Rural Revitalization Network: Recent Episodes

Rural Revitalization Network

The Rural Revitalization Network is committed to encouraging pastors, churches, and communities throughout rural America to engage, equip, and empower through local resources to build God’s church. Rural churches are still at the heart of God’s plan, and remains relevant to the call, worthy of our effort to help, and we stand committed with each pastor, church, and community to win the lost for Christ.

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. See the shadows.

  2. Spend time in the shadows.

  3. Serve those in the shadows.

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Shift to a hybrid model.

2.Shift to a professional media model.

3.Shift to smaller gatherings.

4.Shift to outward-focused church.

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Care about the calling.

  2. Come to terms.

  3. Celebrate the successes.

  4. Commit to continue.

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. The Church will prevail.

  2. Connections matter.

  3. Reexamining what the church means.

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

Warning sign 1: Lack of vision of for Kingdom advancement.

Warning sign 2: Spiritual depth and discipleship are lacking.

Warning sign 3: The congregation is dysfunctional.

Warning sign 4: Leadership seems inadequate.

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Everyone has pain.

  2. Everyone carries pain their way.

  3. Everyone releases pain in some way. 

  4. Everyone needs to give up on what others think.

  5. Everyone needs to love themselves as Christ loves them. 

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Pray for Guests

  2. Plan for Guests

  3. Prepare for Guests

  4. Parlay Guests into Members

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. A servant uses Jesus as the model servant.

  2. A servant strives to be great by being the least.

  3. A servant is a person who loves others like God.

  4. A servant considers others before self.

  5. A servant uses the gifts God has given in order to serve others.

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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with Pastor Rob Beckett and Dr. Desmond Barrett

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. The presence and power of God is tangible.

  2. Revival is not survival.

  3. Who has the power in the church?

Resource of the Week:

Revitalizing the Declining Church: From Death's Door to Community Growth (Amazon in paperback and on Kindle) by Dr. Desmond Barrett

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. My plan or God's?

  2. Planning without praying.

  3. Are you trying to accomplish God's work the world's way?

  4. What matters to God should matter to you.

  5. Is the church going to be a kingdom builder or a kingdom ruler?

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Opposition forms resistance. 

  2. The desire to grow "Your" church over "Our" congregation.

  3. Complacency by becoming too comfortable in the life of the church. 

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with Pastor Rob Beckett and Dr. Desmond Barrett

Pastor Joe Foltz is the Senior Pastor at Olive Hill Church of the Nazarene on the Eastern Kentucky District

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With Pastor Rob Beckett and Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Pray with a purpose.

  2. Pray with passion.

  3. Pray with people.

  4. Pray over the problem.

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

Guest: Dr. Tim Crump; District Superintendent of the SWID District - Part II

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

Guest: Dr. Tim Crump; District Superintendent of the SWID District - Part I

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

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with Pastor Rob Beckett and Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Be purpose-driven.

  2. Be people-focused.

  3. Be promise-delivered.

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Adapt to the new reality.

  2. Address what needs to be fixed.

  3. Attend to the needs of members, but also of guests ( or future guests).

  4. Activate the promises God has put in your heart. 

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Celebrate the person more than the position.

  2. Carefully select the next person.

  3. Create opportunities to serve.

  4. Confidently project future-forward momentum. 

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Connect with the vision that God has for your church.

  2. Serve others as the hands and feet of Christ.

  3. Go into the mission field; it is never too late to do something. 

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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with Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Get alone with God.

  2. Share your heart with God to experience spiritual renewal. 

  3. The one you pray to must be more important than the problem you face.

  4. Ask for your blessing.

  5. Thank God for what he has done, is doing, will do in the future. 

  6. Claim the victory over your prayer. 

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

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with Rev. Rob Beckett and Dr. Desmond Barrett

Guest: Rev. Dwayne Mills, Executive Director of Appalachia Reach Out

www.appalachiareachout.com

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With Pastor Rob Beckett and Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. What is the model of church health?

  2. The modeling of a healthy rural church is modeling theological and moral truth.

  3. A healthy rural church is modeling community.

  4. A healthy rural church is being involved.

  5. Modeling a healthy a rural church is modeling multigeneration.

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With Pastor Rob Beckett and Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Guest are coming, be prepared.

  2. The 'stuff' in storage rooms means something to someone.

  3. Who is the 'stuff' for? What's the why behind the what?

  4. Organize for the Savior not self.

  5. Develop a central storage location and not have it spread out throughout the facility.

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett and Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Rural does not have to be boring.

  2. Rural does not have to mean a lack of innovation.

  3. Excellence is not found in the design of the building but in the dedication of the people.

  4. Rural and success coexist not from the church size but in church effectiveness.

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. To pastor in rural America. 

  2. To reach the lost and the unchurched. 

  3. To equip the church with healthy structures.

  4. To remove sacred cows to become more effective. 

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Status quo opposes "more".

  2. Status quo is highly contagious.

  3. Status quo discourages risk.

  4. Status quo encourages complacency.

  5. Status quo leaves people unprepared for disruptions.

  6. Status quo leaders leave their people unprepared for what will eventually happen. 

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Progress, but not the unknown that comes with it.

  2. Security and stability, but not  stagnation.

  3. Love, but not the risk of rejection from others.

  4. Adventure, but not the unpredictability of charting a new course.

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Everyone goes into the desert, but it is our choice how long we stay there.

  2. Egypt looked good looking back, but death and slavery was waiting.

  3. Lack of action is not an option - the world is changing.

  4. What lies ahead is better than what is behind.

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. We want to grow a congregation before we start growing congregants.

  2. We want followers before we learn to lead.

  3. We want disciples without discipling.

  4. We want community influence before we make a community investment.

  5. We want Holy Spirit power without sacrificial commitment.

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. See the past as foundational for today.

  2. Let go of past mistakes, and failures.

  3. Rethink a new way forward.

  4. Develop unity by bridging the past and present to the future.

  5. Be willing to be bold and flexible depending on the issue. 

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Tell the Story, Share your Story, Live the Story.

  2. Tell your story.

  3. Tell a story of a life change.

  4. Tell the success and failure stories but do it with passion by bringing God glory.

  5. Listen to other people's stories and help them see the 'good' and not the 'bad'.

  6. Celebrate the story.

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. What is the purpose (vision) of the revitalization effort in the church?

  2. Who does the Church want to connect with? (Community or Self?)

  3. Whose voice is being heard in casting the vision?

  4. What needs to be changed to adapt to the new vision?

  5. How do you know the vision is being followed? What's the measurement?

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Revitalization is not easy, or everyone would be doing it.

  2. Revitalization is tough on the family, especially children.

  3. Revitalization is a major cause of burn out for the pastor.

  4. Revitalization is about breaking barriers and shining God's light.

  5. Revitalization is about connecting outside the church to find balance.

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Do facilities matter? Simple answer is yes.

  2. A facility review should be undertaken to help direct focus.

  3. Guest Worshipers to provide feedback to the leadership team.

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Be prayed up.

  2. Be prepared for push back.

  3. Be proactive in developing relationships.

  4. Be positioned for success.

  5. Be predetermined to stick with God's plan. 

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Why a Network focused on Nazarene Churches?

  2. Who needs the Network?

  3. Who leads the Network?

  4. What can the Network do for a Pastor or Local Church?

Connect with the Network:

https://rural-revitalization.network/

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

Facebook – Rural Revitalization Network

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rrn/message

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With Pastor Rob Beckett & Dr. Desmond Barrett

  1. Worship attendance had plateaued or declined for five or more years in a row.

  2. The Church does not look like the community.

  3. Pastoral tenure decreases.

  4. Funds are inside focused and not outwardly focused.

  5. Average age of regular attenders is increasing.

  6. The community would not know if the church closed.

https://rural-revitalization.network         

Email – rural.revitalization.ky@gmail.com

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