1. The Oikos Principle works everywhere: 95% of people come to faith through relationships with the 8-15 people in their "front row" - their coworkers, neighbors, close friends, and family members who watch how they live.

2. Church obesity kills mission focus: Most churches are programmatically obese, offering so many "good things" that the Great Commission gets crowded out. The average church attender has only 5 hours per week to give.

3. Outreach never happens naturally: Without intentionality, nurture always wins over evangelism. Churches must deliberately elevate the Great Commission first and often, or it will never take root.

4. Start with a simple strategy: Make a list of your 8-15 people, pray daily, invest in relationships intentionally, then invite them into environments where faith conversations happen naturally.

Are you struggling to keep your church focused on reaching lost people? Do you feel like your congregation is more interested in adding new ministries than making new disciples? You're not alone.

In this episode of Revitalize My Church, Bart sits down with Tom Mercer, author of 8 to 15: The World Is Smaller Than You Think and pastor of High Desert Church for 38 years, to discuss why most churches have lost focus on the only thing Jesus commanded us to do between His advents - make disciples.

Tom shares candidly about the challenge every pastor faces: "It's not that local churches don't do good things, but we do so many good things that the only great thing Jesus asked of us doesn't have any room to flourish."

This insight is particularly crucial for small church pastors who are constantly pressured to add more programs, more ministries, and more activities to compete with larger churches in their community.

The word "oikos" is a Greek term meaning "house" or "household" that appears throughout the New Testament. But Tom explains it means more than just a physical dwelling - it describes your relational world.

The Oikos principle teaches that every person has 8-15 people in the "front row seats" of their life - people who:

• Watch how you live

• Listen to what you say

• Include coworkers, neighbors, close friends, classmates, and family members

• Are supernaturally and strategically placed in your life by God

The data is undeniable: Tom has asked hundreds of thousands of Christians across five continents, multiple denominations, and diverse cultures one question: "Was the primary reason you gave your heart to Christ because of someone in your oikos?"

The answer? Virtually every hand in the room goes up, every time.

Tom shares the practical five-step strategy High Desert Church used to keep thousands of people focused on the Great Commission:

Step 1: Make a List

Help your congregation identify by name the 8-15 people in their front row. "It's only a dream until you write it down, then it becomes a goal," Tom explains, quoting NFL Hall of Famer Emmett Smith.

Step 2: Pray Daily

Encourage consistent prayer for these specific people by name. Most believers never take this step.

Step 3: Invest in Relationships

Be intentional about spending time with and serving these people. This is where most invitation strategies fail - people won't invite those they h...

Hosts: Bart Blair (Director of Church Revitalization, Assist Church Expansion) & Nathan Bryant (Executive Director, Assist)

1. Check your own heart first - Before addressing conflict, examine your motivations, attitudes, and potential contributions to the problem (Matthew 7:3-5)

2. Deal openly, not publicly - Address conflict transparently with appropriate parties in proper settings, never air dirty laundry from the pulpit (Proverbs 27:5-6)

3. Seek win-win solutions - Aim for outcomes that strengthen relationships and unity, not just "winning" the argument (Philippians 2:3-4)

4. Bring in outside help early - Don't wait until conflict becomes unredeemable; involve trusted third-party mediators from your network

5. Not every conflict ends in win-win - Sometimes the healthiest resolution is helping someone find a better-fit church where they can thrive

6. 94% of pastors report positive outcomes - When handled properly, conflict leads to better relationships, clarity, and stronger unity

1. Check your own heart first - Before addressing conflict, examine your motivations, attitudes, and potential contributions to the problem (Matthew 7:3-5)

2. Deal openly, not publicly - Address conflict transparently with appropriate parties in proper settings, never air dirty laundry from the pulpit (Proverbs 27:5-6)

3. Seek win-win solutions - Aim for outcomes that strengthen relationships and unity, not just "winning" the argument (Philippians 2:3-4)

4. Bring in outside help early - Don't wait until conflict becomes unredeemable; involve trusted third-party mediators from your network

5. Not every conflict ends in win-win - Sometimes the healthiest resolution is helping someone find a better-fit church where they can thrive

6. 94% of pastors report positive outcomes - When handled properly, conflict leads to better relationships, clarity, and stronger unity

In part two of this essential series on managing conflict during church revitalization, Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant tackle the final three keys that every pastor needs to successfully navigate congregational disputes and maintain unity.

Scripture Foundation: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" - Matthew 7:3-5

Before entering any conflict situation, church leaders must:

Stop making assumptions - We often walk into conflict having already decided what the other person thinks, why they're upset, and what their motivations are - usually all negative assumptions

Check your attitude - Are you viewing this as a headache to manage or an opportunity to build better unity?

Believe the best - 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us that love "believes all things" - enter the room assuming the best about the other person

Examine your role - Have you communicated clearly? Made promises you didn't keep? Created unrealistic expectations? You may have contributed to the conflict without realizing it

Even when conflict appears to be about decisions, programs, or practical matters, it almost always becomes relational. People...

Episode 40: Attributes of a Next Level Leader

Revitalize My Church Podcast | Guest: Ed Short | Host: Bart Blair

Keywords: next level leader, church leadership development, pastor leadership skills, small church revitalization, leadership attributes for pastors, how to become a better church leader, coaching pastors

TL;DR — 4 Key Takeaways

Next level leadership is not about jumping from good to great overnight — it's about intentional, incremental growth from wherever you are right now.
Effective church leaders develop a set of core attributes including God-dependence, self-awareness, relational competence, and a bias toward implementation.
Self-awareness may be the single most critical leadership skill: knowing your strengths to capitalize on, and your weaknesses to neutralize or delegate around.
Pastors don't have to do it all alone — identifying implementers and key people on your team who complement your gaps is a legitimate and powerful leadership strategy.

Episode Overview

What separates a good pastor from a truly effective church leader? In episode 40 of the Revitalize My Church Podcast, host Bart Blair sits down with church leadership coach Ed Short to unpack the key attributes of what Ed calls a "next level leader." Whether you're pastoring a congregation of 40 or 140, this conversation is packed with honest, practical insight designed to help you take your leadership from where it is to where it needs to be.

Ed draws on decades of ministry experience — from student pastor to executive pastor to lead pastor of three churches including a church plant — to offer a grounded, real-world framework for leadership development that doesn't require a massive budget or a seminary refresher. Just honest self-assessment and a commitment to growth.

About the Guest: Ed Short

Ed Short is a church leadership coach and consultant who serves on the Assist Church Expansion team alongside host Bart Blair. His ministry journey spans student ministry, executive pastoral leadership, and lead pastor roles at multiple churches. Ed is passionate about two things above all: evangelism — reaching people far from God — and discipleship, helping new believers begin to look like Jesus.

Ed's wife Carol is, in his words, "the best ministry worker I have ever been around" and serves as his most trusted ministry advisor. Ed's coaching work focuses on helping pastors identify their leadership ceiling and take measurable steps to break through it.

Note: Ed previously appeared on Episode 15 of the Revitalize My Church Podcast, covering how churches can navigate a pastoral search process. That episode remains the most downloaded in the show's history.

What Is a Next Level Leader?

Ed uses the analogy of a five-tool baseball player — think Willie Mays or Mike Trout — to frame what it means to be a next level leader. Just as the elite players in baseball excel at hitting for average, hitting for power, speed, fielding, and throwing, great leaders develop across multiple dimensions simultaneously.

But the goal isn't perfection — it's progress. As Ed explains:

"If you're a four, how do we help you become a five? If you're a six, how do we help you become a seven? Nobody goes from being a four to a nine."

The framework Ed has developed identifies a range of attributes, qualities, abilities, and mindsets that characterize next level leaders. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the full list, Ed encourages leaders to identify three things they can capitalize on and two or three areas they need to neutralize or delegate around.

Key Attributes of a Next Level Leader

1. God-Dependence

Ed opens with what he calls his own weakest point — and it may be yours too. God-dependence means prioritizing prayer and reliance on God above strategic planning. Ed admits freely: "I would rather plan than pray." This honest vulnerabilit...

Hosts: Bart Blair (Director of Church Revitalization, Assist Church Expansion) & Nathan Bryant (Executive Director, Assist)

1. Conflict is normal in churches - 75% of 14,000+ surveyed churches experienced conflict; it's not an exception, especially during revitalization

2. Conflict differs from resistance - Resistance to change requires different handling than general congregational conflict between members

3. Face reality: conflict will come - Change creates conflict; prepare your leadership team to expect and plan for it rather than being blindsided

4. Move toward conflict quickly but wisely - Address issues within 48-72 hours to prevent escalation, but take time to pray and process first

5. Always go face-to-face - Never resolve conflict through text or email; digital communication strips away tone and escalates tension

6. Bring a witness - Leaders should include an elder or team member when mediating conflict to ensure accountability and accurate reporting

Conflict is one of the most challenging aspects of leading a church through revitalization. In this episode, Bart Blair and Nathan Bryant tackle the reality that 75% of churches experience some level of conflict - and provide practical keys for navigating it successfully.

Church revitalization creates a perfect storm for conflict:

• Change itself generates tension between longtime members and new vision

• Power dynamics shift as leadership structures evolve

• Resource scarcity creates disagreements about priorities

• Unspoken expectations lead to assumptions and misunderstandings

• Communication gaps allow gossip to fill the vacuum

According to the Faith Communities Today (FACT) study of over 14,000 congregations, the top sources of church conflict are:

• Member behavior (44%)

• Money and finances (42%)

• Worship style (41%)

• Leadership style (40%)

• Decision-making processes (39%)

• Program priorities (30%)

• Theology and doctrine (26%)

Before diving into conflict management strategies, it's important to understand that resistance to change is different from general congregational conflict. Resistance specifically relates to pushback against new initiatives, while conflict can arise from interpersonal issues, behavior problems, or disagreements unrelated to revitalization efforts.

This episode focuses on managing conflict that occurs between members and maintaining unity - a primary responsibility of church leadership.

Scripture Foundation: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." - James 1:2-4

Rather than being surprised or defensive when conflict emerges, church leaders must:

• Normalize conflict without treating it as catastrophic

• Identify your four types of people: Categorize your congregation into sleepers (spiritually asleep), seekers (genuinely open), consumers (service-focused), and disciples (committed followers)—and focus your energy strategically on each group rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

• Simplify to transform: Stop adding more programs. Instead, focus on creating a discipleship culture through spiritual disciplines like reflection, gratitude, and confession that actually change hearts and behavior, not just knowledge.

• Lead from your own renewal: Pastors experiencing burnout should prioritize their own spiritual formation and daily gratitude first—this "rewires" your soul and naturally makes your church healthier and more missional.

• Build a scalable discipleship pathway: Multi-campus churches can maintain their DNA while reaching diverse communities by being intentional about discipleship at every level, from sleepers to mature disciples.

Pastor Daniel Im sits down with Bart Blair to discuss one of the most critical challenges facing church leaders today: how to disciple people in a way that actually transforms their lives and faith practices, not just fills their heads with Bible knowledge.

In this conversation, Daniel shares lessons from leading a 104-year-old multi-ethnic, multi-campus church in post-Christian Canada, and discusses his latest book, The Discipleship Opportunity: Leading a Great-Commission Church in a Post-Everything World. If you're a pastor feeling burned out, questioning your approach, or wondering how to reach and disciple people differently in today's culture, this episode is for you.

Daniel challenges the church growth mentality that prioritizes attendance and buildings over genuine discipleship. He explains why many churches create "Christian consumers" instead of committed disciples, and what a healthier framework looks like.

Daniel introduces the "quadrant" of people every church has: sleepers (spiritually asleep members), seekers (genuinely open to faith), consumers (who view church as a service to attend), and disciples (committed followers). Understanding these categories changes everything about your approach.

Rather than chasing larger numbers, Daniel shares a surprising insight: when pastors focus on daily gratitude, spiritual disciplines, and their own transformation, the church naturally becomes healthier and more missional.

From his experience at Beulah Alliance Church (now multi-campus with 12,000+ attendees), Daniel shares how to build a discipleship culture that scales without losing its DNA.

Daniel shares fascinating insights about how our brains actually change when we practice spiritual disciplines like reflection, meditation, and confession—and why this matters for church leaders trying to help people grow.

"My heart and my desire for you is that just like I pray every week, God, would you wake up the sleepers, the seekers, the consumers, and the disciples."

"It's so easy to just...

Hosts: Bart Blair (Director of Church Revitalization, Assist Church Expansion) & Nathan Bryant (Executive Director, Assist)

Episode Summary

In this episode, Bart and Nathan discuss five common obstacles that derail church revitalization efforts. Based on years of experience coaching churches through renewal and replanting, they identify specific failure points and provide practical solutions to help church leaders navigate change more effectively. This episode is designed to help church leaders position their churches for success in 2026 and beyond.

• Overestimated Readiness: Churches think they're ready for change but haven't prepared their congregation or identified cultural barriers—use health and readiness assessments before launching revitalization.

• Unrealistic Growth Expectations: Expecting to reach younger demographics without addressing cultural dissonance—conduct a demographic study and focus on reaching the lost, not just targeting an age group.

• Poor Leadership Pacing: Leaders often move too fast without relational capital or too slowly without momentum—get a coach and build a strategic vision team to maintain accountability.

• Complicated Decision-Making: Consensus-based governance on every decision creates red tape that prevents progress—delineate staff, board, and congregational decisions and simplify your structure.

• Unprepared for Conflict: Most churches are reactive rather than proactive in conflict management—implement Biblical conflict training before crisis hits and address issues early using Matthew 18 principles.

Key Points:

• Hearts say "yes" to change, but heads aren't prepared to follow

• Churches are unclear about how much change is actually necessary

• They're looking for a "silver bullet" rather than understanding systemic cultural change

• Congregants have conflated practices with theology—they believe cultural expressions are biblical mandates

• Small changes (like removing a painting or changing wall colors) can create unexpected resistance

Solution:

• Conduct a Health Assessment and Readiness Assessment before beginning revitalization

• Use the "Praying for Renewal in Our Church" 40-day prayer guide to prepare the congregation spiritually

• Download the Health Assessment at RevitalizeMyChurch.com

• Spend time nurturing relationships and moving people toward readiness rather than rushing into change

Key Points:

• Churches have lost younger generations due to cultural dissonance between the church's identity and contemporary culture

• The church's identity is often frozen at its "peak"—whatever cultural expression existed when the church was most vibrant becomes permanent

• Young people feel they're "time traveling" when they enter the sanctuary

• Young adults seek churches where they can bring friends and feel culturally at home

• Focus should be on reaching the lost, not necessarily on achieving a specific age demographic

Solution:

• Conduct a demographic community study to understand who lives in your area

• Ask and answer: "Who are we most likely to reach given our location and community connections?"

• Don't assume that hiring a young pastor automatically attracts young families

• Recognize that...

How Churches Can Find New Life Through a Strategic Merger

Podcast Show Notes with Jim Tomberlin

TLDR: 4 Key Takeaways

Church mergers are no longer a last resort – They've evolved from a "survival tactic" to a legitimate growth strategy, with 40%+ of multi-site churches now acquiring campuses through mergers rather than church plants alone.

Focus on mission, not just survival – The most successful mergers happen when churches prioritize reaching their community and making disciples over simply preserving a building or institution.

One church leads, one follows – A successful merger requires clear leadership dynamics (not a 50/50 partnership). Health and trajectory matter more than size or wealth when determining the lead church.

Control is the biggest merger killer – More mergers fail due to pastors, board members, or donors unwilling to relinquish control than any other factor. Humility and kingdom-mindedness are essential.

How to Tell If Your Church Is a Good Candidate for a Strategic Merger

Jim Tomberlin breaks down the three categories of churches in America: about 20% are strong, 60% are stuck, and 20% are struggling. If your congregation falls into the stuck or struggling category, a merger might be the second chapter your church needs. Learn how to assess whether your church has the health and openness required to pursue a merger successfully.

What the Latest Statistics Show About Declining Churches and Merger Trends

Over 300,000 Protestant churches exist in the United States, but the landscape is shifting rapidly. Discover the current state of American churches, why approximately 100,000 church facilities could be repurposed or sold by 2030, and how mergers present an alternative to closure. This section reveals the data-driven reasons why church leadership conferences and denominational leaders are now taking mergers seriously.

Why Language Matters When Discussing Church Mergers With Your Congregation

The word "merger" carries negative baggage from the business world. Explore alternative language—restart, replant, partnership, adoption, collaboration, and consolidation—and learn why reframing the conversation can help your congregation embrace the possibility of joining with another healthy church. This is critical when communicating with your church members and moving toward a congregational vote.

How Multi-Site Church Models Are Changing Church Merger Conversations

The multi-site church movement fundamentally transformed how mergers work. Instead of the old "win-lose" merger outcomes (where one church absorbed another and both declined), today's mergers create "win-win-win" scenarios. Learn Jim Tomberlin's firsthand story from Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago and how it launched a 3,000-person campus through a strategic merger.

The Dance of Leadership: Making Church Mergers Work When Personalities Clash

Two churches can't have two leaders. This section explores the critical "dance" metaphor—understanding who leads and who follows in a merger conversation—and why it's not about size or wealth, but about health and trajectory. Discover the three foundational questions every merging church must answer: Is it possible? Is it feasible? Is it desirable?

Merging for Mission vs. Merging for Survival: The Critical Difference

Many struggling churches approach mergers from a place of desperation. But Jim Tomberlin explains why the most thriving post-merger churches shift their mindset from "how do we survive?" to "how do we reach our community?" This requires churches to let go of 1950s ministry models and embrace a "future-ready church" mentality that meets people where they are in 2025 and beyond.

25 Issues Every Church Merger Must Work Through (And Which Ones Are Deal-Breakers)

Church mergers aren't simple. Tomberlin and his team have identified 25 distinct issues that every...

Bart Blair shares five essential books to help church leaders grow in their ministry and guide their churches toward greater health and vitality in 2026. Whether you're in revitalization, replanting, or simply seeking to lead more effectively, these books offer practical wisdom and biblical foundations for lasting change.

• Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms

• New episodes release on the 1st and 15th of each month

Lead Pastor at Beulah Baptist Church in Edmonton, Alberta

Subtitle: How Churches Can Equip the Saints to Do the Work of Ministry

Key Takeaway

Every church has discipleship-related systems (classes, programs, models), but not all have an integrated discipleship pathway where systems work together to move people toward spiritual maturity.

Featured Quote

"I have found that every church has discipleship-related systems, but not every church has a discipleship pathway. Essentially, any sort of class, model, or program can be seen as a discipleship-related system. However, it's only when all these systems are working together in an interconnected fashion (instead of working in isolation) that you get a discipleship pathway—a system of systems."

Why This Book Matters

• Moves beyond theory to practical systems

• Helps integrate disconnected programs into a cohesive pathway

• Based on real-world church implementation

Subtitle: Intimate, Nimble, Authentic, and Influential

Key Takeaway

Small churches have unique strengths—intimacy, agility, and authenticity—that should be leveraged as advantages rather than viewed as limitations to overcome.

Featured Quote

"A strategically small church is not a large church that hasn't grown yet. It's a church that has intentionally chosen its size because it believes that's the best way to accomplish its mission in its community."

Why This Book Matters

• Challenges the "bigger is better" mentality

• Gives permission to churches to define success on their own terms

• Helpful for replants and churches seeking to find their identity

Subtitle: The World Is Smaller Than You Think

Key Concept: The Oikos

The ancient Greek word "oikos" refers to your natural network of relationships—family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and acquaintances. God has already placed 8-15 of these people in your everyday world as your primary mission field.

Key Takeaway

Most people come to faith through close relational influence, not programs or events. Share Christ naturally over time with the people God has already placed in your life.

Practical Steps

• Pray for these 8-15 people by name

• Build intentional relationships

• Share Christ naturally

Why This Book Matters

• Equips every believer (not just pastors) to be an evangelist

• Shifts focus from programs to personal relationships

• Multiplies evangelism and disciple-making through natural ne...