Living – GRIMPLICKVARNSPUDDLE

Change and the Power of Why

One of the ongoing struggles in church leadership is learning to separate vision from strategy, especially when leading people toward change. Too often, we focus on the how—how something will be implemented, who will be involved, where it’s going to happen—but we overlook the deeper question: why are we doing this?

If we don’t understand the why, we can easily lose our way. Whether we’re implementing a new ministry initiative or planting a new church, we must always return to the deeper purpose. That’s what moves hearts. That’s what brings lasting change.

The Theology Behind the Tasks

Back in the days before cell phones, during the early stages of church planting, I carried a lightweight notebook with me everywhere I went. I used it to jot down ideas and outline the functions of the church—everything from ushering and greeting, to children’s ministry and even parking lot coordination.

Each page in that notebook represented a different ministry area. But more importantly, for each task, I would try to write out a theology for why we were doing it. What does the Bible say about the way we welcome people? How should our values shape even something as mundane as parking cars?

That may sound overly detailed, but I found it grounding. When we rooted every form and function in biblical principle, we kept ourselves from drifting. We weren’t just copying what we saw elsewhere—we were aligning every action with a spiritual foundation. The form of ministry should flow naturally from its function, and both should be driven by the why.

Know Your People’s Capacity for Change

Another challenge we face is failing to fully consider the capacity of the people who will implement the changes we dream up. Vision without compassion becomes a burden.

That’s why my best advice is this: make haste slowly. Take the time to explain what you’re doing and why. Most change starts in the pulpit, but it must also filter down into smaller circles—first to your core leaders, then into the conversations they have with the people they lead.

The Pulpit as a Tool for Change

I was mentored early on by Robert Schuller. At the time, he led a church of over 8,000 people, what would eventually become the Crystal Cathedral. He once said he could “counsel all 8,000 people,” and while he may have been thinking psychologically as much as spiritually, there’s real truth in that statement.

We often underestimate the power of the pulpit. When you stand before people with a microphone around your neck, they listen. They trust. They believe what you say. That platform gives you a unique opportunity to shape culture and guide people through change—if you use it wisely.

One of the best ways to bring people along in a season of change is to treat your announcements like progress reports. Weave them into sermons if possible but state them clearly.

Start simple: “I’ve been thinking about something…”
A week or two later: “This is something we’ve been talking about as a staff…”
Then: “Here’s what we think it could look like. We’d love your input.”
Eventually: “We’re going to test this out.”
And finally: “Here’s where we’re going.”

That kind of transparency builds trust. It gives people space to catch up emotionally and spiritually. It invites them into the process rather than surprising them with a decision. More than that, it respects the tremendous trust that God has placed in you—the leader who speaks to His people every week.

Final Thoughts: Lead with Humility

Strategic change requires more than clever ideas or fast execution. It requires wisdom. It requires humility. And above all, it requires a clear and compelling why. When we lead with that—anchored in scripture, thoughtful about people’s capacity, and respectful of the pulpit—we guide our churches not just through change, but toward transformation.

Ralph Moore is the Founding Pastor of three churches which grew into the Hope Chapel ‘movement’ now numbering more than 2,300 churches, worldwide. These are the offspring of the 70+ congregations launched from Ralph’s hands-on disciplemaking efforts.

He travels the globe, teaching church multiplication to pastors in startup movements. He’s authored several books, including Let Go Of the Ring: The Hope Chapel Story, Making Disciples, How to Multiply Your Church, Starting a New Church, and Defeating Anxiety.

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When Mobilization Went Unnoticed

Did you ever stop to consider that at the heart of everything Jesus did was mobilizing His followers to do ministry?

I believe the purpose of the Church—the “big C” Church—is to equip its members to do works of ministry. This follows the Apostle Paul’s teaching that each believer is God’s masterpiece, created for good works. We are saved by faith but made for good works.

I spent much of my life as a pastor lobbying for others to plant churches. I was living under a couple of false impressions. The first was that church planting was a special calling reserved for a select few, as if God had called us to plant churches but not others. The second false impression was that I could pressure pastors into planting churches as a programmatic effort.

As I matured, I began to realize that every church is called to reproduce itself and that our effectiveness in multiplication came from perseverance in reproduction. However, as I continued to grow, I came to understand that disciple-making is at the root of everything we do. I then realized that if we didn’t first make friends, we couldn’t make disciples. Finally, I came to see that disciple-making begins before a person accepts Christ, not after. Friend-making and disciple-making are intertwined in a “follow me as I follow Christ” process.

Recently, however, I was taken aback when a friend described our disciple-making efforts as “mobilizing the saints for the work of ministry.” He said this publicly, portraying it as something heroic. Yet, I felt far from a hero because I hadn’t fully grasped the impact of what we had been doing so productively for so many decades. Honestly, I was embarrassed by his pronouncement.

In reality, mobilization has been at the heart of the simple disciple-making model used in the churches I started. We intentionally connected challenging teaching from the platform to the small groups in our church, which we called MiniChurch. The process was so simple that I couldn’t understand why other pastors wouldn’t be willing to give it a try. We even eliminated a “discipleship class” by relying on friends to disciple their friends. In our MiniChurch gatherings, we followed up on the weekend teaching by asking three simple but powerful questions—questions I have repeated countless times because they have been so effective and can work for others as well as they did for us.

We taught through the Bible, always striving to communicate in a way that resonated with a younger audience. We went chapter by chapter teaching with a simple and often humorous approach, aiming to instill both sound theology and a full understanding of Scripture. Every teaching challenged our members to action, which is why my friend observed that we were mobilizing the saints for ministry. But the real action happened in MiniChurch. We would gather around food and fellowship and then ask:

What did the Holy Spirit say to you during the weekend service?
What are you going to do in response to what the Spirit spoke to your heart?
How can we help you or pray for you as you seek to obey the Lord?

The power of what we did was in linking a mobilizing message from the pulpit to an interactive relational setting, where friends ultimately held each other accountable for what the Holy Spirit was speaking to their hearts. Without being overly mystical, we strongly emphasized the Spirit’s role in our midst.

As I look back on my life, I realize that pressuring people into planting churches did little good. Even focusing on disciple-making could hit a dead end if our goal was merely to develop strong believers. What we had actually done was link what was happening in church and MiniChurch to the mandate of Acts 1:8—constantly keeping the vision of reaching beyond our walls, all the way to other nations, in front of our people. We mobilized our members for ministry where they lived, worked and played.

Ralph Moore is the Founding Pastor of three churches which grew into the Hope Chapel ‘movement’ now numbering more than 2,300 churches, worldwide. These are the offspring of the 70+ congregations launched from Ralph’s hands-on disciplemaking efforts.

He travels the globe, teaching church multiplication to pastors in startup movements. He’s authored several books, including Let Go Of the Ring: The Hope Chapel Story, Making Disciples, How to Multiply Your Church, Starting a New Church, and Defeating Anxiety.

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What We Find When We Ask, God, Where Are You?

There’s an account in Scripture, in the book of Acts, about the apostle Paul’s own dark night. Luke’s second scroll tells it like this:

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:6-10

Maybe you notice a repeated refrain:

“Having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word [there] . . .”

“The Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to . . .”

Paul and his crew were trying to follow their calling, their mission, yet God thwarted their efforts. God changed their direction. God stopped them in their tracks. God blocked their goal. They thought their feet would take them one way, but the Spirit of Jesus had other plans.

This passage of Scripture almost reads like a cosmic joke, a deistic pinball machine. God was obscuring Paul’s path, even as he was inviting the apostle to follow sightlessly. Paul was given a dream, a vision, but he did not have a map. Still, Paul took one step of faith at a time, while God moved him in unexpected, tedious, and seemingly ridiculous directions.

And yet.

What we see in Paul’s story is often what we cannot see in our own, especially when we find ourselves in the middle of an obscure evening. God is at work, even when the path is dim. God is doing something, something good, even when we can’t see clearly. God’s past faithfulness—in Scripture, in our own stories, in the stories of other fellow travelers—can give us something to hold onto when our own belief feels hard.

All along, God was awakening Paul from his former naiveté, exploding out of the boxes Paul had placed him in. God used this journey, in all its disorientation, to reveal that he works in ways bigger than the apostle might have imagined, in and through people he might not have imagined: in Gentiles and in women, outside the institution, outside the religious elite. Paul dreamt of a Macedonian man but was eventually led to Lydia, who became one of the first female leaders of the early church. In this way, God’s obscurity served as Paul’s invitation into an entirely new trajectory, one where he would co-labor with women for the gospel as he continued to preach that gospel to Gentiles.

Perhaps for us, like for Paul and his companions, every God, where are you? is a step toward greater goodness, meaning, depth.

I cling to my tentative hypothesis that in the night, we are being invited into transformation. But I can’t quite land on my thesis because the darkness doesn’t feel particularly helpful or transformative. Mostly, the dusk is presenting a harrowing question: Can I fumble forward in faith, even if I cannot find the place where God is hiding?

God is up to something, even as we search for him in the obscurity of dusk. But it’s something many of us weren’t prepared for in our spiritual formation or church upbringing. In his hiddenness, God is inviting us to release certainty, which is scary.

We are asked, instead, to embrace faith, which is scarier.

Adapted from What We Find in the Dark: Loss, Hope, and God’s Presence in Grief by Aubrey Sampson. Copyright © 2024. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.

Aubrey Sampson (MA, evangelism and leadership) coplanted and serves as a teaching pastor at Renewal Church, a multiethnic congregation in Chicagoland. She also speaks regularly at churches and conferences around the country. She is an award-nominated author, a coach with Propel Women Cohorts, and the cohost of The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast. Aubrey is the author of several books, most recently Big Feelings Days: A Book about Hard Things, Heavy Emotions, and Jesus’ Love (October 2023). Her most recent title, What We Find in the Dark will release from NavPress in April 2025. She is passionate about helping hurting Christians find God’s presence in their pain. She and her husband, Kevin, and their three hilarious sons live, minister, and play in the Chicagoland area. You can connect with Aubrey on her website, aubreysampson.com, and on social media @aubsamp.

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Community: From “Hosanna!” to “Crucify Him!”

Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem days before his death is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 21:6-10; Mark 11:6-11; Luke 19:34-44). All three provide details about Jesus’ story from the palms waving and cloaks on the ground to shouts of “Hosanna!” Often, we think of the crowd of the Palm Sunday sermon and the crowd in the Easter Sunday sermon as one and the same. While it makes for good preaching, synthesizing both crowds as one that turned its back on Jesus when he needed them the most, there is no empirical data for this. In our minds, our hermeneutics, and our beliefs, the same people who said “Hosanna!” also said “Crucify him!” Based on Jesus’ experience that week though, it didn’t matter. Whether it was the same people was not as important as the narrative in the community. It was their narrative. Whether it was one crowd, two combined, or even a whole new crowd, the gathered community was telling Jesus the current narrative about him.

I quickly learned I could not chase down rumors and lies about me and New Life Church. The old saying is true: a lie can circle the globe twice before the truth gets out of bed. Who said what is of no value in the investigation, but the narrative in the community is what matters the most. It was not the mere three words “Hosanna!” and “Crucify him” that killed Jesus. It was the narrative in the streets that killed Jesus.

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs.” . . . “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” (John 11:47, 50)

The narrative in the streets is what spurred the chief priest and Pharisees into action to kill Jesus. The narrative in the community will either grow or kill a church or organization. While ministry should not be orchestrated to the tunes of the narratives on the streets, ignoring them is not wise either. I learned the narrative about New Life Church was changing.

WORD ON THE STREET

Jesus had two years of popularity from the moment he turned water into wine to healing the man at the pool of Bethesda, then a year of opposition. Interestingly, in the latter year of opposition, Jesus was interested in the word on the street about him. Jesus wanted to know the narrative in the community. “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13). Whether it is Jesus’ humanity asking the question or his divinity leaving breadcrumbs for us to learn from, the curiosity of what people are saying about you is a lesson God wants us to learn from.

The answer was quick in coming. Peter spoke up with authority, as usual, and was right and wrong within minutes. There will always be something said about you as a leader in the public forum. As with Jesus, it will be a mixture of truth and falsehood, but in both cases, Jesus was not swayed by public opinion. He easily put the accolades of men behind him. Even at the point of death in his dialogue with Pilate, Jesus is not moved by the people’s characterization of who he is and what he has done. Apart from the prophetic reality of the moment, this exchange could have saved Jesus if he was moved by the narrative of people, even powerful people like Pilate. But he wasn’t (John 18:33-38, 40).

New Life Church faced a similar narrative. The word on the street shifted from the moment I told the church the bank pulled out on us and then asked for $1,000 per family. That was a costly decision, though it was the right financial decision, because our balance sheet improved, but it hurt our narrative on the street. Choices in ministry are not always good, better, and best. Sometimes they are bad and worst. New Life was twelve years old when our years of popularity began to wane. The word on the street had begun to show signs of negativity two years before when key staff members resigned. The bank pullout was like the little boy who had his finger in the levee and then pulled it out and all the water flooded the village. It didn’t matter whether it was “Hosanna!” or “Crucify him!” or who was saying it. The shift was happening, and the storm was raging.

The narrative change can feel like being seasick. My first bout with seasickness was when I was at my first base as a chaplain. I decided to take the men’s ministry on a deep-sea fishing trip. I had never been on a rowboat let alone out in the middle of the ocean in a fishing boat. The idea was to get the men interested in the chapel service. It wasn’t long into the trip before I was so sick that I pleaded with Jesus to stop my swimming head, promising he would never have to hear this prayer again if he would just get me to the shore. The narrative on the street was a similar experience for me.

LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES

One of the leadership principles that best illuminates the leader’s approach to the shifting storm winds of the community is a behavioral approach. This approach focuses in on the behavior or how the leader navigates public criticism. How does he or she show up when all eyes are on the triumphant entry of the church or organization? How about when those eyes turn from approval to disapproval? The behavioral response of the leader becomes paramount. The leader is in a petri dish and under the microscope at the same time. The leader’s behavior must include successfully managing relationships of the community stakeholders, church stakeholders, and church or organization members. Responding to every criticism can cause more problems than it solves.[1]

Church and community stakeholders are critical to carrying out the vision and mission of the church, but pursuing negativity only breeds more and keeps your mind on the negative and not faith. Faith comes by hearing God’s Word reverberate in your spirit. Standing firm in the face of an onslaught of criticism is a virtue that can help turn the tide to truth, sometimes without ever saying a word. Managing one’s criticism is a behavior followers look for and follow. Jesus is the prime example.

[1] Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, 7th ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2016), 78-79.

Bishop Geoffrey V. Dudley Sr. (PhD, Regent) is the founding and senior pastor of New Life in Christ Church, one of the fastest growing churches in the Metro East area of St. Louis, Missouri (O’Fallon, Illinois). Originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Dudley began ministry at the age of thirteen, was ordained by the United Holy Church of America in 1986, and is a retired Air Force chaplain and lieutenant colonel. He is also the CEO of iLead Enterprises, a leadership development platform for staff and workforce development. He and his wife, Glenda, have two adult children who are both ministry leaders.

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Surfing the Waves of Spiritual Awakening

Once upon a time I enjoyed surfing. Not that I was ever good enough to call myself a surfer but I did catch quite a few waves.

It was the small ones that confounded me. Foolishly brave, I actually rode a few “freight trains” while struggling to catch their smaller siblings. Friends would quickly catch waves while I thrashed about with swells passing under my board.

My problem was that I didn’t surf often enough to get very good. Hence I was someone who surfed but not a “real” surfer.

So what’s this got to do with Revival? A lot!

But first here are some terms for accurate definition. Spiritual Renewal is when an individual comes alive after a period of lethargy. And Revival happens when a dying church regains life. A spiritual awakening is a move of God that transforms a locality or a culture. They occur on a scale of reach, too. Renewals touch individuals. Revivals consume congregations. Awakenings snatch cultures from Satan, restoring lost people to their creator. Finally there is a scale of dominance—a spiritual awakening encompasses the Revival of churches and the Renewal of faith in individuals.

So, are we on the cusp of a spiritual awakening? Will another Jesus Revolution occur soon? These are important questions. But not the final answer.

I recently spoke with several leaders in Hawaii about this. They feel that they are seeing the start of another wave of spiritual awakening. I’ll pass along several reasons why. But first let’s suppose they are wrong.

What if a Spiritual Awakening is a few decades away and all they are seeing are small seeds of Revival? Well then they should ride those smaller waves while awaiting the big swell that we all pray for. And so should you, wherever you serve.

Did you know that the greatest per-capita Spiritual Awakening in History occurred in Hawaii from 1837-1843. Nearly the entire population accepted Jesus after seventeen years of missionary activity. Those missionaries rode tiny waves of personal salvations, people falling away then renewing faith, etc. for seventeen years before the big wave came.

Since that time wave after wave of renewal, revival and awakening have swept across the state. About four years before my friends and I arrived a Baptist church planted the last of the 44 churches they had spawned over a couple of decades. Before them there was a strong move among workers in the sugar cane and pineapple camps. Makiki Christian Church arose along with the first wave of Japanese immigrants. While the New Hope Churches and Hope Chapels were at their apogee, the only state in America to show church growth was Hawaii. But that has died down in the past decade.

On the other hand there are dozens of new church plants sprouting up across the state. The school district raised rents and blocked outside usage of cafeterias during and after COVID but many of those congregations found new quarters or splintered into informal churches meeting in carports and coffee shops. I recently attended the rapidly growing “The House Established” church whose pastor recently declared that God called him from New York City to plant a church that plants churches—he likened his calling to breathing life into Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones (I think I could identify those dry bones).

I’m excited about all of this but like I said, we may be wrong. These events may not herald another major Spiritual Awakening. However, they are at least the smaller waves which we should and must ride if we expect to position ourselves for the big events.

So how do you ride?

Well, you make sure that what you pump out in knowledge gets met in human hearts. Do you personally disciple people or just run a congregation. Do your disciples discuss intimate details of their lives in light of scripture with others or do they just learn stuff? Do you and the people you disciple pray with outsiders other than prayers for salvation? If someone moves into your community to plant a church or start a ministry do you bless them or oppose them?

These are small waves and often seem to lack significance but I assure you that the big wave will pass you by if you don’t learn to ride the smaller ones well.

Ralph Moore is the Founding Pastor of three churches which grew into the Hope Chapel ‘movement’ now numbering more than 2,300 churches, worldwide. These are the offspring of the 70+ congregations launched from Ralph’s hands-on disciplemaking efforts.

He travels the globe, teaching church multiplication to pastors in startup movements. He’s authored several books, including Let Go Of the Ring: The Hope Chapel Story, Making Disciples, How to Multiply Your Church, Starting a New Church, and Defeating Anxiety.

The post Surfing the Waves of Spiritual Awakening appeared first on Newbreed Training.

Navigating Discouragement in Leadership

Discouragement kills vitality. Leadership is a noble calling that often comes with its share of challenges, and one of the most formidable adversaries a leader may face is discouragement. Discouragement can creep in unexpectedly, casting doubt on your abilities and purpose, whether you’re leading a Revitalization, church plant, a team, a company, or a community. In times of despair, finding strength in the Holy Spirit and understanding your divine calling can be a powerful anchor to weather the storm.

The Nature of Discouragement

Discouragement is an insidious force that can manifest in various ways, from feelings of inadequacy to questioning the significance of your leadership role. Leaders often encounter setbacks, criticism, and unforeseen challenges, undermining their confidence in God. The weight of responsibility of the daily grind and the fear of failure can create a breeding ground for discouragement.

Scriptural Foundation: Drawing Strength from the Holy Spirit

Turning to the Scriptures provides solace and guidance for leaders grappling with discouragement. The Bible teaches believers to find strength, comfort, and resilience through the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23, the fruits of the Spirit are listed as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These attributes can serve as a source of encouragement for leaders facing adversity.

Additionally, the apostle Paul, a prominent biblical figure and a resilient leader, provides insights into dealing with challenges. In Philippians 4:13, Paul declares, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This verse underscores the idea that relying on the strength derived from a connection with the Holy Spirit can empower leaders to overcome discouragement and fulfill their calling.

Understanding Your Divine Calling

Discerning and embracing your divine calling is fundamental to overcoming discouragement in leadership. The Bible affirms the concept of a unique purpose for each individual. In Jeremiah 29:11, God declares, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Recognizing that your leadership role is part of a larger divine plan can provide reassurance in moments of doubt.

Leaders should reflect on their calling and their impact on the lives of those they lead. Leaders can find motivation and endurance to press on by aligning their purpose with God’s plan, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Overcoming Discouragement with the Holy Spirit

Prayer and Meditation:
Regular prayer and meditation are powerful ways to connect with the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites believers to come to Him with their burdens, promising rest for their souls. Taking time to seek guidance and solace in prayer can renew a leader’s spirit and provide clarity amidst discouragement.

Seeking Counsel:
Proverbs 15:22 emphasizes the importance of seeking wise counsel, stating, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.” Leaders should be quick to seek guidance from mentors, peers, or spiritual leaders when facing discouragement. Wise counsel can offer fresh perspectives, encouragement, and practical insights to navigate challenges.

Cultivating a Spirit of Gratitude:
Gratitude is a transformative force that can shift focus from challenges to blessings. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, believers are encouraged to “give thanks in all circumstances.” Cultivating a spirit of gratitude helps leaders appreciate the positive aspects of their leadership journey and fosters resilience in the face of discouragement.

Remembering Past Victories:
Reflecting on past successes and victories can serve as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and the leader’s ability to overcome obstacles. In 1 Samuel 17, David recalls defeating the giant Goliath as he faces his future challenges. Leaders can draw strength from their past achievements and use them as motivation to overcome present discouragement.

Focusing on Eternal Perspectives:
Paul encourages believers in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 to focus on eternal perspectives, stating, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Leaders can find comfort in knowing their efforts have eternal significance, transcending their immediate challenges.

Discouragement is an inevitable aspect of leadership, but with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a deep understanding of one’s divine calling, leaders can overcome these challenges and fulfill their purpose. Drawing on the wisdom of the Scriptures, incorporating prayer and meditation, seeking counsel, cultivating gratitude, remembering past victories, and focusing on eternal perspectives are practical steps that can empower leaders to rise above discouragement.

In Isaiah 40:31, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Leaders, rooted in their faith and fueled by the Holy Spirit, can soar above the storms of discouragement, embracing their calling with renewed strength and conviction. Remember, Soar above the discouragement because it kills vitality in the leader.

This article originally appeared on The Church Vitality Network. Used with permission.

Dr. Gary Moritz is the lead pastor of City United Church in Lunenburg, MA. City United Church has been featured in Outreach Magazine as one of the 100 Top Reproducing Churches in America, was awarded the Tyndale Publishers Church Comeback Award through Church Answers and has been featured in podcasts to tell the God-story of renewal and revitalization. City United and its team continue to foster leaders and churches to health and vitality by providing resources, development, and counseling to advance the movement of the Gospel in New England and around the United States. The Lord called their family to New England in 2013 to take over a church in bankruptcy and in need of church revitalization through a pastoral succession. The call to step into a hard place and do the hard things so that God gets the glory is evident, as is His ability to multiply supportive movements throughout New England. City United also partners with other like-minded, missional organizations that are planting sustainable churches and making disciples with multiplication results all over the world.

Gary is gifted in creativity, futuristic thinking, systems, strategic renewal, conflict resolution, and leadership by galvanizing teams that establish a vision for the future. He loves to spend time with his family and enjoys downtime playing saxophone, drums, and vibraphone.

Gary works for Liberty University as a Subject Matter Expert in Church Revitalization and as an assistant professor in the online School of Divinity. He serves alongside Leadership Network and Exponential as part of their creative think tanks and Venture Partner’s family. He also serves as the part-time Director of Church Revitalization for the Baptist Churches of New England, whose focus is to provide an established network of support for pastors and churches in New England so they can thrive.

Gary established the Church Vitality Network, an online network for churches to find health in pastoring, revitalization, and renewal through a digital hub.

Gary is married to Jana Moritz, and they are a ministry team, involved in serving the local church side-by-side. They have been part of many book projects during the creative process for other leading authors. However, they recently launched their own book project, Carry On: Tactical Strategies for Church Revitalization and Renewal. They have two incredible daughters leading and serving Generation Z, Generation Alpha, and the local church.

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Upending My Apologetics and Disciplemaking Efforts

I recently had my apologetics turned upside down by a book that I read dealing with, of all things, near-death-experiences.

I’ve always written NDE off as a folklore or psychotic episodes – until my brother had one.

This was two years before he went to be with Jesus and after him lying in a coma for ten days. That night my friends along with Ruby and I gathered at the hospital to pray for him in intensive care. As we approached the ICU, we heard a “code blue” announcement, stepping aside as people came running to the unit.

After things calmed down, we were forbidden to enter as my brother was the one whose heart had stopped. The following day a doctor told my sister that we had less than 24 hours until they would pull the plug on my brother. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get to the hospital in time for the drastic event, I showed up three hours later to find my younger brother sitting in bed laughing talking and eating after the doctors had totally given up and disconnected the artificial breathing apparatus.

He shocked me by describing what me and my friends were wearing, where we were standing and the events that had taken place in the hall while we were waiting to see him. He also spoke of what the doctors had done during the emergency treatment.

He also portrayed the classic characteristics of NDEs when he said that he had seemed to be above the hospital room watching the medical personnel then floating above us in the hall by the elevator. He told of passing through a dark tunnel, seeing Jesus after seeing my parents and identifying one of my friends from the eighth grade who he never knew as a seven-year-old and who I never brought to our house. The experience reinvigorated his faith and he almost immediately led two people to Christ.

As a result of his experience, I began reading books about NDEs much to the chagrin of some of my friends who think it’s all poppycock and unbiblical. Those discussions with friends helped inspire me to write this blog. I recently read a book called Is Christianity Compatible with Deathbed and near-Death Experiences?: The Surprising Presence of Jesus, Scarcity of Anti-Christian Elements, And Compatibility with Historic Christian Teachings by J. Steve Miller.

Miller, an evangelical, teaches philosophy at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. He holds degrees from the University of Georgia, Columbia International University, Trinity Divinity School, Southwestern Studies and a PhD from Columbia International University.

He conducted an anonymous survey among hundreds of his students over several years, asking which arguments for God and the afterlife they found most compelling. The results were surprising. The arguments that resonate most deeply with him (and me), some students found completely unconvincing. And some of the arguments I would dismiss as weak were the most persuasive.

Intrigued, he later surveyed students after asking them to read his book Faith That’s Not Blind which presents fifteen arguments for the existence of God.

Participants rated each argument on a scale of zero to ten—zero meaning “not convincing at all,” ten meaning “completely convincing,” and five meaning they could go either way.

The results? “Miracles” topped the list, receiving the most votes as the “best” argument and the most votes for being “most compelling.” Interestingly, deathbed and near-death experiences—often seen as subcategories of miracles—also ranked high. Reading about this cluster of supernatural occurrences struck a chord in me because I’ve always taken a more rationalistic approach to apologetics (if I hadn’t been a pastor I would have become an engineer).

Those survey results make me wonder: Has the modern world, with its naturalistic and scientific mindset, made us hesitant to talk about miracles? Have we—especially in Western Christianity—grown uncomfortable with the idea that God still moves in ways that defy logic? So often, our apologetics focus on philosophy, logic, and historical evidence, while the arguments that actually persuade people are the ones we tend to leave out. This is of huge importance as those we disciple tend to become like us. In simple terms we may be neutralizing those people most connected to the world we hope to evangelize.

Here is a list of apologetic arguments from the book I mentioned above. At the top are the arguments that students of many different religions, including Muslims, Hindus and even Atheists found most persuasive. Toward the bottom are those least persuasive arguments that I studied and taught for so many years. I’m not ready to abandon my apologetics nor my approach to disciplemaking. I am however planning to lean into prayer and the supernatural is ways I’ve ignored.

Near death experiences
Deathbed experiences
Miracles & answered prayer
Special knowledge given by God
Beginning of the universe
Fine-tuned universe
Order and laws in the universe
The emergence of cells
The existence of complex creatures
The bible is a good fit for making life work better
Human consciousness of self and free will
Morality
Direct apprehension of God
Direct experience with God
Many famous intelligent people have found the evidence for God and Christianity compelling

Ralph Moore is the Founding Pastor of three churches which grew into the Hope Chapel ‘movement’ now numbering more than 2,300 churches, worldwide. These are the offspring of the 70+ congregations launched from Ralph’s hands-on disciplemaking efforts.

He travels the globe, teaching church multiplication to pastors in startup movements. He’s authored several books, including Let Go Of the Ring: The Hope Chapel Story, Making Disciples, How to Multiply Your Church, Starting a New Church, and Defeating Anxiety.

The post Upending My Apologetics and Disciplemaking Efforts appeared first on Newbreed Training.

Join NewBreed at Exponential Orlando

Exponential Orlando is the largest annual gathering of church planters in the world, and NewBreed is excited to be leading a pre-conference session, workshop track, as well as sponsoring. With such extensive involvement, we are looking forward to changing the conversation around church planting. Rather than merely starting worship services, we need to plant first-century style churches by engaging the lost with the gospel, making disciples, and reaping a church plant as a harvest.

If you are attending the conference, we would love for you to join us at one of our sessions, or stop by our booth in the main worship center. Below is what our team is leading during the conference:

How to Plant a Church for the Next Generation Pre-Conference Session

The American Church is about to fall off a Generational Cliff. By 2033, 15 Million Baby Boomers will age out of church participation. The Church will decline more rapidly than ever before as our most loyal, generous, and active generation fades into history, and with their absence it’s likely that 1 in 8 of today’s churches will shut their door. Generational and technological change are upending the church. But the Church doesn’t have to fall victim to generational upheaval. All it takes is new churches being planted that resonate with the Next Generation. Armed with ground-breaking research on generational trends at the intersection of technology, leadership, and faith NewBreed Training will share insight into how Gen Z and Digital Technology are reshaping faith in America and how you can use those insights to plant churches to reach the Next Generation.

Day/Time: 1-5pm on Monday & 8-11:30am on Tuesday

Speakers: Peyton Jones, Andrea Jones, Chestly Lunday, Ralph Moore

Location: Faith Hall 301H

Workshop Session 1: How to Plant Decentralized Churches

TV killed the Radio star… and the Internet killed the TV star. Why? Decentralization. Decentralization is affecting every organization that has people with a screen in their hands. If you want to be relevant as an organization in the future you can’t think about planting churches from a Centralized paradigm any more… Church planting, like everything else, must become Mobilized. In this session, we will show you how to plant Decentralized churches that will withstand the cultural shifts and mobilize your community.

Day/Time: 2:30-3:30 on Tuesday

Speakers: Peyton Jones & Chestly Lunday

Location: Faith Hall 301H

Workshop Session 2: How to Fully Fund Your Church Plant

“Money, Money, Money…Money!” That’s the theme song of so many church planters in the early days. Unfortunately, seminaries may teach you how to sing the song, but they don’t tell you how to raise it. In an hour, our team will give you the playbook to raise the money you need to fully fund your church plant… so you can pay back the seminary for that useless Music in Ministry Class they made you take.

Day/Time: 8:45-9:45 on Wednesday

Speakers: Joshua Brown, Jon Crawford, Chestly Lunday

Location: Faith Hall 301H

Workshop Session 3: How To Build Unstoppable Church Planting Teams

When we think of great teams, we think of the original Dream Team, The Avengers, or The A-Team. But you can create a fantastic team… with people God has already gifted you. All you need is a map to help organize your team into the roles that matter for the mission. In this session, you will learn how to create a church planting team to accomplish the mission.

Day/Time: 2:30-3:30 on Wednesday

Speakers: Peyton Jones, Andrea Jones, Deb Walkemeyer

Location: Faith Hall 301H

Workshop Session 4: How To Develop Future Church Planters

The best GMs in sports don’t buy their way to championships, they develop Champions. If you want to become a Level 5 Multiplying church, the same must be true of you. Most churches don’t multiply out of a lack of vision, but out of a lack of leadership. This session will give the road map to Level 5 multiplication by developing future church planters.

Day/Time: 8:45-9:45 on Thursday

Speakers: Ralph Moore

Location: Faith Hall 301H

The post Join NewBreed at Exponential Orlando appeared first on Newbreed Training.

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

Do you find yourself judging other ministries? I do.

The confusion seems to arise from the tension between form and function. Some leaders seem to “worship” their church programs which unjustly offends me.

It’s Jesus’ church and scripture warns us against our personal judgement of others. However, that judgement can be useful if we’re wise enough to turn it back onto ourselves. I find that I sometimes confuse disciplemaking processes with the master disciplemaker.

This has bothered me for several days. I just finished writing a book on heart attitudes in church planting. In the process I realized that my disciplemaking forms have occasionally crowded the Holy Spirit out of the process. A case of elevating form over function.

This morning my friend, Larry Walkemeyer pointed out five things necessary for fruitful ministry. They come from Jesus’ words in John 14, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

Larry is a preacher so each of these begins with the letter, A…

Attention to faith—Jesus calls us to believe in him.
Action of prayer, something I can overlook whenever I take control of the situation. I can replace prayer with apologetics.
Aim of glorifying God. This is where I most often slide off the rails. I can glory in disciplemaking until it grows into a stale program. Worse they can become my disciple more than a disciple of our Master.
Alignment of obedience which I pretty well get or I wouldn’t be making disciples in the first place.
Finally, Larry pointed out that Jesus introduces us to the Agency of the Holy Spirit. It is always in those Spirit induced moments that the ministry bears actual fruit in the person I’m discipling.

Jesus’ promise of greater things reminds me of an admonition from Isaiah 48, “Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them.’” If I make disciplemaking into an idol I’ve missed the point of my life.

Ralph Moore is the Founding Pastor of three churches which grew into the Hope Chapel ‘movement’ now numbering more than 2,300 churches, worldwide. These are the offspring of the 70+ congregations launched from Ralph’s hands-on disciplemaking efforts.

He travels the globe, teaching church multiplication to pastors in startup movements. He’s authored several books, including Let Go Of the Ring: The Hope Chapel Story, Making Disciples, How to Multiply Your Church, Starting a New Church, and Defeating Anxiety.

The post Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing appeared first on Newbreed Training.

The Automated Church

From Ray Bradbury to Church Decline: A Journey of Discovery

A Daughter’s Assignment Sparks Reflection on Revitalization

It all began with my daughter’s high school English assignment. She came to us one day, her heart heavy with homework and her mind buzzing with questions about Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains.” As she explained her assignment, I could see the gears turning in her head, trying to decipher the layers of meaning in Bradbury’s haunting tale of an automated house continuing its routines long after its human inhabitants had vanished.

As we discussed the story’s themes – the dangers of unchecked technological advancement, the potential for human obsolescence, and the indifference of nature to our fate – something unexpected happened. Our conversation took an intriguing turn, leading us down a path neither of us had anticipated.

“Dad,” she said, I don’t get it? Looking up from her laptop with a thoughtful expression, I said to myself, “doesn’t this remind you of what’s happening with churches nowadays? You know, how they keep going through the motions even when fewer people are attending?”

Her insightful comment stopped me in my tracks. “I don’t get it” In that moment, I realized she had unknowingly drawn a parallel that would lead us to explore a fascinating intersection of literature, technology, and faith.

The Automated Church: Merging Bradbury’s Warning with Modern Religious Decline

Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains” and contemporary observations on technological advancement, such as those by Max Tegmark, provide a compelling metaphor for the current state of many churches and religious institutions. Just as Bradbury’s automated house continues to function in the absence of human life, many churches are struggling to maintain relevance and vitality in an increasingly secular and technologically driven world.

The Automated Church

Empty Pews, Active Programs: Like Bradbury’s house that continues its routines without inhabitants, many churches maintain programs and services even as attendance dwindles.
Technological Adaptation: Churches increasingly rely on technology (online services, apps, social media) to reach congregants, mirroring the automated systems in Bradbury’s story.
Loss of Human Touch: The risk of over-reliance on technology in churches parallels the eerie absence of human warmth in Bradbury’s automated home.

The Merging of Faith and Technology

Tegmark’s quote: “We’re rapidly approaching the moment when humans and machines merge” (Tegmark, 2020) can be applied to religious contexts:

Virtual Congregations: Online church services and communities are becoming more common, blurring the line between physical and digital faith experiences.
AI in Ministry: Some churches are experimenting with AI chatbots for pastoral care or scriptural interpretation, raising questions about the role of human spiritual leaders.
Data-Driven Ministry: Churches using analytics and algorithms to tailor messages and programs, potentially at the cost of spontaneity and personal connection.

Revitalization or Extinction?

The parallel between Bradbury’s story and church decline raises critical questions:

Adaptation vs. Essence: How can churches adapt to technological changes without losing their essential human and spiritual elements?
Relevance in a Tech-Driven World: Can churches find ways to remain relevant and vital in a world increasingly dominated by technology and secular values?
Balancing Tradition and Innovation: How can religious institutions balance their traditional practices with the need for technological innovation?

The decline of churches in many parts of the world mirrors the absence of humans in Bradbury’s automated house. However, unlike the house, churches have the potential for revitalization. The key lies in finding a balance between embracing beneficial technological advancements and maintaining the core human and spiritual elements that give religious communities their meaning and purpose.

As Tegmark suggests, we must put our “money and our minds to enabling freedom of thought and freedom of action” (Tegmark, 2020). For churches, this might mean using technology as a tool for connection and outreach while ensuring that the heart of their mission remains deeply human and spiritually focused.

What began as my daughter’s literature assignment had led us to a profound contemplation of the challenges facing modern religious institutions. It serves as a reminder that great literature has the power to illuminate not just the past or the future, but also our present circumstances in unexpected ways.

This article originally appeared on The Church Vitality Network. Used with permission.

Dr. Gary Moritz is the lead pastor of City United Church in Lunenburg, MA. City United Church has been featured in Outreach Magazine as one of the 100 Top Reproducing Churches in America, was awarded the Tyndale Publishers Church Comeback Award through Church Answers and has been featured in podcasts to tell the God-story of renewal and revitalization. City United and its team continue to foster leaders and churches to health and vitality by providing resources, development, and counseling to advance the movement of the Gospel in New England and around the United States. The Lord called their family to New England in 2013 to take over a church in bankruptcy and in need of church revitalization through a pastoral succession. The call to step into a hard place and do the hard things so that God gets the glory is evident, as is His ability to multiply supportive movements throughout New England. City United also partners with other like-minded, missional organizations that are planting sustainable churches and making disciples with multiplication results all over the world.

Gary is gifted in creativity, futuristic thinking, systems, strategic renewal, conflict resolution, and leadership by galvanizing teams that establish a vision for the future. He loves to spend time with his family and enjoys downtime playing saxophone, drums, and vibraphone.

Gary works for Liberty University as a Subject Matter Expert in Church Revitalization and as an assistant professor in the online School of Divinity. He serves alongside Leadership Network and Exponential as part of their creative think tanks and Venture Partner’s family. He also serves as the part-time Director of Church Revitalization for the Baptist Churches of New England, whose focus is to provide an established network of support for pastors and churches in New England so they can thrive.

Gary established the Church Vitality Network, an online network for churches to find health in pastoring, revitalization, and renewal through a digital hub.

Gary is married to Jana Moritz, and they are a ministry team, involved in serving the local church side-by-side. They have been part of many book projects during the creative process for other leading authors. However, they recently launched their own book project, Carry On: Tactical Strategies for Church Revitalization and Renewal. They have two incredible daughters leading and serving Generation Z, Generation Alpha, and the local church.

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