When Church Revitalization Doesn’t Go to Plan: Learning from the Stories We Don’t Often Share
By Dan Steel
Church revitalization is a noble and necessary calling.
For those who step into it, there’s usually a deep sense of conviction, a longing to see gospel life rekindled where once it flickered brightly. It’s certainly not about chasing success in worldly terms—it’s about faithfulness. It’s about seeing a struggling congregation restored, a faithful witness renewed, and a church once in decline begin to thrive again.
But let’s be honest. Sadly, it doesn’t always work out that way.
This is the uncomfortable reality we don’t talk enough about.
Sometimes, despite our best hopes, our most prayerful plans, our track-record and our wholehearted efforts, the church we came to love and to serve doesn’t grow. The vision doesn’t take root. The resistance is stronger than we ever expected. The momentum never builds. Or the cost – financial, relational, emotional, spiritual - proves greater than we anticipated. And we quietly step back, or are asked to step down, often without much of a chance to process what just happened. And we leave feeling bruised and broken.
For many, that experience is bewildering. It's painful. And it can leave pastors and leaders feeling isolated or even perhaps disqualified—as though something must have been wrong with them, rather than simply a case of a revitalization that didn’t work out the way anyone hoped or expected.
This project begins from the conviction that these stories matter. Indeed we’ve seen they matter already in a previous study on church planting. 80 generous plants and planters from around the globe willing to share their hardships, hurts and dashed hopes, that we might learn their lessons with a little less pain.
We believe their stories need to be heard, not something to be concealed or ashamed of. That there’s great wisdom to be taken from experiences that didn’t meet expectations. That failure, if we even want to call it that, doesn’t have to be the last word.
So we’re undertaking another study - this time with revitalisers - quietly, carefully, gently, and respectfully - to listen to those who’ve walked this painful road. We want to hear from pastors and ministry leaders who set out to revitalise a church but, for a variety of reasons, saw that work stall, falter, or come to a premature end. Some may be right in the middle of that struggle now. Others may be years past it, still wondering what they could have done differently. Some of the churches may no longer exist. Others might be just about surviving, but a long way from thriving.
Wherever you sit in that story, we’d like to hear from you.
We’re particularly hoping to gather insight from a wide range of leaders - across denominations, networks, churchmanship, and geography. We’re not here to critique or judge decisions, strategies or leadership styles. We’re here to listen—to ask what it’s been like for you to carry the weight of unfulfilled hope, to discover what support you had or didn’t have, and to explore what might help others in the future to learn from your experience.
And if you’re reading this and thinking, “I really don’t want to revisit that season again,” we understand. For many, this is a painful space. But we believe it’s worth gently entering because what you share could help change the wider culture around church revitalization. It could offer permission for others to be honest. It might even help leaders in the future to be better prepared for what the work really entails - looking out for possible pitfalls - and to be more and better supported when things don’t go to plan.
We also know that there’s often no easy, single reason for why revitalization efforts don’t take off. That’s why we’re not looking for neat stories or packaged lessons. We expect complexity, contradiction, and nuance. We’re here for the long, slow, faithful learning.
The survey we’re conducting should take no more than 20 minutes to complete. You can remain anonymous, or if you’re open to it, you can indicate your willingness to have a follow-up conversation. Everything you share will be treated with confidentiality and care.
If you’re not the right person for this but know someone who might be, please pass this along. Often, these are the stories people carry quietly. But in sharing them, we hope something redemptive might begin to grow—even out of the disappointment.
Church revitalization is hard. That’s the starting point. But what we learn from the hard things—especially when we’re willing to listen carefully—can shape how we care for each other, how we lead, and how we understand what faithfulness looks like when fruit isn’t obvious or takes more time than we have.
If this resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Please grab a coffee, take a moment, and begin the survey with as much honesty as you feel comfortable sharing. Your experience matters more than you know.
Click here for the survey
Dan Steel served for 12 years as the pastor of Magdalen Road Church in his hometown of Oxford. He’s now the Ministry Program Director of Yarnton Manor, a library and learning centre that seeks to support both ministry workers and academics. He and his wife, Zoe, have four children