Date
3-2021
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Chair
Dwight Rice
Keywords
Revitalization, Church Health, Defining, Leadership, Growth
Disciplines
Christianity | Leadership Studies | Religion
Recommended Citation
Childres, Bradley Kent, "Defining Revitalization as the Initial Step in the Revitalization Process" (2021). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2864.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2864
Abstract
The revitalization of churches that are either plateaued or declining is a daunting task for any pastor. The idea for this thesis project arose when this researcher engaged in his first revitalization program as a Senior Pastor. This researcher noticed that many people in the church were confused about what revitalization meant which led to confusion and mistrust in the revitalization process. This is when this researcher observed the need to define what revitalization means. As challenging as church revitalization is, pastors can make this process easier by knowing the first step to take in a revitalization program. This thesis project will create a working definition for the term revitalization which can be used as the first step in the revitalization process. To achieve this goal, this project examines the current literature concerning revitalization, as well as surveying pastors who have experience in leading a church through a revitalization program. The definition that this project creates contains four parts that can be used in any church context.
