Church Growth
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12 Church Revitalization Lessons from Nehemiah
The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem through the leadership of Nehemiah is one of the most remarkable stories in the Bible. In 52 days, he traveled home from a foreign land, surveyed the dire situation, developed a strategy, motivated the people, and finished the project. While I don’t pretend to know your church’s situation, Continue reading
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The Most Overlooked Component of Church Revitalization
A 2010 study by the Leavell Center for Evangelism and Church Health at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary found that only 6.8% of Southern Baptist churches can be considered “healthy churches.” The man who led that study was my doctoral mentor Dr. Bill Day. The results of that study were considerable because it didn’t simply Continue reading
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Increasing Diversity in SBC Churches
This past Sunday I had the pleasure of taking part in a Solemn Assembly hosted by a local Baptist Association. The gathering was special for many reasons, but the diversity of the participants and the audience was encouraging. On the platform were White, Black, Hispanic and Asian church leaders each sharing scripture and calling the Continue reading
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Overcoming Attendance Plateau
Every church has a life cycle. Aubrey Malphurs represents this by using the bell curve approach or as he calls it “the sigmoid curve”. The bell curve of church life involves a start (birth), growth, various levels of plateau, decline and eventually death. Everything has a life cycle, even churches. The key is to create Continue reading
About Me
I have been in ministry for 31 years serving in various capacities including senior pastor, youth pastor, education, and associate pastor. I serve at Samford University as Assistant to the President and Executive Director of the Ministry Training Institute. I am co-author of the book, Cultivate Disciple Making and my new book, Repairing the Missional Breach, will be released this summer. I received my Bachelor’s Degree from Samford, a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology from the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. My D.Min project was in the area of church health and revitalization. I earned my Ph.D. from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. My dissertation title, An Analysis and Critique of Disciple Making Within Ecclesial Movements in the United States, 1970-2020, With a View Toward Implementing a Faithful New Testament Missio Ecclesia.
Dr Kevin Blackwell 