Hosts: Bart Blair (Director of Church Revitalization, Assist Church Expansion) & Nathan Bryant (Executive Director, Assist)

Episode Summary

In this episode, Bart and Nathan discuss five common obstacles that derail church revitalization efforts. Based on years of experience coaching churches through renewal and replanting, they identify specific failure points and provide practical solutions to help church leaders navigate change more effectively. This episode is designed to help church leaders position their churches for success in 2026 and beyond.

• Overestimated Readiness: Churches think they're ready for change but haven't prepared their congregation or identified cultural barriers—use health and readiness assessments before launching revitalization.

• Unrealistic Growth Expectations: Expecting to reach younger demographics without addressing cultural dissonance—conduct a demographic study and focus on reaching the lost, not just targeting an age group.

• Poor Leadership Pacing: Leaders often move too fast without relational capital or too slowly without momentum—get a coach and build a strategic vision team to maintain accountability.

• Complicated Decision-Making: Consensus-based governance on every decision creates red tape that prevents progress—delineate staff, board, and congregational decisions and simplify your structure.

• Unprepared for Conflict: Most churches are reactive rather than proactive in conflict management—implement Biblical conflict training before crisis hits and address issues early using Matthew 18 principles.

Key Points:

• Hearts say "yes" to change, but heads aren't prepared to follow

• Churches are unclear about how much change is actually necessary

• They're looking for a "silver bullet" rather than understanding systemic cultural change

• Congregants have conflated practices with theology—they believe cultural expressions are biblical mandates

• Small changes (like removing a painting or changing wall colors) can create unexpected resistance

Solution:

• Conduct a Health Assessment and Readiness Assessment before beginning revitalization

• Use the "Praying for Renewal in Our Church" 40-day prayer guide to prepare the congregation spiritually

• Download the Health Assessment at RevitalizeMyChurch.com

• Spend time nurturing relationships and moving people toward readiness rather than rushing into change

Key Points:

• Churches have lost younger generations due to cultural dissonance between the church's identity and contemporary culture

• The church's identity is often frozen at its "peak"—whatever cultural expression existed when the church was most vibrant becomes permanent

• Young people feel they're "time traveling" when they enter the sanctuary

• Young adults seek churches where they can bring friends and feel culturally at home

• Focus should be on reaching the lost, not necessarily on achieving a specific age demographic

Solution:

• Conduct a demographic community study to understand who lives in your area

• Ask and answer: "Who are we most likely to reach given our location and community connections?"

• Don't assume that hiring a young pastor automatically attracts young families

• Recognize that...

How Churches Can Find New Life Through a Strategic Merger

Podcast Show Notes with Jim Tomberlin

TLDR: 4 Key Takeaways

Church mergers are no longer a last resort – They've evolved from a "survival tactic" to a legitimate growth strategy, with 40%+ of multi-site churches now acquiring campuses through mergers rather than church plants alone.

Focus on mission, not just survival – The most successful mergers happen when churches prioritize reaching their community and making disciples over simply preserving a building or institution.

One church leads, one follows – A successful merger requires clear leadership dynamics (not a 50/50 partnership). Health and trajectory matter more than size or wealth when determining the lead church.

Control is the biggest merger killer – More mergers fail due to pastors, board members, or donors unwilling to relinquish control than any other factor. Humility and kingdom-mindedness are essential.

How to Tell If Your Church Is a Good Candidate for a Strategic Merger

Jim Tomberlin breaks down the three categories of churches in America: about 20% are strong, 60% are stuck, and 20% are struggling. If your congregation falls into the stuck or struggling category, a merger might be the second chapter your church needs. Learn how to assess whether your church has the health and openness required to pursue a merger successfully.

What the Latest Statistics Show About Declining Churches and Merger Trends

Over 300,000 Protestant churches exist in the United States, but the landscape is shifting rapidly. Discover the current state of American churches, why approximately 100,000 church facilities could be repurposed or sold by 2030, and how mergers present an alternative to closure. This section reveals the data-driven reasons why church leadership conferences and denominational leaders are now taking mergers seriously.

Why Language Matters When Discussing Church Mergers With Your Congregation

The word "merger" carries negative baggage from the business world. Explore alternative language—restart, replant, partnership, adoption, collaboration, and consolidation—and learn why reframing the conversation can help your congregation embrace the possibility of joining with another healthy church. This is critical when communicating with your church members and moving toward a congregational vote.

How Multi-Site Church Models Are Changing Church Merger Conversations

The multi-site church movement fundamentally transformed how mergers work. Instead of the old "win-lose" merger outcomes (where one church absorbed another and both declined), today's mergers create "win-win-win" scenarios. Learn Jim Tomberlin's firsthand story from Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago and how it launched a 3,000-person campus through a strategic merger.

The Dance of Leadership: Making Church Mergers Work When Personalities Clash

Two churches can't have two leaders. This section explores the critical "dance" metaphor—understanding who leads and who follows in a merger conversation—and why it's not about size or wealth, but about health and trajectory. Discover the three foundational questions every merging church must answer: Is it possible? Is it feasible? Is it desirable?

Merging for Mission vs. Merging for Survival: The Critical Difference

Many struggling churches approach mergers from a place of desperation. But Jim Tomberlin explains why the most thriving post-merger churches shift their mindset from "how do we survive?" to "how do we reach our community?" This requires churches to let go of 1950s ministry models and embrace a "future-ready church" mentality that meets people where they are in 2025 and beyond.

25 Issues Every Church Merger Must Work Through (And Which Ones Are Deal-Breakers)

Church mergers aren't simple. Tomberlin and his team have identified 25 distinct issues that every...

Bart Blair shares five essential books to help church leaders grow in their ministry and guide their churches toward greater health and vitality in 2026. Whether you're in revitalization, replanting, or simply seeking to lead more effectively, these books offer practical wisdom and biblical foundations for lasting change.

• Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms

• New episodes release on the 1st and 15th of each month

Lead Pastor at Beulah Baptist Church in Edmonton, Alberta

Subtitle: How Churches Can Equip the Saints to Do the Work of Ministry

Key Takeaway

Every church has discipleship-related systems (classes, programs, models), but not all have an integrated discipleship pathway where systems work together to move people toward spiritual maturity.

Featured Quote

"I have found that every church has discipleship-related systems, but not every church has a discipleship pathway. Essentially, any sort of class, model, or program can be seen as a discipleship-related system. However, it's only when all these systems are working together in an interconnected fashion (instead of working in isolation) that you get a discipleship pathway—a system of systems."

Why This Book Matters

• Moves beyond theory to practical systems

• Helps integrate disconnected programs into a cohesive pathway

• Based on real-world church implementation

Subtitle: Intimate, Nimble, Authentic, and Influential

Key Takeaway

Small churches have unique strengths—intimacy, agility, and authenticity—that should be leveraged as advantages rather than viewed as limitations to overcome.

Featured Quote

"A strategically small church is not a large church that hasn't grown yet. It's a church that has intentionally chosen its size because it believes that's the best way to accomplish its mission in its community."

Why This Book Matters

• Challenges the "bigger is better" mentality

• Gives permission to churches to define success on their own terms

• Helpful for replants and churches seeking to find their identity

Subtitle: The World Is Smaller Than You Think

Key Concept: The Oikos

The ancient Greek word "oikos" refers to your natural network of relationships—family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and acquaintances. God has already placed 8-15 of these people in your everyday world as your primary mission field.

Key Takeaway

Most people come to faith through close relational influence, not programs or events. Share Christ naturally over time with the people God has already placed in your life.

Practical Steps

• Pray for these 8-15 people by name

• Build intentional relationships

• Share Christ naturally

Why This Book Matters

• Equips every believer (not just pastors) to be an evangelist

• Shifts focus from programs to personal relationships

• Multiplies evangelism and disciple-making through natural ne...