ChurchesAwake! Intro

Four paradigm shifts that can bring spiritual awakening in local churches . . .

In coming posts I lay out four prerequisite paradigm shifts that must occur in the modern church for a spiritual awakening to take place. A “paradigm shift” sounds like a fancy college word, at least that’s what my mother would say. Those were the kinds of words she forbid me using around the house when I came home on breaks from school, lest I take myself too seriously.  But simply put, a “paradigm shift” takes place when one has been thinking about something one way, but then learns a truth that completely changes/revolutionizes/transforms the way he or she thinks about it.”

We believe these paradigm shifts are a dividing line for churches. On one side of the line lay an inability to gain missional traction, on the other side of the line – surprising fruitfulness. On one side churches go through the motions of ministry, on the other side – a vibrant and joyous Spirit empowers everything they do.

These four paradigm shifts are essential because, without them, churches won’t possess the spiritual power necessary to resist or impact the world’s shifting cultural values.

While these four revolutionary shifts in perspective cannot guarantee a spiritual awakening along the lines of the Great Awakenings we have seen in the past, they can prepare churches for such a move of God. In great revivals of the past, not every church experienced the blessings God poured out. Unprepared churches, entrenched churches and semi-dead churches were bypassed.

When churches and denominations proved unresponsive to spiritual awakening, God raised up new movements to replace them. Sadly, those comatose churches, like Laodicea (Rev. 3), were “poor, blind, and naked,” unconscious of their true state. They considered spiritual “awakening” an oddity or an extreme. Often these unprepared churches (and denominations) opposed what God was doing.

Neither can these four paradigm shifts guarantee a transformation in your church. Outcomes largely depend on the hearts of church leaders and their sincerity in applying them to your congregation. We’ve seen localized revival in churches where leaders courageously applied these four changes in perspective, leading the congregation to brokenness and repentance. However, in other churches where superficiality marked their efforts, we’ve watched congregational pain increase and, in some cases, the churches close for good.

In summary, when these four paradigm shifts are applied by sincere hearts, they can renew or transform your church’s spirit, restore the health of your ministry, free abundant “God things” to occur in your midst, heal chronic relational wounds, and give your ministry missional traction.

I hope you’ll follow along in the coming posts as I unpack each of these paradigm shifts we believe are essential to spiritual awakening in local churches.

Rev. Mark Barnard serves as President of Blessing Point Ministries. Mark authored The Path of Revival: Restoring Our Nation One Church at a Time (churchsmart.com).