How to Leverage Christmas for Church Revitalization | Church Growth Strategies
In this essential episode for church leaders, Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant share proven Christmas outreach strategies that can revitalize your church and attract new visitors during the most opportune season of the year.
Did you know that 60-70% of Americans attend a Christmas church service annually? Learn how to maximize this incredible opportunity for church growth and community engagement with practical, budget-friendly ideas that work for churches of any size.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why Christmas outperforms Easter for visitor attendance The 3-step framework for successful...

A Real Story of Church Revitalization - Show Notes

CHURCH REVITALIZATION BREAKTHROUGH: Master Vision Casting & Leadership Development
Are you struggling to energize your declining church? In this powerful episode, church revitalization experts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant reveal the final two essentials that can transform stagnant congregations: creating hopeful vision and developing strong leaders.
WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER:
The 4-Component Vision Framework Every Church Needs: Why Question: Defining your biblical purpose Who Question: Clarifying your cultural identity How Question: Building your strategic plan Where Question: Painting your preferred future
Why Most Churches Fail at Leadership Development (and how to fix it)
The Simple Apprentice Model th...

From Parking Lot to Pew: The Power of Church Hospitality

Episode 27 - Joyful Hospitality & Meaningful Membership

Revitalizing Children's Ministry: Essential Strategies for Churches Ready to Welcome Families

Gospel-Centered Fellowship and Missional Engagement for Church Revitalization

Pastor Brian Moss of Oak Ridge Church shares his proven DREAM framework that transformed a dying congregation of 30 into a thriving church with 101% small group participation over 25 years.
Brian, a former computer engineer who didn't grow up in church, reveals how he developed a systematic approach to balance the five fundamental church purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. He breaks down his DREAM acronym - Design services for lost people, Reach with the gospel, Engage in growth, Activate in ministry, and Mobilize for missions.
Key topics include creating guest-friendly services without compromising the gospel, systematic discipleship through...

Text Based Preaching and Intentional Discipleship in Church Revitalization

Building Healthy Churches: A Conversation with AJ Mathieu of The Malphurs Group

Essentials for Church Revitalization - Part 1

Episode Overview
In this episode, Bart interviews Jason Allison about the challenges and opportunities of leading leaders in normative-sized churches. Jason shares insights from his extensive experience working with churches through multiple organizations and provides practical guidance for pastors looking to develop leaders rather than just delegate tasks.
Guest Bio
Jason Allison serves in multiple roles supporting church leaders: Director of Church Strengthening for Converge Mid-Atlantic Staff member at a church plant near Columbus, Ohio Founder of the Church Talk Project and host of the Church Talk Podcast Vision Day consultant for 95Network Key Discussion Points
...

Key Points

Lead Your Church Out Of Maintenance Mode

Signs Your Church May Be in Maintenance Mode with Dan Reiland

Episode 17: Show Notes
The 6 Core Principles of Effective Church Evangelism - Revitalize My Church Podcast
What Are the Most Effective Principles for Church Evangelism and Outreach?
In this episode of Revitalize My Church, hosts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant discuss six foundational principles for effective church evangelism. These principles are designed to help church leaders develop a more strategic and sustainable approach to reaching their communities.

Why Do Traditional Church Evangelism Methods Often Fail?

Nathan shares his early experiences with evangelism, including teaching Evangelism Explosion classes where dozens made decisions for Christ but...

In this episode, we sit down with Mark Hallock, author of "God's Not Done With Your Church," to explore practical strategies for church revitalization and replanting. Mark shares his journey from youth ministry to leading church replanting efforts, and provides valuable insights for churches facing decline.
Key Topics Covered:
The difference between church revitalization and church replanting Six key indicators of a church's readiness for revitalization:  Recognition of reality Hearts that are humble Commitment to the Bible Desire to reach the community Willingness to do whatever it takes Belief that God can revitalize Understanding partnership levels between healthy a...

Episode 15: Show Notes

Episode Overview
In this insightful episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, host Bart Blair engages in a deep conversation with Ed Short, a seasoned ministry leader whose experience spans over four decades in pastoral ministry and church consulting. Their discussion provides crucial insights for churches navigating the challenging waters of pastoral transition, with particular emphasis on situations involving the departure of long-tenured leaders.

The Foundation: Assessment Before Action
Ed Short emphasizes that the key to a successful pastoral transition begins long before the search itself. Churches must first...

Bart highlights 5 books to read in 2025 to help you revitalize your church!

1. Canoeing the Mountains - Tod Bolsinger

Subtitle: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory

Think of Lewis and Clark showing up at the Rocky Mountains with canoes - that's exactly what it feels like trying to lead a church today with methods that worked decades ago. Tod shows us how to adapt when our old playbook isn't working anymore, mixing practical leadership wisdom with deep spiritual insights about leading change in uncharted territory.

“Most of our congregations are filled wit...

In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, hosts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant discuss the importance of cascading communication and maintaining unity when leading a church through revitalization. They emphasize that getting agreement and buy-in from core leaders, mid-level leaders, and key influencers before announcing major changes to the entire congregation is critical for success.
Nathan advises meeting with each leadership group multiple times to allow people with different personalities and decision-making styles time to process proposed changes. He also recommends engaging potential holdouts individually to understand their concerns. Both hosts stress the need to cast a...

In this illuminating episode of Revitalize My Church, Build Groups founder Adam Ehrlichman shares his expertise on developing effective small group ministries. Drawing from his experience of doubling group participation at multiple churches, Ehrlichman introduces a practical six-part framework for small groups success: discover, develop, deploy, connect, coach, and care.

The conversation explores how churches can successfully integrate small groups alongside Sunday School programs, with each ministry serving unique but complementary purposes. Ehrlichman emphasizes the importance of proper leader development, warning against the common mistake of placing leaders before preparing them.

Particularly valuable is his...

In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, hosts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant discuss the importance of clear church governance and polity in revitalization efforts. Many struggling churches face challenges related to leadership structure, accountability, and decision-making processes. These issues can hinder progress and make it difficult for churches to move forward in a unified direction.

The conversation begins by addressing common scenarios churches face, such as long-time influential elders resisting change, constitutions that no longer serve the current needs of the church, and a lack of clarity regarding the pastor's role and authority. Bryant...

In this engaging conversation, Eric Hoke discusses his journey from traditional full-time ministry to becoming a co-vocational pastor and author of "Market Street Pastor." The discussion centers on the crucial distinction between bivocational ministry (working another job temporarily until full-time ministry becomes viable) and co-vocational ministry (intentionally maintaining both church and marketplace roles as a long-term strategy).

Hoke shares his experience planting All Saints Church in the Bronx, where financial realities led him to discover the unexpected benefits of co-vocational ministry. These benefits include better community connection, increased lay leader involvement, and improved pastoral sustainability. He notes that...

In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, hosts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant discuss the fifth "big rock" of church revitalization - launching the new vision and plan. They explain that while "launch" can refer to a specific kickoff Sunday service, it's really a season of putting all the pieces of the plan in place and beginning to implement them. 

Just as the Israelites built the tabernacle in stages and conquered the Promised Land in phases, and NASA conducts extensive preparations before a space launch, a church must do a lot of groundwork before the public "l...

In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, host Bart Blair interviews Pastor David Hsu from West Houston Christian Church. Pastor David shares his story of immigrating from Taiwan to the United States at age 14, working as an electrical engineer after college, then feeling called to ministry and attending Dallas Seminary. 

In 1993, Pastor David joined a new Chinese immigrant church plant in Houston called West Houston Chinese Church. He started out doing youth ministry and working with second generation English-speaking adults. In 2000, at just age 35, he took over as senior pastor when the founding pastor retired an...

In this Bonus Episode of the show, we explore the transformative power of small groups in church revitalization with Dustin Godshall, Lead Pastor of Thrive Church in York, PA. Over the past decade, Dustin has led his congregation from a struggling 60-member church to a thriving community of 300+, largely through the strategic implementation of small groups.

Dustin shares his journey of transitioning from a traditional Sunday School model to a dynamic small group ministry. He discusses the challenges faced, including resistance to change and the need for persistent vision-casting. Listeners will gain insights into the "why" behind...

In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, hosts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant discuss the importance of developing a comprehensive strategic plan when working to revitalize a church. This topic is the fourth of their "five big rocks" of church revitalization, following unity, leadership, and team.
The conversation begins by addressing the common objection that strategic planning is too "business-like" for the church. Nathan point out that God Himself is a planner, as evidenced by His creation of the universe and His redemptive plan. The hosts cite several biblical passages that support the importance of planning, including L...

In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, host Bart Blair interviews Pastor Keith Minier of Grace Fellowship Church in Ohio. Pastor Keith shares his experiences leading the church over the past 20 years, from when he first arrived as a young pastor to a congregation of just 65 people, to the thriving multi-site church it is today with over 4,000 attendees.
Pastor Keith recounts how he transitioned from working as a chemist to becoming a full-time pastor, emphasizing that growing a megachurch was never his goal. Instead, he focused on pursuing Jesus and doing the next right thing. He discusses the...

In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, hosts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant discuss the importance of building a strong team when working to revitalize a church. This topic is the third of their "five big rocks" of church revitalization, following unity and leadership.
The conversation begins by emphasizing the biblical foundation for team ministry. Nathan points out that even Jesus sent his disciples out in teams (Mark 6:7, Luke 10:1) and the Apostle Paul always worked with a team in his ministry endeavors. The hosts also cite Proverbs 11:14 and 15:22, which highlight the wisdom and success that come from havi...

Navigate change and reorient to a new and hopeful future

In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, host Bart Blair interviews Dale Sellers, Executive Director of 95Network, a ministry focused on serving and resourcing small to mid-sized churches. Dale shares his personal journey in ministry, the mission of 95Network, and the importance of soul care for pastors.

Dale recounts his early years in ministry, traveling with his wife in a music group and noticing the discouragement among pastors and church leaders. After pastoring a church for 12 years, experiencing a split, and closing the church, D...

In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, hosts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant discuss the critical role of leadership in church revitalization. As the second of their "five big rocks" of revitalization (unity, leadership, team, plan, and launch), leadership is identified as the most important component for success in renewing a church's vision and direction.

The hosts begin by emphasizing the biblical pattern of God calling leaders to guide His people through significant challenges and changes. They reference Psalm 78:70-72, which describes how God chose David to shepherd Israel with integrity and skill. This passage...

Ep.02 | Engines of Church Growth | Jim Brown

In this episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, host Bart Blair interviews Pastor Jim Brown of Grace Community Church in Goshen, Indiana. Pastor Jim shares his experiences leading the church over the past 28 years, from when he first arrived as a young pastor to a congregation of just 60 people, to the thriving multi-campus church it is today with over 2,600 attendees.

Pastor Jim reflects on the importance of maintaining a balance between ministry and family life, noting his structured lifestyle while still prioritizing time with his wife, children...

Episode 1 Show Notes:

In this inaugural episode of the Revitalize My Church podcast, hosts Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant discuss the importance of unity within the local church, especially as it relates to church revitalization. Drawing from biblical passages such as Psalm 133, the hosts emphasize that unity among believers leads to a spiritual anointing that enables the church to move forward in its mission.

The conversation highlights the challenges that pastors and church leaders face when attempting to lead their congregations through renewal without first building unity. The hosts stress the significance of communicating the...

Welcome to our brand new show.

In this episode you’ll get to know Nathan and Bart and learn a bit about why we decided to start this podcast. After you listen to this one, jump right over to Episode 1!