Wanted: Fixer-Upper Pastors

The moment my wife and I first walked into our home, we knew it was the place God had prepared for us. Around Dallas, new houses pop up everywhere. With over 150,000 new residents arriving every year, the landscape is covered with new cookie-cutter homes that all look the same.

When we found a 25-year-old subdivision with tall trees, established neighbors, and a house with unexpected surprises inside, we were immediately sold. Like any home that has stood for more than two decades, it had both character and character flaws. In the past six years, we’ve had to replace every appliance, reinforce the foundation, repair the sewer line, and cut down a dead tree.

Despite the costs and headaches, every investment we’ve made in our home has revealed more of the character that originally captivated us. We bought the house others overlooked. Now we get to enjoy its beauty in ways others will never experience.

I had no idea how much this would prepare me for the ministry ahead.

Fixer-Uppers Everywhere

The American landscape is littered with churches that can only be described as fixer-uppers. In every major city and rural community, you will easily find storied congregations with glory days that have long passed. They once enjoyed rich fellowship, transformative outreach, and faithful preaching. But those are now just memories preserved through pictures in a neglected parlor.

Today, these churches are better known for their flaws. Their foundations have cracked under the weight of church splits, worship wars, and a revolving door of pastors. Insistent on not losing the precious memories that are left, the few remaining members are hellbent on changing nothing. Even the idea of growth brings the terrifying uncertainty of new people who won’t appreciate their heritage.

These churches are hardly outliers. They represent the norm. In Reclaiming Glory, Mark Clifton reveals that only 15% of churches within the Southern Baptist Convention are experiencing growth and vibrancy today. [1] Many of our congregations sit on street corners and merely maintain their routines. Their parlors are pristine, but their pews remain mostly empty. They aren’t even sure if the baptismal still works.

We Can’t Give Up

Let’s be honest. If given a choice, most pastors don’t gravitate to congregations like this. For the same reason most families would rather purchase a brand-new house, most of us would rather plant a church or come on staff with a vibrant, missional congregation. You can cultivate a healthy church culture and fulfill the Great Commission without all the baggage.

There is nothing wrong with these impulses. In fact, it takes great courage and endurance to do this work. We don’t have nearly enough church planters, and I admire my brothers who have embraced this calling. But as these pastors advance the Great Commission in communities that lack enough local churches, we need pastors who are willing to embrace the fixer-uppers.

God is not done with the declining churches that dot our landscape. Despite the baggage, pain, and decades of idleness, tremendous opportunities remain in these congregations.

God is not done with the declining churches that dot our landscape. Despite the baggage, pain, and decades of idleness, tremendous opportunities remain in these congregations. They simply need preachers who will feed them with the richness of God’s Word. They need shepherds who will lovingly guide them out of their comfort zones while appreciating their heritage. They need men who can stand on God’s Word without developing an unhealthy love for controversy. Above all, they need pastors who will restore their love for the Lord and the people he has uniquely positioned them to reach.

If God has not given up on these churches, we have no right to give up on them either. If you’re a seminary student or pastor who is willing to do the work, you will find that the baggage you fear may be that church’s greatest asset. It will be hard. It will take a long time. You cannot do it in your own strength. But God might just be calling you to embrace a fixer-upper so it can experience a new wave of gospel growth and rich discipleship. Through you, he might rebuild his church. That stale building might become the hub of a spiritual revival. Those spiritually stagnant members might experience fresh repentance and passion for the Lord. What once looked dead could spring new life.

The Gift of My Fixer-Upper

When I was called to pastor Valwood Park Baptist Church over a year ago, it was everything I had feared in ministry. Inside a decade, attendance had shrunk by 70%. The congregation endured two agonizing splits. My predecessor, an incredible shepherd who served for 30 years, had pressed on through it all.

The people were hurting. They needed both care and vision. They said they wanted change, but I was hesitant to believe them. And while I am still in the earliest stages of my pastorate, I am amazed by what God is doing. In less than 18 months, we’ve hosted free medical clinics for the surrounding community. We have adopted the public school down the street. I’ve had deacons approach me in tears after worship gatherings, overwhelmed with conviction. A new young adult Bible study has just begun. Our student building is finally in use after six years of sitting empty. And the best part? We will soon celebrate our first baptism in at least two years.

For my family, our congregation has become a source of encouragement, support, and tons of laughter. I know tough days are still ahead. The hardest work is still to be done. Our building needs refurbishment, and the community around us has shifted dramatically. But God is not done with our church.

There are many more Valwood Parks out there. God is not done with them either. The voice of the Lord calls, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” These fixer-uppers simply need men who will cry out, “Here I am! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

[1] Mark Clifton, Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches, (Brentwood, TN: B&H Publishing, 2023), 6.