3 Faith Factors in Comeback Churches

Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson wrote a book entitled, Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can Too. They researched churches that had declined or plateaued but then turned it around. Below are some notes from just one chapter of this book.

Comebacks happen when churches are renewed spiritually.

3 Faith Factors of Comeback Churches
1. A renewed belief in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church
2. A Renewed attitude of servanthood
3. A more strategic prayer effort

1. A renewed belief in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church

People who experienced the reality of Jesus on a daily basis motivate their churches to grow. As people are renewed in their beliefs, their actions changed.

Find out what God is calling you to do and do it.
Think in missionary ways about your context.
Your mission determines everything else.

Church grows a heart for its community.
Church grows a heart for those far from God.

Many churches love their traditions more than their community or those far from God.

Fishing (evangelism) lesson – you can’t clean them before you catch them.


2. A Renewed attitude of servanthood

A comeback church realizes its reason for existing is about more than itself and its preferences. They care more about the community than their own preferences. Every church should be contemporary (not necessarily talking about the music). Repent of any traditional idolatries.

Philippians 2:3-8 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.


3. A more strategic prayer effort

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Pray for things that matter. Pray for boldness and for a movement of God’s Spirit within the community and in the lives of those who are far from God is part of an effective outreach strategy. Pray for the church to be led to a deeper passion for the community.