Church Strategies Archives

Churches Becoming Family through Adoption Partnership

Adoption Partnership – River District Church, West Columbia, SC Adoption Partnership: At-risk church yields control to stronger parent church providing leadership and resources as guided by a partnership agreement. Over a 20-year period, the church experienced a steady decline in worship attendance resulting in a smaller congregation with limited means to maintain facilities much less,

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Partnership Options to Strengthen At-Risk Churches

Altman, Janet

At-risk churches across South Carolina need strong churches to help them fulfill the Great Commission. They are willing to take steps of faith toward a new future and a renewed mission of gospel ministry in their community, but they need meaningful partners to come alongside them for a season. How could God utilize the resources

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Churches Partnering Together for Hopeful Futures

Gardner, Anna

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church had been in serious decline and struggling to remain open. Recently, though, they held a celebration service that brought together members from two churches partnering together from neighboring communities with the same mission of making disciples. As they gathered in this rural location, almost 10 miles from the closest Dollar General, they came together as

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Cooperation to Strengthen At-Risk Churches

Gardner, Anna

As I think back through my appointments from the past week, I was reminded why cooperation is essential to strengthening our local congregations. Meetings with pastors, associational leadership, potential replanters, at-risk churches, and other leaders who are leveraging their strengths, so the strength and mission of our churches is renewed, and Christ is proclaimed in

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Why We Assess Potential Replanters

Gardner, Anna

Over the past several years, we have found great value in our intentional process to build a network of assessed and equipped leaders being sent to hard places of ministry in South Carolina. Here are few reasons why we assess our potential replanters. We believe in affirming God’s work in future leaders.As a state convention

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Focus on Jesus Morning Sacrifice, Week Three/ Day 6

Altman, Janet

Focus on Jesus I Corinthians 1:18-25 Verse 18, “For to those who are perishing the message of the cross is foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is God’s power.” The world will never understand how we put our trust in God and know He will guide us in truth. If the church

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Equipping Pastors to Lead Toward Hopeful Futures

Altman, Janet

There is something about a church comeback storyline that captures our heart and points our attention to God’s grace on display in a community in need of hope. The church that once struggled to pay its bills, couldn’t afford a full-time pastor, struggled week to week to offer any ministry or worship service for its

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Models for Church Revitalization/ReStarting From a Southern State Perspective

Altman, Janet

If I’ve learned anything in serving our South Carolina churches, it’s that every church consultation is different and God has a unique plan to strengthen His Church. Strengthening churches is definitely not a “one size fits all” process. So, what models are we seeing God do in this swelling movement called “church revitalization” that can

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Small Beginnings in Church Revitalization

Gardner, Anna

The visions of Zechariah in the Old Testament may not be the first-place pastors in hard places turn when looking for biblical revitalization strategies. There are two principles for biblical church revitalization found in this often-overlooked passage from the Old Testament prophet. Zechariah 4:10 asks a question. “For who despises the day of small things?”

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So, You Want to Plant (or Revitalize) a Church

Altman, Janet

As the church revitalization movement continues to grow in South Carolina, we are blessed to hear from practitioners offering words of wisdom to others just starting their journey as a planter or replanter. Many of our planters are discovering opportunities to merge with at-risk churches with buildings and members to reSTART churches in strategic locations.

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