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Rediscovering Vitality

A Handbook for Church Visioning and Missioning

by Sean Chow

Pastors, church leaders, and congregations are searching to reconnect themselves to a changing culture.

The church we once knew has lost its relevance and is searching for meaning amidst shifting contexts. No longer is the church the priority of families and the spiritual pivot point for communities. It has been replaced with less engagement of its members, low involvement, and programs that are not connecting with those outside its walls. The church, once relevant has become a relic of a time gone by. Often churches believe that “if only” they had more resources then they would be able to make an impact for God, instead of believing that God has already provided for them.

This workbook will help pastors, church leaders, and congregations identify the changing context and how to practically respond by being led through a process called Proto Narrative.

This process is based on the Appreciative Inquiry and Asset Based Community Development models of organizational development. Through it, churches will be guided practically through a process in which they evaluate their readiness for interacting with the community, find their core values through shared experience, and discern a plan for being relevant in their neighborhood. 

By the end of the process, you will be able to see how God has blessed your congregation and how those “assets” bring revitalization to your congregation and your community.

About the Author

Rev. Sean Chow is the Associate for 1001 New Worshiping Communities for Training and Leadership Cohorts with the Presbyterian Church (USA). 

Sean resources and consults with regional denomination bodies, churches, and church plants as they launch new creative expressions of church. His aim is to prepare, equip, and sustain leaders to do the work to which God calls them. He is a frequent speaker to churches, committees, gatherings, and conferences.

Sean is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University (2005), a Master of Divinity from San Francisco Theological Seminary (2009) and a Doctor of Ministry from New York Theological Seminary (2022).

Sean and his family live in Southern California where he can be found on a local tennis court having reconnected to an old passion.

Rediscovering Vitality takes the practitioner through small, simple steps that help church leaders connect with their neighbors and grow disciples.
Vera White
Author, Coach, and Consultant in Church Planting

Congregational Readiness Assessment

In order to re-engage its community, your worshiping community must be ready to make changes. In order to make more than a simple technical change, support must be rooted in not only vocal support but a history of willingness to engage.

This brief quiz will assess your congregation’s readiness to engage change.

Please evaluate how each statement reflects the worshiping community as a whole. Once you have gone through all the statements, I’ll send you an email with your results.