Church Health & Revitalization: Be strong and courageous

For years, I have been fascinated by the book of Joshua because, as I lead my congregation through revitalization, God often brings to mind how Joshua encountered and handled similar situations and issues. How do you succeed a great man of God (a.k.a., our greatest days are behind us)? Joshua followed in the footsteps of Moses. How do you engage an uphill battle to accomplish God’s will (a.k.a., the odds are long!)? Joshua led the Israelites to victory against Jericho, Ai, Gibeon, and more. Confront sin in camp? Joshua dealt with Achan. Dole out responsibility? Joshua distributed the tribal inheritances and, along with them, responsibility to complete the conquest of the Promised Land.

Recently, I spoke with a leader whose ministry stalled after only a few tentative steps toward revitalization. In conversation, it was clear that they knew what needed to be done, but something was preventing them from actually doing it. Worse, this leader second-guessed the steps they had already taken and reversed course. It was as though they crossed the river into the Promised Land and marched up to Jericho, but as soon as they saw the walls of that great city, they retreated to Gilgal and stayed there.

To be certain, conquering Jericho would not be easy. The city was large, and its walls were formidable. In fact, they were thick enough that homes were constructed inside the wall (Joshua 2:15). The citizens knew the Israelites were coming, and they sealed up all the gates and posted guards. Moreover, the Israelites were not exactly a fighting force. Yes, they had the advantage of numbers, and yes, they had fought a couple of battles years earlier. But really, they were refugees who had been living out of suitcases for the last forty years. Simply put, they lacked both the hardware and the experience to effectively assault the fortifications of Jericho.

Further, attacking Jericho would not be safe. To this point, Israel had fought battles only when it was attacked. In defensive combat, when your choices are fight or die, fear is a moot point. They had certainly never attacked a walled city. Later armies would perfect catapults and siege works to defeat such things, but this was all new to Israel. And the city’s defenses were on high alert. Archaeology reveals that Jericho was destroyed and reconstructed numerous times throughout its history. Each time the city fell, its new inhabitants determined to not be defeated again. They were, therefore, loaded for bear, so to speak, and there was substantial risk involved in this attack.

Leading revitalization is neither easy nor safe. Like Joshua, we will face formidable challenges and very real risks. There will be obstacles and deficiencies to overcome, change and resistance – both earthly and spiritual – to face. These things are unavoidable, and quite frankly, there is only so much we can to mitigate them. At some point, the only option is to confront them directly.

This is why God’s repeated mandate to be strong and courageous was so crucial to both Joshua and us. Three times in Joshua 1:6-8, God commanded this of Joshua. In vs 8, he added, “Do not be afraid or discouraged.” In Joshua 1:18, the people affirmed the mandate, urging their new leader, “Above all, be strong and courageous!” And in Joshua 8:1, after they dealt with the setbacks of the initial defeat at Ai and sin in the camp, God reiterated, “Do not be afraid or discouraged.” Over and over again, God pounded this mantra into Joshua’s head. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous.

Indeed, Joshua needed to be strong to do the hard things of conquering the Promised Land, and we must be strong to do the hard things of revitalization. Ministry on its own is not easy. Building inroads into a community that is, at best, ambivalent toward God and his people can be tricky, to say the least. Monies must be raised, facilities improved, contacts made, and partnerships forged. And every step the way, there are sacrifices demanded and good ol’ hard work to be done. We must be strong to do the hard things of revitalization.

Just as Joshua needed to be courageous to do the scary things of conquering the Promised Land, we must also be courageous to do the scary things of revitalization. There is always an element of the unknown when we do something new. The “What if…?”s alone can be paralyzing. Then we add in the church boss who is thoroughly committed to the status quo, the spiritual warfare that comes whenever we dare great things for God, and the risk that is inherent with any enterprise at all. We must be courageous to do the scary things of revitalization.

There is, however, more to courage than simply doing scary things. In fact, the Merriam-Webster defines the term as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” Note the moral component. Without this, bungie jumping and car surfing would be considered courageous. Engaging in any scary or even foolhardy activity would be equated to courage. Real courage, however, is the fortitude to do that which is right, necessary, and best, even when it is scary, and revitalizing leaders must be able to do this every step of their way.

The question, then, is how we may become strong and courageous. I would suggest four tips.

First, get close to God. Forty years before he took the reins as Israel’s leader, Joshua “would not leave the inside of the tent” of meeting (Exodus 33:11). When God and Moses had their face-to-face conversations, Joshua was there. When Moses left the tent to lead the people, Joshua remained behind, and his proximity to the Lord no doubt bolstered his faith, thus enabling him to be strong and courageous.

Second, become a student of the strong and courageous. From a young age, Joshua served as Moses’ assistant (Numbers 11:28). For more than four decades, then, he had been with Moses night and day, listening to what he said, observing what he did, and acting as his proxy whenever Moses was unavailable. Joshua knew Moses inside and out and so had an eyewitness understanding of how strength and courage were supposed to appear.

Third, be careful to obey. In Joshua 1:6-8, God’s mandate for Joshua to be strong and courageous was interwoven with a call to unswerving obedience to the instructions given to Moses. The Pentateuch constituted the pinnacle of God’s revelation at the time, and a call to obey it was tantamount to a call to godliness. While we have gratefully received additional revelation since Joshua’s time, this call to godliness remains key to building strength and courage.

Finally, be deliberate about thanksgiving. In Joshua 4, as Israel completed its crossing of the Jordan River, God instructed Moses to select twelve men, one from each of Israel’s tribes, to pick up a large rock from the middle of the river. These stones were then piled near the edge of camp, and in verses 21-23, Joshua explained that the stones would serve as a reminder to posterity of what God had done for Israel that day. Invariably, remembering with gratitude what God has done in the past strengthens and encourages us for the future.

Each of these four tips is key, but at some point, we must actually be strong and courageous. That is, we must actually do the hard and scary things. As obvious as this is, though, this is the point where many revitalizing leaders fall short. There are as many excuses as there are leaders, but the bottom line is that, when it comes to moving forward and taking the Promised Land, they balk. And they only grow frustrated and discouraged as the revitalization they envisioned languishes in camp.

Strength and courage are essential to leading revitalization, and my prayer today is that all of us who claim the title of revitalizing leader would also lay hold of these attributes and press forward, however hard and scary that may be.