The revitalization of churches in decline is a tremendously important topic within the leadership of mainline Protestant denominations in 21st century America. A small amount of so-called “mega-churches” have solved this problem by employing extremely gifted homileticians, but can preaching alone save the overwhelming majority of ‘dying’ Protestant churches; or should other strategies be employed in an effort to reverse declines in church membership and attendance? One such strategy focuses upon the use of evangelistic/mission oriented sermons to positively impact the mindset of congregation members who are resistant to change. Through research, reading, classroom instruction, focused congregational surveys and advisory guidance an effort will be made to demonstrate that thematic sermons become highly more effective when they come about as a result of homiletical conversations between the preacher and the congregation. The Parish Project Group model taught by the ACTS D. Min. in Preaching Program has proven itself to be an effective starting point for these conversations. The results of this research project will attempt to show that a communal approach to preaching can reenergize a congregation in decline (beginning from the pulpit) and empower the membership of the church to become invested stakeholders in the revitalization of the church.
