Many churches need to be revitalized.

Is your church one of them?

Revitalization happens when churches focus on key church health areas. Where is your church in its life cycle? What health indicators does it need work on?

What is Revitalization for Small Churches?

Revitalization for Small Churches is a coaching and training opportunity that helps churches revitalize through small church gatherings, webinars and coaching. This journey is designed to allow your small church to navigate revitalization opportunities and challenges. You will be joined by other churches who will form with you a practical learning cohort. To complete this journey it will take commitment and faith, but along the way you will receive comprehensive assistance and encouragement.

Apply now for next cohort starting January 2025

What are Churches saying?

Thank you CBOQ for offering this program! It was a factor in our church’s decision to continue to exist.

The encouragement and direct conversations with other churches has helped give me a sense that this is not just our church in this alone, but we are all in it together.

Our confidence to try things grew as the journey progressed. Cid’s affirmation (as well as that of others in the cohort) as we shared things we were trying or thinking through, helped us believe in ourselves and each other and in our clarity of the way forward.

Three years of deep, honest conversations about the church, faith, community, and ourselves resulted in a truly effective team that will continue to meet together and lead the church in its ongoing revitalization. The course gave the framework and tools required for these conversations.

Do it! Your team will grow in wisdom and understanding. They will be supported and gain new perspectives on church, leadership, mission and put them into action with the freedom to fail.

The 8 signs of a thriving church has become a template for understand the purposes of a church and keeping leadership focused on core values and tasks.

I very much so enjoyed the books shared, as they were theologically solid while provoking questions that can be quite difficult for some churches to ask themselves.

More About Revitalization for Small Churches

What will we achieve through Revitalization?

Churches will: 

  • Relate with other churches and recognize that they are not alone on the revitalization journey  
  • Fully engage each year through study, discussions and workshops
  • Take next steps in CBOQ’s “Eight Signs of a Thriving Church” indicators 
  • Demonstrate an ability to experiment and reflect upon their practice
  • Express progress expectations with attainable and measurable timelines
  • Imagine, formulate and construct ways they can connect with their communities in mission 
  • Allow support and strength to be given to pastors so that their own health and development takes place alongside that of the church 

How is it structured?

Once a church has viewed an annual introductory video, they will meet bi-monthly in cohorts (of a minimum of four churches) with a revitalization coach. There are different themes in each year – first year is church health, second year is a mission audit and the final year is designed to help churches formulate ongoing revitalization practices. Every church will need access to the Thrive resource produced by CBOQ. 

Expectations

The participating church will:
  • Apply to join a revitalization cohort
  • Use the revitalization preaching/study template
  • Be open to try ideas developed by their team in the learning cohorts
  • Allow a maximum of six people to attend the revitalization cohort. (This could be a pastor, board members, ministry leaders and those particularly interested in the revitalization of their congregation.)
Participants will be responsible to:
  • Watch an introductory video at the start of each year
  • Read specified chapters in required reading material before each webinar
  • Attend 6 webinars a year (1-2 hours each)
  • Pastors may attend optional monthly check-ins
  • Attend a regional Small Church Revitalization day each year
  • Participate in interactive workshops
Required reading material (provided by CBOQ)
  • Comeback Churches, by Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson
  • The Enemies of Excellence, by Greg Salciccioli
CBOQ Resources

How to Apply

Revitalization for Small Churches is about walking with your church as you navigate revitalization opportunities and challenges. If your church needs revitalizing, fill out the application. Our Church Life and Leadership team will contact you to let you know the status of your application. The next cohort begins January 2024. Applications close November 1, 2023.

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