HOW HEALTHY

IS

YOUR CHURCH?

VITAL SIGNS OF A HEALTHY CHURCH

• Has a functional dependency on Christ and HIS Gospel

• Has a clear plan for members to serve the body according to the instructions of THE HEAD

• Has a clear process for increasing spiritual health in each member and especially in each leader

• Has a process for engaging each member in kingdom focused prayer—especially for leaders

• Has leaders who are known for regular and unhurried prayer for the church and its people

• Has protected ample time for the pastor to faithfully prepare to accurately preach God’s word

• Has a clearly defined and communicated mission and vision

• Has leadership development and deployment driven by scripture instead of by culture

• Has leaders who are committed to biblically reproducing themselves for the good of the church

• Has small group bible studies in place for discipling its members to maturity

• Has a giving culture to reach the community, the nation and the world for Christ

• Has a healthy practice of connecting to the past for repenting and for planning for the future

IS YOUR CHURCH EVIDENCING

THE VITAL SIGNS. OF A HEALTHY CHURCH?As a church leader, can you say your church is alive, vibrant, and growing? How many vital signs of health do you see in your congregation? If you are like most leaders, you can clearly see areas where your church is thriving as well as areas that need to be addressed. Revitalization is something to which all of us need to attend. Many churches are far from failing but are currently in a plateaued state and in need of revitalization.

All of us want to be faithful to God’s word and want to see the church growing in a healthy way. Embers to a Flame is designed to help you do just that by getting into the word of God -- looking at case studies of church revitalization through Titus, Timothy, Paul, and John, and studying what Jesus has to say regarding this process. As set forth in Revelation 2:5, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first,” Jesus himself has laid out the three-fold paradigm for church revitalization:

RememberRepentRecover

I had been familiar with the Embers to a Flame (ETF) ministry for some years. From time to time I would consult Harry Reeder about different ministry questions and he would usually end by saying, “you need to come to the next ETF conference!” Our Session and

I decided it was time to take Harry’s advice. And so one of our ruling elders and I attended the next Briarwood conference. Pastors are often tempted to believe that everyone else has vital, thriving ministries except them. Just seeing other pastors and ministry leaders gathered together asking the same questions and looking for Biblical resources was a great relief. We

Kinshipis found in stories of the journey to a healthy church. The Embers to a Flame conferences and the Fanning the Flame coaching ministries have shown the

path to vitality to many congregations. The tale of their experience with the clear, biblical strategies and accountability in the ministries might hit

close to home.

were given time to discuss our situation and to pray with a prayer partner. The ETF Conference taught a biblical model of revitalization that transcends time and goes beyond fads and gimmicks while providing an opportunity to network with other pastors.

At the conference we learned that resources follow vision. Embracing and casting vision for ministry leads people to trust God to make that vision a reality. If something is truly a God-given vision, it will become a reality through God-provided resources. We have seen this proven in significant ways in both the ETF ministry and the Fanning the Flame (FTF) ministry.

We read From Embers to a Flame as a Session, and after much prayer decided the Lord wanted McIlwain to participate in the FTF coaching. Both ETF and FTF focused us in our visioning process and ministry prioritization. We have been able to “front burner” those things which are most necessary for what God has called us to do as a church in our community. It has unified our leadership officers, staff, and ministry leaders around a clear vision. Most importantly, ETF and FTF have introduced what I call “systemic change” at McIlwain; instead of thinking of revitalization as a one–time event, we have a greater appreciation for the various biblical strategies that together transform how we plan, implement, and evaluate what God has called us to do, now and in the future. The coaching process, above everything else, held both the ministry team and the Session accountable, not merely to develop a plan, but, also to ask how we were going to carry out that plan.

Probably the most significant thing that came out of the coaching, though, was a re-emphasis on the foundational role of prayer. This might sound surprising because, as a pastor, I am “supposed” to know this! But, through the task of choosing a church–wide prayer resource, both the leadership and people are growing in our commitment and practice of genuine prayer. It has been a blessing, indeed!

Rob LooperSenior Pastor, McIlwain Presbyterian ChurchPensacola, FL

Recently at one of our Christian Education Board Meetings, one of our church pastors shared with us his “Embers to a Flame” moment. Although he had attended an Embers to a Flame conference and had diligently worked to initiate the revitalization

strategies he had learned at the conference and in Harry Reeder’s book, From Embers to a Flame, his church had remained apathetic. Finally, after almost two years, he shared his heart before the congregation and pointed out to them their need to serve the Lord as they should. As he continued to speak, it was as if he was describing the church at Ephesus. The people of the congregation began to apologize and repent of their apathy. They pledged their support for him and commitment to change. Today, new people are coming, and the congregation is involved in serving the Lord and the church. They have initiated small groups, and the people do not want to go home after the meetings, but want to stay and share with each other. The small groups are growing. They have remembered how things used to be and have repented of leaving their first love and are in the process of changing their DNA and recovering the “first things.”

Two other board members/pastors shared how they too had been working on revitalization as a result of the Embers to a Flame conference. One said that his church did not want small groups, so he just started one at his home. It has grown to the point that other church members are asking if they can be a part.

Another pastor serves a country church nine miles outside of town in the middle of a rice field. When he began his ministry with this church, they were running around 50-60. Now, after working hard to initiate the Embers to a Flame process, they are running well over 100 and are drawing young couples. People are trusting Christ as their Savior. Their small groups are growing and are going to have to be divided.

I sincerely believe God is using the Embers to a Flame Church Revitalization Ministry not to just revitalize a church or two, but the whole Free Will Baptist denomination.

Tim CampbellExecutive DirectorArkansas Free Will Baptist Association

As our small church struggled for survival, I continually asked myself if I was the pastor who could help this hurting church with a dwindling congregation.

Oftentimes the loneliness of the task at hand seemed overwhelming and threatened to consume me. The resistance to change in my tiny rural church was a formidable obstacle, and on top of that, funding was extremely limited. In His perfect timing, God intervened, and a few church leaders and I attended an Embers to a Flame conference. We were blown away by the clear teaching on God’s way to “do” church.

Though it has not always been easy, we have seen Him bring new life into this once dying church. A rural church comprised of just a few families is now a rural church reaching out to the community. Lives are being changed, and new folks who were previously unchurched or dechurched are coming to know Christ in a newer or deeper way. Our church is now about Kingdom building rather than survival.

One of the tools that God used to grow our congregation was the hands-on coaching style of Fanning the Flame. It was so vital to have a dedicated coach to provide leadership and accountability throughout the process. As a result, we have seen significant growth in the size of our church family, but more importantly, we have seen deep spiritual growth. To Him be the glory.

Chip StricklandFormer Pastor, Guyton United Methodist ChurchGuyton, GAPastor, Kingsland First United Methodist ChurchKingsland, GA

What we know now at Briarwood as The Embers to a Flame Church Revitalization ministry actually began in the early 1990s as the result of Harry Reeder’s prayerful study of the Bible in order to revitalize

Pinelands Presbyterian Church in Homestead, Florida. When biblical strategies for building spiritually healthy churches were found in Revelation, 1 Timothy, and Titus, and applied to Pinelands, it was revitalized. To this day, it remains a viable New Testament church.

After three blessed years at Pinelands, Dr. Reeder was asked to plant a church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He used the same biblical strategies for planting as he had for revitalizing, and over a 15-year period, that church became the mother of two Presbyteries.

Pastors from various places began to ask early on how they could learn from Dr. Reeder to see their own churches revitalized. His answers to individuals

gradually turned into gatherings where his biblical discoveries were shared. These were somewhat informal gatherings, yet very beneficial.

When Dr. Reeder was called to Briarwood in 1999, he asked if Briarwood would consider making church revitalization one of its organized ministries. The

answer was positive, and under the leadership of Tom Cheely and the Briarwood Missions Team, the “Embers to a Flame” conferences and “Fanning the Flame” coaching were gradually developed to where they

are today.

The History of Embers to a Flame

churches in the United States

• About 95% of all churches in North America average 100 people or fewer at worship.

• Over 80% of established American churches are either on a plateau or are in decline.

• Every year 3,500-4,000 churches die in this country.

• Each day in the United States, six churches are started while eight close their doors.

Symptoms of an unhealthy church All healthy churches run the risk of become diseased and developing the symptoms of an unhealthy church:

• Declining Attendance

• Declining Finances

• A Focus on Programs

• Emphasis on Nostalgia and Tradition

• Reliance on Certain Personality Types

• A Maintenance Mentality

• Excuses and a “Victim” Mindset

• A Bad Reputation in the Community

• Distractions from the Gospel

WHAT TO EXPECTat an Embers Conference

• A Renewal of both the Head and the Heart

• The Biblical Paradigm of Church Revitalization

• Personal Encouragement

• Inspiration

• Transformation

• New Resources

• New Boldness

• Prayer Partners

• Enlightenment

• Refreshment

THE TEN STRATEGIES OF REVITALIZATION Covered in the Sessions

“Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you.”

Psalm 85:6

REMEMBER1. Connect to the Past to Change the

Future

REPENT2. The Gospel Call to Godly Repentance

RECOVER3. Gospel-Driven and Christ-Centered

Ministry4. Personal Spiritual Formation: The

Disciplines of Grace 5. The Ministry of Prayer 6. The Ministry of the Word 7. Mission and Vision8. The Leadership Dynamic9. Small Group Discipleship 10. The Great Commitment

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING• “Great seminar! Very practical. Gospel-driven and Christ-focused.”

• “I am thankful that this conference has gotten back to the true basics preaching the gospel to revitalize the church. For too long we have been using man’s models and forgetting that God is the author of the church and only He knows how to revitalize it.”

• “I have been encouraged and refreshed by the conference. Biblical doctrines clearly presented with well thought-through practical application to individual and church life.”

• “Powerful, cohesive, and compelling. I have had several notions changed and many new ways of looking at important issues. The leadership dynamic strategy was particularly inspiring.”

• “Thought provoking-challenging-encouraging-I very much appreciated the centrality of the gospel in each session.”

• “It encouraged me as an officer of the church.”

• “I was excited coming into the seminar and was not disappointed. The details were practical, insightful and I am thankful for the biblical foundation.”

• “I have learned that church health is the most important aspect of church revitalization.”

• “Encouraged to continue Christ-centered preaching and to work with the leaders of our church to clarify mission and vision.”

Comments are anonymous; taken from conference evaluations.

Embers to a Flame conferences have been held across the United States and around the world.

UNITED STATES Auburn & Birmingham, ALSpringdale, ARColorado Springs, CODeltona, Jacksonville, & Marianna, FLMarietta & Savannah, GAChicago, ILIndianapolis, INBurtonsville, MDBoston, MAGrand Rapids, MISt. Louis, MOFlushing, NYCharlotte, NCPittsburgh & Philadelphia, PASumter, SCBristol, Chattanooga, & Memphis, TNRichmond, VASeattle, WA

INTERNATIONALGold Coast, AustraliaSidney, AustraliaBelo Horizonte, BrazilVitoria, BrazilLeicester, EnglandTokyo, JapanAuckland, New ZealandChristchurch, New ZealandBallymena, Northern IrelandGlasgow, ScotlandCape Town, South AfricaJohannesburg, South AfricaSeoul, South KoreaKaohsiung, Taiwan

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CONFERENCE INFORMATION

Please visit emberstoaflame.org to see the schedule of conference dates, locations, and fees.

Registration You can register three ways:• Register online at emberstoaflame.org• Email embers@briarwood.org to receive an

electronic form• Call 205.776.5399

Requirement for attendance: At least one key leader must attend with the pastor.

Scholarships: Partial scholarships are available to qualified applicants. Contact the Embers Office for an application.

Dress: Conference attire is casual. Seminary Credit: Upon approval, this conference may be taken for credit at the following seminaries:

Reformed Theological Seminary D. Min credit

Westminster Theological Seminary D. Min credit

Birmingham Theological Seminary M. Div and D. Min credit

Please contact the individual seminaries for details.

Embers Brochure Final.rev120215.indd 10 12/2/15 1:36 PM

Although the Embers to a Flame ministry was founded by a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America denomination, through its conference and coaching, this ministry has since reached over 4,000 pastors and church leaders from numerous evangelical denominations and organizations including:

African Methodist Episcopal Zion ChurchAssemblies of GodAssociate Reformed PresbyterianBaptist General ConferenceBaptist Missionary Association of AmericaChristian & Missionary AllianceChurch of the NazareneEpiscopal ChurchEvangelical Free Church of AmericaEvangelical Methodist ChurchEvangelical Presbyterian ChurchFree Methodist Church of North AmericaFull Gospel Baptist Church FellowshipLutheran Church–Missouri SynodLutheran Orthodox Church

National Assoc. of Congregational Christian ChurchesNational Association of Free Will Baptist ChurchesNaptional Baptist Convention of America, Inc.National Presbyterian Church of MexicoOrthodox Prebyterian ChurchPresbyterian Church in AmericaPresbyterian Churches of AustraliaPresbyterian Churches of BrazilPresbyterian Churches in JapanPresbyterian Churches of UgandaPresbyterian Church USAPrimitive Baptist ChurchReformed Bible ChurchReformed Episcopal ChurchReformed Presbyterian ChurchReformed Presbyterian Church of ColumbiaSouthern Baptist Convention

United Church of ChristUnited Methodist Church

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Harry Reeder Dr. Harry Reeder is Senior Pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama. For over 35 years Dr. Reeder has served the Lord in numerous ways. He is passionate about the ministry of church revitalization and authored From Embers to a Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church and The Leadership Dynamic, in which he explains how the church can create leaders for the world instead of choosing its leaders from the world and “baptizing” them into church leadership. He

has led Embers conferences throughout the United States as well as around the world.

Lynn Downing Rev. Lynn Downing is the Pastor of Church Revitalization at Briarwood Presbyterian Church after serving for 37 years as the Senior Pastor of Lake Osborne Presbyterian Church in Lake Worth, Florida. Lynn has served on several regional and national committees in his denomination, including both home and global missions ministries, and has ministered to missionaries on fields in South America, Asia, and Europe.

Al BakerRev. Al Baker serves as Director of the Alabama Church Planting Network and is an Evangelistic Revival Preacher with Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship. He has been in the ministry for over 30 years and has been actively involved in foreign missions all over the globe. He is author of Seeking a Revival Culture: Essays on Fortifying an Anemic Church, and two other books on revival – Revival Prayer:  A Needed Paradigm Shift in Today’s Church and Essays on Revival:  In Wrath May

God Remember Mercy. Al Baker’s great burden is moving the church forward in prayer for revival and for seeing an abundant harvest of souls through evangelistic preaching in churches and in the streets of our cities and universities.

Conference Speakers:

Ligon Duncan Dr. Ligon Duncan is the Chancellor/CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary and the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology. He served 18 years as the Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi, and has served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America. Ligon has authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to more than 35 books including most recently, The Underestimated

Gospel, The Unadjusted Gospel, and Gospel Clarity: Challenging the New Perspective on Paul (with Bill Barcley).

Mike Ross Dr. Mike Ross planned to be a priest and was educated in Catholic schools before he was converted at the age of 27. He left a career in business to pursue full-time ministry and presently serves as Senior Pastor of Christ Covenant in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Ross has authored two books, Preaching for Revitalization and The Light of the Psalms: Developing Your Faith with Every Psalm.

Joe Weatherly Mr. Joe Weatherly serves as the Fanning the Flame Coach and President of Weatherly Consulting, a company committed to increasing kingdom effectiveness by ensuring clarity of vision, careful planning, and effective accountability structures for churches. With four years of pastoral experience, Joe also has 30 years of experience building vision and creating strategic plans in a multi-national financial services company.

Why do we need a coach?Jesus formed a team to help Him accomplish His work as he began His public ministry on earth. He personally taught and coached them, and as a result, in less than 25 years, a pagan declared that these people had turned the whole world upside down.

The FTF model of coaching provides an experienced coach who is committed to labor alongside your church’s leadership to bring the local body to greater health both personally and corporately. Our coaches are experienced in helping you identify and address key issues that impact the health and vitality of your church. While bringing biblical insight and instruction to issues facing your congregation, your coach will also help you set reasonable goals to fulfill the vision that the Lord has given you to “serve the purpose of God in your own generation.” (Acts 13:36) The entire coaching process is undergirded with prayer and is facilitated by a coach with a servant’s heart, highly motivated by love for Christ and His church.

During the 14-month Fanning the Flame process, your church will have ongoing prayer support from the Church Revitalization Prayer Team; the entire Embers to a Flame staff as a resource for your church; and loving accountability by the FTF coach.

Fanning the Flame (FTF), the follow-up coaching ministry, is recommended to any church that has attended an Embers to a Flame Conference. FTF concentrates on weaving the lessons from Embers into the fabric of the church. An FTF Coach leads each church through the process.

At the completion of Fanning the Flame coaching, your church will have:

• A realistic plan to make prayer a way of life in your church.

• A detailed vision statement prayerfully crafted by your leaders and a series of clear objectives to ensure your vision statement becomes a reality.

• A written church history so your congregation has a clear picture of where they have been on the way to where they are going.

• An in-depth analysis of leaders’ and members’ spiritual gifts as well as a process for discovering how God has gifted and impassioned the congregation.

• Completion—or significant completion—of the work on at least one of your strategies.

• A crisis plan.

• A communications policy.

• A process in place for your church to practice on-going church health strategies for positive change and transformation long after the coaching process is finished.

As a Fanning the Flame coach, my respon-sibility to the church and its leadership is to be a faithful servant. This means always putting their best interests first. In order to do this faithfully, I must be a coach, a re-source center, a confidant and a conduit—among other things. It also means that I am obligated at times to tell them what they need to hear which may not necessarily be what they want to hear. In other words, I am simply a tool in the hands of the Lord of the Harvest who alone glorifies Himself through the FTF coaching ministry. As a coach, God has given me the high privilege of seeing churches deepen their corporate and personal prayer life. He has allowed me to see people in churches become excited and committed when they discovered how God has gifted them and they have identified how God has

impassioned them for personal ministry. I have seen churches deepen personal spiritual formation as they have embraced the biblical model of effective small group discipleship. I have seen churches gain confidence as they have learned and mastered a transferable process for identifying their strategic initiatives and how to bring them effectively to life. I have been blessed and privileged to see this—and more—as God has allowed me to be a servant in many camps through this ministry. To God Be the Glory!

Joe Weatherly Fanning the Flame Coach

Fanning the Flame is offered in two different formats . . .

. . . The SingleModel Coaching, where a church works alone with the Coach, and the GroupModel Coaching where a church is grouped with 3 or 4 other churches.

SingleModel Coaching

1  The coach is personally and intimately involved in the implementation of the Embers strategies, working directly with the pastor, the FTF administrator, and different sub teams. The coach also facilitates the FTF Monthly Review meetings.

GroupModel Coaching

2  The coach will lead pastors and FTF administrators monthly via tele-conference through Monthly Review meetings. The pastor is then charged to lead the FTF Leadership Team through the church’s monthly meetings.

In each model your church will receive the following:

• A Spiritual Foundations for Biblical Church Health Weekend for your entire congregation led by an FTF staff member.

• An FTF Coach’s visit to administer the Church Health Survey and lead your team through the beginning phase of the vision development process.

• An FTF Coach’s visit to lead the FTF Leadership Team through the Planning Retreat (2 days).

“And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening

the churches.”Acts 15:41

emberstoaflame.orgembers@briarwood.org205.776.5399 facebook.com/EmberstoaFlame

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Having both attended an Embers to a Flame conference at Briarwood Presbyterian Church and hosted the conference at Lakeview Baptist Church, I have firsthand experience in seeing the value of this ministry.

Harry Reeder and the other Embers to a Flame conference speakers are not mere theorists on the subject of church revitalization. They are all practitioners who have led churches to renewed health and vitality.

I would encourage any pastor or layman to take advantage of the sound biblical strategies which are taught at the Embers to a Flame conference. These strategies are transferable to any church in any geographical setting because they come from the Word of God.

Al JacksonPastor, Lakeview Baptist Church

Auburn, Alabama

If we want our churches to be alive, vibrant, and growing, they have to be grounded in the word of God. At the Embers to a Flame conference, Harry Reeder mines the word of God in order to supply pastors and church leaders

with strategies that lead to church health. I strongly encourage you to attend an Embers to a Flame conference where you will benefit from Harry Reeder’s writing, his teaching, and the fellowship of other men.

Dr. Ligon DuncanChancellor/CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary