Mission Shift Church Consulting

09/28/2026

Latest Blog Post. Share with someone you think would like this content.

I have spent a lot of years around churches that want to grow, and I understand why they want to grow. When people come to faith, families become connected, lives begin to change and a …

09/18/2026

Check out our latest blog

I turned 60 this year. I graduated from high school in 1984, which means I grew up in a world that seems almost impossible to explain to someone under 30. I remember penny candy, 8-track tapes, 45 …

05/13/2026

You’ve heard it before that most successful CEOs have a coach.
Big church pastors have coaches. Church planters have coaches. Sport teams have coaches.
Yet the vast majority of pastors trying to lead a church revitalization are attempting it completely alone.
In the best of times, revitalizations already fail most of the time.
What if having a coach could change that?
A good coach won’t just teach you more stuff. They’ll help you stay focused when everything is pulling you in different directions. They’ll give you a safe place to vent, ask you the hard questions, and encourage you when no one else is.
Leading a turnaround is the hardest work in ministry. You shouldn’t have to do it by yourself.

👉 Read the full blog here: https://missionshift.ca/2026/05/13/why-every-church-revitalization-pastor-needs-a-coach/

Revitalization pastors, have you ever considered getting a coach? What’s held you back?
Drop your thoughts below. I’d love to hear from you.

You hear it in the business world all the time that high level leaders surround themselves with people who sharpen them and many effective CEOs have coaches. Church planters are encouraged to find a coach …

05/06/2026

Are you functioning as a leader or a manager in your church?

Most pastors step into a new role with the title of “leader,” but the day-to-day expectations often pull them toward management. Much of our training reinforces that too. Seminaries do a good job preparing pastors to care for the church, maintain systems, and keep things running smoothly. Those responsibilities matter. Churches need them.

But management and leadership are not the same thing.

Management sustains what already exists. Leadership moves people toward what could be.

I have seen how this distinction shapes the direction of a church. A well-managed church can be stable and organized, but without leadership it often struggles to move forward in meaningful mission and transformation.

The question is not whether you manage. You will have to.

The question is whether you are also leading.

It is worth reflecting on:

Am I maintaining systems or moving people forward?
Am I focused on structure or on transformation?
Am I preserving comfort or embracing calling?

Full blog here:

https://missionshift.ca/2026/05/06/are-you-a-leader-or-a-manager/

04/29/2026

Most churches do not think about their facilities until something breaks.

But what if your building is already communicating something… and you just have not noticed?

One of the first things my wife and I do when we step into a church revitalization is a facilities audit. Not because we love audits (we do not), but because they tell the truth quickly.

Within minutes, you can start to see things through the eyes of a first time guest:

Is it clear where to go?
Is it welcoming or confusing?
Would a family feel comfortable dropping off their kids?
Does the space reflect the community around it?

The reality is simple.
Your building is either helping your mission or quietly working against it.

A facilities audit is not about having a perfect building. It is about removing unnecessary barriers so people can actually connect.

If you are in a season of revitalization, this is one of the most practical places to start.

I wrote more about this here:
https://missionshift.ca/2026/04/29/more-than-maintenance-rethinking-church-facilities-for-mission/

I would love to hear your experience. What is one thing your church space does well… or could improve?

When churches begin the journey of revitalization, conversations naturally gravitate toward preaching, programs, and leadership structures. Facilities, by contrast, are frequently treated as a secondary concern, something to fix when the budget allows. That instinct …

04/17/2026

If you spend any time in church revitalization circles, you’ll hear the same question: “What should we do?”

It sounds right. It isn’t.

Revitalization doesn’t begin with action. It begins with listening.

Too often, we rush to strategies and quick fixes without first asking what God is actually saying. But Scripture shows a different pattern: listen first, then lead.

Before Nehemiah rebuilt, he prayed.
Before strength was renewed, God’s people waited.
Before action, there was attention to God’s voice.

If we want to see real renewal, we need to slow down long enough to hear clearly.

👉 Read the full post here: https://missionshift.ca/2026/04/17/revitalization-begins-with-listening-not-doing/

If you spend any time in church revitalization circles, you’ll hear the same question: “What should we do?” It sounds like the right question. It isn’t. That question assumes revitalization begins with action, with strategies, systems, and …

03/24/2026

Learn how to read your community

Most pastors are trained to exegete Scripture—but far fewer have been trained to exegete their community. Yet if church revitalization is about joining God in His mission, then understanding the people and place you are called …

03/16/2026

https://missionshift.ca/2026/03/15/a-new-scorecard-for-church-revitalization/

One of the biggest obstacles to church revitalization is not a lack of effort, lack of programs, or even a lack of resources. Often the real issue is much simpler: We are measuring the wrong things. Every …

03/11/2026

Our latest blog…

https://missionshift.ca/2026/03/11/why-boring-churches-struggle-to-reach-their-communities/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQemFBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xNzM4NDc2NDI2NzAzNzAAAR6wjnKMeHsai7j4uvz4zIPYB1sCJ6-bEtpyNvxkxWJg6h2rcX__GJ0m8siZ4w_aem_i3FxlL0CLKZMZn1ccMv2nQ

Here is something I have believed for years: a boring Christian is an anti-evangelism strategy. If following Jesus truly is the most life-changing reality in the universe, why do so many former church attenders say one …

02/03/2026

Check out our free resources

FREE RESOURCES Mike Puddicombe January 30, 2026 January 30, 2026 RESOURCES Free Resources for Churches Seeking Renewal At Mission Shift, we work with churches that carry deep history, faithful people, and real pain. Decline does not mean failure—and renewal is possible when churches are given the ...