I sent an email to some of the leaders in my church this morning. I thought maybe I'd post it here:
I've been looking over the minutes getting ready for the board meeting and was reminded the board voted to hold a revival. But nobody was designated to do anything.
Part of the problem with revivals is a generational difference that Keith Ray (President of Lincoln Christian College) and I discussed one time. I am at a middle spot in a generational difference. People about my age and older will come to a meeting just because there is a meeting. People about my age and younger will come, but only if there is a reason and something is expected to happen.
I'm not against revivals, but it is my opinion they are rarely effective. And I think that first paragraph is a prime example of why. Everyone thinks it is a good idea. But nobody wants to do it. The other part is the attitude toward a Revival. It seems to me a lot of people have the opinion "We need to hold a Revival to get people going again". I think that is, for lack of a better term, backwards thinking.
In March of 2003 when Stan Icenogle was here for revival he wanted us to start laying groundwork quite some time in advance. I get a monthly newsletter with an article in it that kind of points the direction I think we need to be moving if we are going to have a fall revival. Oddly enough, it is titled "Wrong-headed ideas about evangelism". If you just replace "evangelism" with "revival" it fits what I am thinking almost perfectly
If we as a church are going to hold a fall revival we need to be laying the groundwork now. I don't mean just the planning and scheduling, although that is part of it. Let me go through the 7 points in the article I mentioned and try and apply it here.
1. Most people come to faith through steps, not a big sudden dramatic change. If a revival is to be effective it needs to be the end action, not the beginning.
2. To be effective this mus be the entire church's revival, not the Preacher's or the elder's. Everyone must get involved in it. If we want a revival instead of just a week of meetings we need to get everyone in the church started on it now.
3. Most of the time it is soft sell, not hard sell. Most of the time you don't start with "We're having a Revival and you ought to come". A longer term relationship is involved.
4. It's only hard if we make it hard.
5. True revival is not about getting people to church. It is about getting people to Jesus.. The church building just offers a place for education.
6. What makes a revival work is not beating people on the head to get them in the door. What makes it work are repeated acts of concern and kindness that cause them to want to come.
7. You can have some and even vital effectiveness on your own. But primarily a revival is a community activity. A movement of revival in a church is what brings the great fruit.
After I got this all worked up, before I hit the send button, I asked myself "Why am I sending this?" To be honest it is directed at me as much as anyone. Because when I look back over what I wrote, and the article I read originally, I see one over-riding theme that keeps popping up. If we want a revival instead of just a week of meetings we need to get everyone in the church started on it now.
The article I mentioned is Wrong Headed Ideas About Evangelism
