2027 Church Revitalisation in Today's Context 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 in Today's Context Network seeks to respond to the decline of existing churches by training church leaders in the spiritual leadership and skills they need to communicate the Gospel effectively and 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 in Today's Context 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
- "For me, ELF is an island of renewal in the midst of the challenges posed by my ministry. One of the main sources of joy for me is seeing so many leaders in one place, worshipping the King who changes lives, families, churches, cities, and nations. Leaders laying down their titles and acknowledging God's presence and grace in everything is truly inspiring. The Forum also helps me to refocus on my church. As somebody who is involved in many faith-related activities, I am reminded here that the local church is the utmost priority when it comes to ministry. Being in Christ means being in His church."
- Balazs Koncsard, Worship Leader and Teacher, Hungary - "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, and he was also chair of the Evangelism Commission of the French “National Council of… Read more
Pastor David Fleming served the local church for nearly 30 years, most recently as Sr. Pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. Under David’s leadership, the church grew to become a large multi-cultural and multi-site congregation that also planted churches across the US and… Read more
Marty Gray is the Minister of Knock Presbyterian Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is passionate about helping churches become healthier, more outward-looking communities. He particularly enjoys helping churches turn biblical convictions into practical plans that can work in ordinary local… Read more
Ján Máhrik is a church planter pastoring Za Kostolom church in Žilina, Slovakia. He is passionate about bringing the Gospel and truths of the Bible to the unchurched - sceptic, secular, and post-Christian. He is a host of the award-winning podcast… Read more
Ádám Szabados is a Hungarian theologian and the leader of the Hungarian Evangelical Forum. Until 2017 he had been a pastor for 20 years. He is married to Dóra and has two adult sons. He studied English literature and linguistics at the University of Veszprém (MA equivalent, with honours), and… Read more
Joel Tuchscherer is a husband, father, pastor, and missionary in southern Germany. He is passionate about helping churches grow and become more like Christ — a concern he pursued in his master's thesis, for which he assessed the health of three free churches. In 2021, he founded Equipped to Live… Read more
Network Programme
Sunday, 23 May
Church revitalisation is dealing with a whole complex system called a church. Because this is difficult, the default solution for many pastors and leaders is to sign up for courses or seminars on a multiplicity of subjects, all of which are important – apologetics, preaching, pastoral care, evangelism, discipleship, music and worship, etc. But revitalising the church includes all this and more!
Revitalisation needs the active participation of church members, so how can we motivate them towards this? What do believers hear when we speak of church revitalisation? Our network suggests that we must give them the big picture, but in a way which is easy to grasp.
This talk explores deeply rooted cultural trends that have reshaped how people understand reality, the self, society, and meaning, and considers their implications for church revitalisation. It calls us to discern these cultural shifts carefully while renewing the church’s gospel-shaped identity and witness.
Monday, 24 May
How can evangelism become something every member of the church participates in, rather than something left to a gifted few? This session will give you a simple, adaptable model for whole-church evangelism which can be implemented in churches of all sizes.
This seminar will explore the biblically based and concurrent realities of servant leadership. Servant Leadership is the practice of earning the trust and followership of others by prioritising their growth and well-being above personal and even organisational gain. It is also, and equally, casting compelling vision and modelling the values that inspire people to pursue shared goals with ownership and excellence. The ultimate measure of servant leadership isn't what the leader accomplishes through people, but what happens to people because of the servant leader’s influence. Are those I lead becoming more autonomous, more capable, and more likely themselves to serve and lead others?
Tuesday, 25 May
Leadership starts with an honest look at where you are. Without that, there's no way to chart a course. In this session, we will look at practical ways to assess the health of a congregation, and I'll share what I learned from studying three churches for my master's thesis and processes in my own congregation.
More information about this session coming soon!
Wednesday, 26 May
Change can be very troubling for many people in a congregation. And sometimes also for the pastor! There are often multiple reasons for this fear of change. These fears are real, and in this session we will examine them and attempt to understand them. However, it is also very important not to let these fears prevent changes for the better. This session will therefore suggest ways by which the reticence to change can be overcome so that the whole body of believers in a local church will be able to move forward together.