Churches in North America face an uncertain future,” writes Joseph Lear.

“Seventy percent of churches have an average weekly attendance of under 100 people, which means that should nearly three-quarters of the churches in America lose a few families, they’d face a financial, volunteer, and leadership crisis.”

“God is not done with the small church,” he writes. “The kingdom of God is still present, which means there’s a path forward for renewal. It’s not going to come with marketing campaigns and managerial ingenuity. It’s going to come when small congregations get back to the basics of worshipping in Spirit and truth.”

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk with Lear about what he calls “slow burn revival.” I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Joseph Lear is pastor of theology and preaching at Resurrection Assembly of God in Iowa City, and director of theology and global church ministries at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. He is author of Resurrecting Worship: A Pentecostal Liturgy for Slow Burn Revival, published by Cascade Books.

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