I meet a lot of young pastors and men who are preparing to enter the pastorate. I love their boldness, passion and courage. We need godly men of all ages who are willing to make the sacrifices required to minister and to expend themselves for a lifetime of faithful service.<\/p>\n
As younger men and those who are new to ministry are oft prone to do, they speak of their vision of how they believe the work will go, what their focus will be and how they will begin ministering to a local congregation.<\/p>\n
Some envision this preferred future. If God allows and graces, the church will be transformed, renewed, refreshed and revived.\u00a0 Amen, brother! Amen!<\/p>\n
But how will this forward movement occur? How will a congregation experience a turnaround after decades of decline?<\/p>\n
In my experience, it does not come through a revitalization consultant\u2019s roadmap. It does not happen by sheer force of pastoral will. It is not the result of a full arsenal of charismatic pastoral gifts and (hold on, you may disagree) it\u2019s not due solely to the expository preaching of God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n
All those things matter and are important, and each of them can work to bring about renewal and reform. But alone, and even laced together, they do not guarantee the pastor\u2019s vision for the congregation will become reality.<\/p>\n
Is there hope? Mostly definitely. The way of renewal in a local congregation is tied to the works of pastoral ministry \u2013 works often unglamorous, unnoteworthy, basic and simple. In most cases where one observes steady growth and progress in a local congregation, you\u2019ll find these three common elements:<\/p>\n
1. Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m struck by the pleas of the Apostle Paul, a man bold in his proclamation, sharp in his apologetics, grounded in his theology and proven in his disciple-making capabilities. This apostle\u2019s work stood tall \u2014 and still does \u2013 in the history of the church. Notice, Paul pleaded for others to pray for him, and the ministry God had called him to fulfill. (2 Cor. 1:11, Col. 4:3, 1 Thess. 5:25) Pastors, we need the consistent prayers of others on our behalf.<\/p>\n