2024 Church Revitalisation Network
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For the last few decades, there has been a growing realisation that existing churches, even those that were recently planted, are not faring well. Many church leaders currently lack the training necessary to build sustained growth, health, and spiritual vitality.
The Church Revitalisation Network seeks to respond to the decline of existing churches by training church leaders in the spiritual leadership and skills they need to revitalise their churches for long-term sustainability. Its vision is to equip spiritually mature and intellectually well-grounded evangelical church leaders to:
- Improve the spiritual health of the church through worship, building trust in God as obedient disciples
- Improve relationships within the church and with unbelievers through face-to-face relationships and better integration of new members
- Improve the quality of leadership within the church through team building
- Improve the effectiveness of the church by identifying the mission, vision, and strategic plan
- Improve the contextualisation of the church through historical, geographical, and cultural study of the church’s community
Participants in the Church Revitalisation Network will receive specialised training at the Annual Meeting and throughout the year, as well as helpful resources and opportunities to be mentored.
What Network Participants Are Saying
- "This year I joined the Church Revitalisation Network and have been blessed with many insights, ideas, and relationships. The Forum has been instrumental for me in creating friendships and partnerships with other European leaders in similar spheres of ministry. I have been blessed with meaningful contacts and relationships with preachers and pastors from across the continent, but also with professionals from other spheres of life."
- Vladimir Raichinov, Vice President of the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance, Bulgaria - "For the last couple of years our church has gone through some difficult times and some problems have emerged. Because of those problems, we see a need for church revitalisation and the Forum is the best place I know of to get insights on the matter. For me it has been a tremendous blessing to participate in the Forum’s Network about this topic. I am learning a lot."
- Edvin Puka, Field Leader in IFES, Albania
Applicants should be church leaders interested in receiving the spiritual leadership and skills they need to revitalise declining churches and build sustained growth, health, and spiritual vitality.
Network Leadership
Network Speakers
David Brown planted three churches before revitalising a church in central Paris. For many years he was involved with GBU (Groupes Bibliques Universitaires), the French student movement affiliated with IFES. More recently he has been promoting church revitalisation through his chairmanship of… Read more
Stephen McQuoid grew up in Ethiopia where his parents were missionaries. He then lived in Ireland where he qualified as a nurse before going on to study theology, gaining a variety of degrees including an MTh and PhD in theology. He is the author of 16 books on subjects such as discipleship,… Read more
David Novák (M.Th) is president of the Czech Brethren Church, which is the largest Czech evangelical denomination. He also teaches philosophy, ethics for helping professions, and missiology at Prague Evangelical Seminary. Prior to that, he led a denominational youth ministry for 16 years before… Read more
Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., is the Dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University and Scholar in Residence & Teaching Pastor at Mariners Church. He has planted, revitalised, and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; earned two master’… Read more
Network Programme
Sunday, 26 May
Why is church revitalisation necessary? Why is it so difficult? What is the difference between revival and revitalisation? This session will present some of the barriers to revitalisation, as well as statistics from the USA and Europe. Attendees will learn specific steps that we as leaders can take to encourage the revitalisation of our churches.
Our post-Christian culture is increasingly hostile toward Christian beliefs and ethics. We must learn to identify the lies our culture tells us, as we walk in step with the Gospel, learning how to shape our worldview by the Gospel, to represent Jesus and his kingdom, and to show God’s love to a hostile world.
Monday, 27 May
Why do some people refuse changes? How can we motivate people for change when traditions and legalism have a strong hold on their minds and beliefs? In this session, we will consider how legalism stunts revitalisation efforts and what we can do about it.
Faith is the indispensable, foundational ingredient for true growth in the church, both spiritually and numerically. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). In this session, we will consider several faith factors that are essential in church revitalisation, including a renewed belief in Jesus Christ and his mission for the church, a renewed attitude for servanthood, and more strategic and focused prayer.
Tuesday, 28 May
What does it mean to love our neighbor, and why is it important? Nothing can replace relationships that enable people to see the plausibility of our faith as a first step towards faith. In this session, we will examine how genuine and caring relationships are the key for evangelism in our secular world.
The church is not merely an organization but a living organism. Churches must equip “every member” ministry because the most fruitful evangelism and mission often happen as the church scatters into neighbourhoods and networks beyond the church’s organizational reach.
Wednesday, 29 May
Every one of our churches are situated in a cultural context. This is partly local (the geographical context), partly national (the history of our country), and European (our post-modern culture). How do we work towards a better contextualization of our churches?
Can churches really be revitalised? What does it look like in practice? In this session, we will engage practical case studies about how churches went through church revitalisation, looking at some of the challenges of the process in their contexts, but also hearing about the encouraging outcomes.