Church Revitalization Initiative

CRI report – May 2026

Max Lucado says Jesus is pure; we are greedy. He is peaceful; we are hassled. He is spiritual; we are earthbound. The distance between our hearts and his seems so immense. How could we ever hope to have the heart of Jesus? Ready for a surprise? You already do. If you have given your life to Jesus, Jesus has given himself to you. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:16 (TLB): “Strange as it seems, we Christians do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ.” God has ambitious plans for us. I believe that ambitious plans are taking place at Open Door Community Church in Sterling, Illinois. Pastor Daniel Swihart shares this about his pastoral journey: 

Celebrating 5 Years of God’s Work” 

Five years ago, First Baptist Church of Sterling took a BIG leap of faith. They hired some maverick young preacher who had ostentatiously sent a letter detailing a few dozen changes he would make to the church’s life and ministry if they voted him in. 

 He made some pretty big promises, ones he knew would only come true if God was leading the whole project. And he didn’t wait long to start making changes, with several coming even in the first few weeks, and a whole bunch of them by the end of a couple of years. He even led the process of changing the church’s name to Open Door Community Church. 

Then there was a waiting period. Lots of uncomfortable changes. Lots of sacrifices. Lots of uncertainty if God had been leading or if it had all been for nought. Because for a couple of years after most of the changes, there wasn’t much fruit. A couple of new people and families, but nothing drastic. And yet, this church stayed the course and trusted that God was doing something they couldn’t see. 

Fast forward to now, and God has definitely been doing lots we couldn’t see. Lives have been changed, both inside and outside our church. The community has been impacted through our offerings and service. Students have had the chance to earn their college tuition through volunteering. People have met Jesus for the first time.  

Others have healed their relationship with Jesus and with his church after years of trauma. Many of these stories are ongoing, and I can’t wait to see what God does with them. 

In these five years, God has taken us roughly from a church of 40 with an average age of 70 to a church of 70 with an average age of 40. I made the promise to those original 40 that, if we follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, in five years’ time, our church would be thriving again. I am so pleased to see that God has made good on that promise, even though several of those 40 are celebrating in heaven instead of with us. 

So, if you are thinking about revitalization or maybe have started and are in that hard waiting period, stick it out. God has great things in store. They may be invisible now, like seeds just starting to germinate in the soil. But if you are faithful to follow the Spirit’s leading through the difficult changes and seemingly endless waiting, God will make your church grow. May you look back five years from now in awe of what he has done! 

 

 

Please continue to pray for our CRI pastors and their church leaders as they move their churches through revitalization. Again, I am reminding all pastors that we are having our annual CRI retreat at the home office in Springfield on Saturday, June 27, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please mark your calendars today and plan to attend! All pastors are welcome. 

 

Wally Holt, CRI Coordinator