From time to time, I enjoy bringing in a guest to share with you on the blog – especially when they can bring you something new or different than what my personal experience allows for.

To that end, I’ve asked Don Ross to share some posts on Church Revitalization (or Turn-Around Churches). Don is an Advanced Coaching Alum, Renegade Pastor and the Lead Pastor of Creekside Church in the Seattle, Washington, area.

Hope you find this helpful:

Our Critical Internal Turnaround – By Dr. Donald E. Ross

When Howard Shultz first posed the idea of a restaurant that served only coffee, people laughed.  Now, forty years later, no one is laughing except those who bought stock early on.

Founders of the photo-sharing app “Instagram” saw their company grow in two years to the point Facebook offered $1 Billion for it.

Both of these companies, and many more, have something in common with a pastor seeking to lead a turnaround church and see the decline reversed.

Here it is… the dream was internal before it was external.  The late Steven Covey told us in the Seven Habits that everything is created twice, first in our mind, then with our hands.

But since we are not focused on the business world, let’s go to our founder, who has been helping pastor-types like us lead churches, break barriers and reverse decline for twenty centuries.

Jesus said it this way, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him…”.  Matt 12:35.

Simply put, if you are leading a turnaround church and attempting to reverse decline, you must have something good inside you in order to give anything good to those around you.

Your church needs to have a turnaround in your heart, before you will see anything of a turnaround on a Sunday in your church.

Hebrews 11:1 is so powerful for those of us serving in declining churches, because it is focused on “substance” and “evidence” that is not seen, but is just as real.  This is internal evidence of a turnaround.

You have to believe God is doing a work when you don’t see it with your eyes.  You have to believe God’s plan is effective, even when there is little tangible evidence to support your believe.

This is the internal turnaround that MUST happen in every pastor’s heart before it can happen in your church.

What ever problem you are facing, that problem is more about you and Jesus than you and the problem.  These are spiritual battles that are won in your heart first.  Internal victories always precede external victories.

So, rather than fighting your board, or searching for a new strategy, maybe you need to make an appointment with our founder and C.E.O. and get some personal coaching from Jesus.  After all, Jesus has been leading the ultimate turnaround of the universe for over 2000 years and He knows how to get this done.

A few minutes alone with Him will ignite an internal turnaround in you, and that will spread to others, because Jesus loves to give life to dead things, and that life is always contagious.  His line is open now.

For information on the Turn Around Church Coaching Network, see www.turnaroundchurch.org

P.S. Are you ready to take your church to the next level? Don Ross is an alumni of my Tele-Coaching Network where the average church will experience a 25-35% increase in their attendance and their giving within the first 12 months of joining my coaching network.

Join with a group of Pastors who are seeing God do great things in their church. Apply today to lock in the Early Bird Pricing and receive bonuses resources worth over $645.00.

Click here to learn more and apply online today for my new Senior Pastor Tele-Coaching Network

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.