CRM Empowering Leaders

ReTurn is a ministry for churches in transition or crisis.

The transition can be positive or negative, good or bad, easy or complex. It can take place over a relatively short period of time — a few months or weeks — or it may be a long difficult journey — in some cases a few years.

In each case, the ReTurn team works to help a congregation move forward in their relationship with God. In most cases, ReTurn helps congregations and leaders return to a place where God and his purposes are central to the life and ministry of the church. Therefore, while pointing a church forward, we always point backwards. We call people to return to a place of intimacy with God and community with each other.

Furthermore, ReTurn believes that all mission flows first and foremost out of a deep desire to know God and love God. As John Piper says, “You can’t commend what you do not cherish.” (Let the Nations be Glad, pg. 11) Congregations and church leaders routinely exchange God for growth, the excitement of God's mystery for the dullness of organizational certainty, and the cheap promises of sin for the rewarding delight of righteousness.

We unashamedly call leaders and congregations to the healing lifestyle of repentance that exalts the Lordship of Christ and liberates people from the heavy yokes and uneasy burdens of the other gods that can so easily creep into local churches.

Ministry

We are a team of church revitalization experts who help bring restoration to churches in transition by returning churches and leaders to a place of intimacy with God, community with each other, and missional ministry. Through leading both workshops and long-term partnerships with individual churches, we work with leaders and congregations who are aware of their need for change and are committed to healing and growth.

We facilitate the restoration process by:

Diagnostic Analysis: The diagnostic process is designed to drill down to the real issues and discover God’s solutions. (2 - 3 months)

Intervention: Diagnosis can lead to ReTurn staff serving as intentional interim pastors while the church returns to health. (6 - 18 months)

Coaching: In addition to personally serving as interim pastors, ReTurn staff also coach interim pastors and interventionists in both individual churches and denominations.

Training: ReTurn provides training events for interventionists, intentional interim pastors, and coaches to further develop skills for restoring churches. ReTurn also provides ongoing training to leaders in skill sets such as conflict resolution, the dynamics of change, evaluating ministry infrastructure and systems, building effective teams, spiritual formation, visionary planning, and discerning the unique missional focus of a body of believers.

We serve the kinds of churches that have...

• Sustained a long, drawn-out decline
• Recently lost a long-tenured pastor and are in transition
• Experienced some form of trauma (e.g. pastoral infidelity)
• Experienced a quick succession of pastorates
• Sustained a long-standing conflict yet to be resolved
• Lost confidence in the existing leadership
• Plateaued and lost direction

ReTurn is not for every congregation that finds itself in times of difficulty. A congregation must be willing to surrender to God’s purposes and make some tough decisions. As the process of rehabilitation and renewal lasts anywhere from three to eighteen months, ReTurn staff work with leaders and congregations who are aware of their need for change and are committed to long-term healing.

Use the links to the right to learn more about ReTurn's philosophy of ministry, stories, resources, team members, frequently asked questions, and various opportunities for getting involved.

Stories from ReTURN

Pathways of Hope and Restoration

Several years ago my mother gave me an old newspaper. It was yellowed, worn, faded and dated August 14, 1945. At the top of the paper in large bold letters was the word “PEACE.” She’d kept the...