Stories of transformation

Presbytery of Donegal shares two ongoing stories of congregational transformation as examples of God's work among us

Kreutz Creek Presbyterian was a floundering church for years. Five years ago the presbytery provided a designated pastor with the goal to show new life in three years or else to close the doors. Today the congregation has gone from about 30 in worship to more than 80 in two services. With financial help from both synod and the presbytery the congregation was nearly self-sufficient after the third year when sister congregations provided an extra financial boost for the fourth year. [Read more.]

The second model of redevelopment is Columbia Presbyterian Church in a small city where the burden of poverty is clear. This congregation had been yoked for years as it declined to 30 members averaging 80 years in age. With a new vision plan the presbytery and synod have been assisting the church with fulltime a designated pastor who is charged with half time in pastoral ministry and half time in community outreach. Within two years programs are emerging that are significant. [Read more.]

Westminster Presbyterian Church
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
A sermon by Steve Boots

Five years ago Westminster Presbyterian Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, had ninety-five members and averaged 40 persons attending worship. Today they have a membership of 422 and average 300 in worship. [Read more.]

Parking lot evangelism sermon
A sermon by Steve Boots

What happens when a large congregation (First Presbyterian Church of Huntsville) and a small country church (Big Cove) develop a partnership that is intended to help the small congregation grow in membership and discipleship? Transformation ... . [Read more.]

"From death to life"
A sermon by Steve Boots

“The unbelieving world says the church is dead; let us celebrate its funeral with speeches and conferences and resolutions, which all do it honor. The unbelieving world, full of pious illusions, says: the church is not dead; it is only weak, and we will serve it with all our might and put it on its feet again. Only goodwill can do that; let us make a new morality.

The believer says: the church lives in the midst of death, only because God calls it from death to life, because God does the impossible toward us and through us — so would we all
say … "

From the book entitled A Testament to Freedom, edited by Geffery B. Kelly and F. Burton Nelson, p. 103. [Read more.]

Formulating a church transformation plan
by Rev. Mark W. Lenneville

I spent 28 years in the Army as a hospital administrator and chaplain. I learned some important lessons during that time: “keep your head down,” “be careful what you volunteer for,” “a moving target is harder to hit,” “skills are important but there’s no substitute for good leadership” and “don’t not do nuttin’.”  Probably one of the most important lessons was, “always have a plan.”

The Presbytery of Arkansas has adopted a guide for formulating a church transformation plan. Here are its components ... . [Read more.]

Resistance to change
by Steve Boots

God gives us the vision, then takes us down into the valley to better shape the vision, and it is in the valley that many faint and give way. Every vision will be made real if we have patience. (Excerpt from Oswald Chamber’s lectures, Clapham, Egypt, 1911). [Read more.]

John 1:1-18
by Steve Boots

Themes: The word became flesh and lived among us, word is more than the spoken or written word, more than law, in the Greek it is logos, meaning God’s agent. To be the word of God means to be God’s agent here on earth, in the flesh. [Read more.]

Transforming times
A sermon by Steve Boots

The Lord brought the Israelites out from under the yoke of the Egyptians, but first they had to spend forty years wandering in the wilderness. They didn’t like it there. They said to Moses: “Leave us alone, let us serve the Egyptians. It would be better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” (Exodus 14:12)

It took the Israelites forty years to realize it was better to risk death than to live as slaves to the Egyptians. It took them forty years to learn how to trust God with the future. [Read more.]