Many pastors, as they try to lead their church into the future, want to avoid the past.

This occurs for several reasons.

The past might be painful for the church. Perhaps a split, moral failure, or series of firings has caused pain within the church. This past impacts your present and future as a church. As a leader, you will be navigating a church that may struggle to trust the leadership or wonder if you will be around for the long term.

Maybe the church has had a series of theological divisions or arguments over the years. So, the church is either conflict-averse or constantly seeking something to argue about. This creates an environment where either. Nothing is a big deal, or everything is a big deal.

The church’s past may have involved a series of pastors, leading one to wonder if the current pastor will remain in place.

The age of the church, the age of the people in the church, and the length of previous pastorates all impact the church’s present and future.

The way the church conducts worship, preaching, prayer, small groups, and outreach has an impact on its current and future performance in these areas.

Suppose there have been incredible growth seasons and moves of God in the history of the church, which also impact the present and future of the church. This can create an expectancy and hope for the future in people, but it can also evoke a sense of nostalgia, as the present is never as great as their memories.

What often happens is that a new pastor comes in and either neglects the past or minimizes it. They are future-oriented because that is what leaders do, and there is a good chance the search committee told them they want to move forward as a church.

And deep down, they do. They want to remember the past as well.

So, as you look backwards to go forward as a church, here are some questions to ask:

• How old is your church?
• How many pastors has it had over the years? How many staff and leadership transitions have there been?
• Have there been any firings or moral failures? 
• How has communication and power been seen in your church?
• What growth seasons and moves of God have you seen in the history of the church? What stories do people have?
• Are there any stories or moments that you hear about again and again?

All of those things impact a church. Those stories and moments tell you a lot about what people value in your church.

Pay attention to stories that get retold and people who are mentioned repeatedly. Listen for the memories that people share and re-share. If the people you hear about are no longer at the church, try to meet with them and listen to their stories.

Whether you realize it or not, you are likely leading and living in their shadows and are part of their story.

This is all over Scripture. The word “remember” appears over 1,200 times in Scripture. Memory is powerful.

God knows this.

However, we also see that God wants to restore and renew us from our past.

Throughout Scripture, we see evidence of this and the call for the people of God to be a part of that restoration. 

We see this call in Isaiah 58:12, “Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the foundations laid long ago; you will be called the repairer of broken walls, the restorer of streets where people live.”

There is a critical calling on those who start new works, but there is an equally important calling for those who will rebuild ancient ruins. 

The phrase “rebuild ancient ruins” is essential when considering church revitalization. This shows us the work that lies ahead and what has come before. 

Ruins connote the idea that something that was once there has since been destroyed. 

You do not rebuild on top of ruins; you must first remove the ruins to begin the rebuilding process. 

You must identify what needs to be removed and what must remain, as well as which stones have been destroyed and which can be repurposed for the new project.

Positively, you are standing on the shoulders of those who came before you. Rebuilding is not easy, but it is also not starting from scratch. Not every pastor is meant to be a church planter, and not everyone is meant to be a rebuilder.