preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2), shepherd the flock (1 Pet. 5:2-4, Jn. 21:17), be able to implement change (Neh. 2:17-18), and oversee and protect the flock (Acts 20:28-31).
This relationship between Christ and the revitalization leader must be symbiotic. It is a replica of the relationship that Jesus expressed with God (Jn. 5:19). Jesus could not do anything outside of the will and direction of the Father, and neither can the revitalization do anything outside of the will and direction of Jesus. While Jesus was empowered by the Spirit (Lk. 4:16-18), revitalization leaders were promised the same power of the Holy Spirit (Lk. 24:29, Acts 1:8,9). Through the proper relationship, the revitalization will lead to a Christ-centered, holistic image of what a healthy church should be and be a mirror image of the relationship between Jesus and God the Father.
[1] Andrew M. Davis, Revitalize: Biblical Keys to Helping Your Church Come Alive Again (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017). 48.
The greatest tool that the leader of a church revitalization can have, especially in the revitalization process, is humility. Humility reminds the leader that they cannot and should not attempt to revitalize the church under their own power and authority. In Revitalize Andrew Davis wrote about how a leader should feel about submitting to Christ’s authority. He wrote, “A passion for the exaltation of Christ as head over the church must enflame the heart of all church revitalizers. You must burn with passion for the supremacy of Christ in your local church. Churches need revitalization precisely because they have become increasingly cold toward the glory of Christ and increasingly dominated by man’s glory, wisdom, efforts, agenda, and power. If a church is to be revitalized, then the absolute ownership of the church by Christ must be central to everything you yearn for and do.”[1]
Davis is describing the way that a leader should seek Christ’s involvement as more than a necessity, but something the leader craves in every sense of their being. Matthew 16 shares a conversation between Peter and Jesus about how Jesus will build the church and Peter will manage it. On this occasion, Peter confesses Jesus as Christ, and Jesus responds by saying, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16:17-19). This relationship shows that Christ is the builder and Peter is the laborer. To use the general construction analogy as Christ did, the roles of builder and laborer have different responsibilities, but both need to be skilled at their tasks. The builder must be able to provide the location, materials, designs, conflict resolution, and so on. The laborer must know how to place those materials, manipulate them into place, make the right cuts, and manage the property.
While Christ is the master builder and the one who ultimately provides growth, this does not relieve the leader of any responsibility. The leader must stay ready and preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2), shepherd the flock (1 Pet. 5:2-4, Jn. 21:17), be able to implement change (Neh. 2:17-18), and oversee and protect the flock (Acts 20:28-31).
This relationship between Christ and the revitalization leader must be symbiotic. It is a replica of the relationship that Jesus expressed with God (Jn. 5:19). Jesus could not do anything outside of the will and direction of the Father, and neither can the revitalization do anything outside of the will and direction of Jesus. While Jesus was empowered by the Spirit (Lk. 4:16-18), revitalization leaders were promised the same power of the Holy Spirit (Lk. 24:29, Acts 1:8,9). Through the proper relationship, the revitalization will lead to a Christ-centered, holistic image of what a healthy church should be and be a mirror image of the relationship between Jesus and God the Father.
[1] Andrew M. Davis, Revitalize: Biblical Keys to Helping Your Church Come Alive Again (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017). 48.
William Earp
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