Leading Your Church Toward Revival

If you believe that your church needs revival (a renewed vision, new life from the Holy Spirit, and a fresh commitment to holiness), Life Action Ministries has developed an effective and "church-changing" strategy to take you, your leadership team, and your congregation to the next level of spirtual maturity and growth.

Rather than focusing on increasing the number of attendees, Life Action's "summits" focus on improving the health of the church -- calling believers to a deeper walk with Jesus Christ. While we would not say that a summit is right for every church, we have seen God work through this venue in amazing ways, and would love the opportunity to discuss it with you. If your feeling is that the timing for a "summit" is not right for your fellowship, we have other options available and can offer advice on the best course of action to present revival principles in your congregation.

An Introduction to Our Revival Summit Strategy

What is a Life Action Revival Team?
What will the team do at my church?
Why two weeks? Isn't that a little long?
How do you prepare a church for a revival summit?
You mentioned host homes. How exactly does that work?
How does Life Action pay for all of this?
What do you do for the children?
What will the team offer for our youth group?
Who are the speakers at these summits?

I'm interested in a Life Action Revival Summit for my church.
What should I do? (Click here)

What is a Life Action Revival Team?

Each team consists of a lead revivalist, family and youth session teachers, children's ministers, singers, musicians, audio and visual technicians, and logistical support personnel. Our teams spend over a month in intensive spiritual and vocational training to prepare for their ten-month tours across the United States. We have teams designed for churches of various sizes, and we have ministered in congregations ranging from 100 to over 2,000. The teams bring a message of revival -- holiness, brokenness, surrender, faith, repentance, humility, and prayer -- into local churches of many different styles and associations. (To menu)

What will the team do at my church?

Life Action currently offers either ten-day or two-week summit options for churches, and the team comes prepared to handle all of the preaching, teaching, music, youth, and children's ministry for that period so that your congregation and staff can receive the maximum benefit. This also insures that every person in your church is exposed to key revival truths, in an age-appropriate way. When in your church, we consider it to be our first priority to serve your congregation, to model a Christ-like example before them, and to communicate to them truths that we have found to spark revival in our own lives.

The typical evening service consists of three parts: the specialized session, the worship segment, and the main message. The specialized session is a time when each age group receives instruction (youth, children, couples, etc.); during the worship segment, all of the groups join in the sanctuary for a time of celebration, reflection, music, and prayer. Following the music, the children are dismissed to return to their "clubs," while the adults and youth enjoy a Bible-based, life-relevant message from the team's lead revivalist.

. (To menu)

Why two weeks? Isn't that a little long?

Since 1971, Life Action has been conducting two-week and ten-day revival summits in hundreds of churches across North America; and in just about every location, there are people who question whether or not a two-week period of time is necessary, or if it will work at all. However, our experience has been that in virtually every church, the people were not only pleasantly surprised and deeply impacted by the crusade, but many wished it could have continued much longer! There are many biblical precedents for setting aside an extended period of time to seek the Lord and refocus on spiritual priorities. The Life Action Revival Teams create a unique environment in which the Holy Spirit can hold the attention of His people and revitalize the life of the church. (To menu)

How do you prepare a church for a revival summit?

We have full-time church ministries staff members at our headquarters in Buchanan, Michigan who are available to speak with you at any time before or after the team ministers in your church; their desire is to address any questions, issues or concerns you may have. Many of our staff have worked as pastors in local churches before joining Life Action, so they understand many of the questions church leaders have regarding our work.

Approximately six weeks before the team is scheduled to arrive in your church, we will send a representative to you for what we call a "pre-summit" weekend. This representative will meet with you and your leadership team, and he will take time to explain to your congregation exactly what we mean by "revival" and how they can best prepare their hearts and calendars for the upcoming summit. This representative will answer many of your questions regarding logistics, the methodology of our ministry, and exactly how the services will operate; he can also address any concerns or changes that may need to be made to tailor the summit to your specific situation. If you choose to schedule one of our teams in your church, our scheduling department will give you more details concerning both the pre-summit weekend and other aspects of the preparation.

Typically, the summit team will arrive at your church the Friday prior to the beginning of the summit (Sunday morning) in order to get settled, unpacked, set up, and organized. This extra time also gives the church staff an opportunity to get to know the team and make any adjustments necessary to the plan. (Note: after the concluding service, the team usually stays for an additional one to three days, depending on travel schedules and host home availability.)

We have seen God do mighty things in churches all across this nation, and we are confident that the clear message of God's Word, the call to spiritual renewal, and the ministry of our teams can make a significant difference in the lives of your people. We are committed to your success as a leader, the spiritual growth of your congregation, and the advancement of the kingdom of God. Thus, we will do whatever is necessary to make your crusade experience one that will in every way reflect the glory and excellence of God. (To menu)

You mentioned host homes. How exactly does that work?

The single team members (normally not the married staff) will need host homes beginning a few days before and concluding a few days after the revival summit in your church. Many church leaders express concern on the front end as to whether or not they can get enough host homes in their church, but our experience has shown that normally there is much interest and blessing in this approach. In fact, in every church we visit, one of our greatest avenues for spiritual impact is in the homes where our team members stay.

The pre-summit representative will provide you with specific details and ideas for host homes, and he will answer any questions you may have regarding this. Also, the representative will explain the usual structure for feeding and transporting the team members while they are at your church.

On the front end, the prospect of housing, transporting, and feeding a team for up to three weeks is somewhat overwhelming. Don't worry! We've been holding summits like this for over three decades, and God is always faithful to provide exactly what is needed in every situation. Most churches, at the conclusion of the summit, tearfully say good-bye to our teams and are quick to invite them to return. (To menu)

How does Life Action pay for all of this?

For the most part, we rely on the generosity of God's people to provide for our needs. We do charge confirmation and travel fees, and we ask the church to cover some incidental expenses*, but by and large our teams are kept on the road by faithful donors who themselves have been impacted by the work of our ministry.

Each team member is supported as an independent missionary, and no one in our ministry draws any salary or commission off of what your church people might choose to give Life Action during a summit. We believe this approach to ministry helps to keep us "above reproach" in the area of finances.

Also, we do not generally take offerings during the services. Instead, we have a "Love Gift Box" in a side room where people can, if the Spirit leads them, contribute to the work of our ministry. We do not believe in using high-pressure tactics or guilt to get people to donate money. We may make our needs known to God's people, but we trust Him with the outcome. He is our Provider!

*Confirmation and travel fees vary depending on church size and location, and incidental expenses include things like groceries for meals, travel expenses for the pre-summit representative, and fuel to transport team members to and from the church during the days of the summit. (The pre-summit representative will carefully explain all of this in detail when he arrives at your church.) (To menu)

What do you do for the children?

The Life Action teams come with carefully selected and trained children's ministers who have a burden to communicate revival truths to young people. During every service, we offer "clubs" for children ages 4 and older. "Happiness Club" takes the Word of God to 4-year-olds through 1st graders, while "Dynamite Club" reaches the hearts and minds of 2nd through 6th graders.

We do ask the church to arrange for nursery care as necessary (ages 0-3), and we have some creative ideas for how you can manage this. Our pre-summit representative will go over all the details of this and any other children's ministry questions you may have. (To menu)

What will the team offer for our youth group?

Every team has a youth instructor who carries a special burden for teenagers to discover the life-changing purpose and message of Christ. Using a mix of traditional teaching with creative interaction, the teen instructor will carefully and biblically call teenagers to revival.

Our evening youth sessions cover issues like personal purity, purpose in life, genuine faith, wise decision-making, parental authority, and the developing of a deep love for and fear of the Lord. These issues are covered in even more detail during a special Saturday youth seminar entitled "rEvolution" we conduct during each summit. (To menu)

Who are the speakers at these summit?

Each of the four Life Action Road Teams are led by a "revivalist," who is also the main speaker during the services. Each has proven himself to be man of God who is faithfully committed to the Bible, and who has demonstrated extraordinary competence in communicating the revival message to the church. You can view a brief profile of each by clicking on the name.

Tim St. Clair (the "Red" Team)
Steve Canfield (the "Blue" Team)
Laine Johnson (the "White" Team)
Mark Bearden (the "Silver" Team)

(To menu)

I'd like to communicate with Life Action about a possible summit.
What should I do? (Click here)

HOME | EMAIL ARCHIVES | SUBSCRIBE | TOOLBOX

PastorConnect is an online outreach of Life Action Ministries, designed to "connect" church leaders across the world to revival resources, equipping them to carry the message of renewal to their congregations. Learn more about PastorConnect.