Leadership Connexion FALL 2023

RECALIBRATED!
Every church in every generation in every cultural context will need to be recalibrated or revitalized.
History demonstrates this obvious though overlooked reality. Great churches of the past look
nothing like they were in their zenith.
• Charles H. Spurgeon was the pastor of a mega church in the mid to late1800s. His church (New Park
Street Chapel) boasted a membership in excess of 5,300. By 1970, the membership could fill a few pews.
• Dr. Robert Schuller pastored the Crystal Cathedral in Garden City, California. The church and ministry was
drawing more than 10,000 worshipers weekly during the 1980s. In 2010, the dwindling church filed for
bankruptcy and the cathedral was sold to the Diocese of Orange County.
• Aimee Semple McPhearson built the first mega-church in the United States in 1923. Thousands were
saved, baptized and healed. The 5,300 seat auditorium was filled, and over 10,000 attended weekly.
According to records, over 40 million people visited the church in it’s first seven years. By the year 2000,
the flagship worship facility of the Four-Square Church was averaging under 500.*
Churches grow, then churches plateau, then churches decline. Why? Well, there are a lot of reasons. Here are several
key reasons why every church will need to recalibrate:
1. PASTORAL CHANGE
We cannot ignore the impact that pastoral leadership
has on the health and sustainability of a church. When a
pastor feels that their time of ministry is over, the process
of church-change begins.
2. CONGREGATIONAL CHANGE
People are on the move. At one time people were
tethered to their place of birth. Going to college and
finding a good job have provided the impetus for people
to move away from home and church. Additionally,
congregational culture and worship style also provide
reasons for people to migrate to another congregation.
3. SOCIETAL CHANGE
In the external culture of society, interests and activities
have provided a plethora of options for going to church
on Sunday. Besides going to work, we now have so
many options for filling our calendars that there is
literally more to do than time to do it. If the church
doesn’t provide a compelling, heart-felt reason to be
there, people will naturally gravitate to going places and
doing things that “scratch their itch!” People want fun,
fulfillment, enjoyment and a break from the daily grind. A
church that is boring or filled with conflict will not provide
a compelling reason to get up early and give up the
enjoyment of _________ (fill in the blank)!
NETWORK SUPERINTENDENT | Donald J. Immel | 717.795.5921 | don@penndel.org
Recalibrating our churches and ministries is vital to sustaining them into the future. It doesn’t mean that we give up our
biblical values or our essential faith. It simply means that we speak the never-changing gospel in a language and style
that resonates with an ever-changing context. The God who said “I change not” (Mal 3:6) is the same God
who said “Behold, I will do a new thing” (Isa 43:19). The concept of recalibration is demonstrated by
Jesus in “but I say to you” statements. Without forfeiting the old, He introduced the new. May the Holy Spirit inspire and
guide us to make needed adjustments in delivering the gospel to our communities with messages and methods that
relate well to our day and generation. (EXAMPLE: see Acts 17:16-33)
*In 2002, the Four-Square Church and The AG formed a partnership releasing Matthew and Tommy Barnett to revitalize
this church. Angelus Temple, in concert with LA Dream Center, now ministers to tens of thousands weekly. Recalibrated!
LEADERSHIPconnexion | Fall 2023 3