From Death to Life: One Church's Resurrection Story
By Greg Smith
It’s Sunday. The pews are full, the parking lot is overflowing, people are being saved and baptized, and the kids’ ministry is thriving. Leaders are asking whether it’s time to expand. The church is growing.
And then it isn’t.
It’s quiet at first. Momentum slows. Numbers soften. While some come in, more slip out. What once felt full begins to feel empty. The church is dying.
This is part of the story of Community Free Will Baptist Church in Ypsilanti, Michigan. A once-thriving church entered decline, and faithful leaders were left wrestling with what to do next. They didn’t know what to do, but they believed God was not finished with their congregation. It was clear this wasn’t a situation solved with small adjustments. They were past revitalization.
They needed a new start.
This process is called replanting — one church choosing a “strategic” death so another can be born. Churches, like all living things, have life cycles. Many quietly close their doors each year. But replanting offers a different possibility, that life can spring forth from death.
In February 2024, Community FWB Church relaunched as The Well Church, a replant led by my family and a committed launch team.
Vision
When you replant a church, a clear, strong vision is vital. Everyone has an idea of what the new church will be like, what ministries it should have, and even what kind of people it will reach. The challenge for any leader in the replanting process is to cast a strong, clear, and compelling vision and to do it in such a way people no longer compete with it but buy in. We find a great example of this is Nehemiah 2. Nehemiah clearly communicated the reality of a desperate situation, rallied the returned Jewish exiles to a course of action, and effectively communicated what was at stake.
I don’t believe I had ever cast vision quite like this before.
I quickly learned you want this vision to come from God and not from your own preferences or design. Pray and ask God what He wants to do through your people and what kind of church He wants to build. What kind of church do you need to become so God can reach your community? Ask the Lord to help you see what He sees and then help your people see it, too.
Mission
One of the primary reasons churches die is because their focus has shifted from accomplishing the mission of God to something else. That “something else” can even be born out of fruitful seasons of accomplishing the mission of God. For example, one of our team members shared about being part of a church where people were saved and baptized almost every week. They grew quickly and soon outgrew their location, so they began a building project. Before long, the new building became the focus, and they spent less time and fewer resources on reaching people. As a result, the church began to decline.
For many dying churches, a similar shift takes place when they shift from focusing on the mission to focusing on preservation. It all becomes about survival. Rather than reaching new people with the gospel, the focus turns to the people you have and keeping them happy and faithful.
Replanting requires a course correction, a return to focusing on the mission of God. We have been given a mission to make disciples, lead the lost to a saving faith in Jesus, and help those new converts grow into maturity. Correcting that missional focus is essential, and it may ruffle some feathers. Sometimes, when you leave the 99 and go after the one far from God, it turns out not all the other 99 are too fond of that.
The LGBTQ+ community maintains a strong presence in Ypsi. When I said a missional focus meant they should be welcomed in the doors and able to hear the gospel, I was soon approached by a person about whom I care deeply. This individual said, “If we start baptizing them, I’m leaving!”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Shouldn’t that be our prayer? That people far from God would be saved and baptized? That they would publicly declare their decision to die to sin and self and follow Jesus? For some, comfortable Christianity is preferable to being a missional church.
Change
“We’ve always done it this way.”
“We’ve never done it that way.”
It is inevitable these statements will come up. We had to emphasize the posture of open hands. We were going to hold everything before the Lord with open hands and allow Him to give and take. Yes, we held tightly to biblical principles and convictions: Christ-centered preaching, strong biblical lyrics in songs, the call to make disciples, and the need to lead lost people to Jesus.
However, everything that did not fall into those categories, we held with open hands: the way the building looked, the style of music we sang, what outreach looked like, how people dressed, and many other things. Change needs to happen, and when it does, it can be uncomfortable. That can lead to another challenge.
When People Leave
One of the biggest challenges in replanting is when faithful people who began with you walk away. This is especially difficult early on, when you are already a small group, and every person who leaves is painful. I quickly learned this important truth: “I don’t own people. They are not mine.”
The truth is, every person belongs to the Lord, and sometimes we can fight for someone to stay when God directs him to leave. Replanting is not for everyone. I believe some people are genuinely led by God to leave because it is not for them. Others leave because they don’t embrace the changes. When people leave, it will feel personal, but that doesn’t mean you are responsible; it means you care.
The best thing you can do when people leave is pray with them, and if they believe God is leading them, support them. Even help them find another gospel-believing church. Learning to care for people when they leave will help you remember they were never yours to keep, just to shepherd for a time.
Culture Change
The culture of your church may be one of the most important qualities to determine the growth and health of your church moving forward. Many churches decline and die because their culture isn’t healthy. The church may have an insider culture that doesn’t feel open or welcoming to new people. Visitors may experience a judgmental attitude regarding tattoos, clothing choices, or any other number of reasons. One member of our replant even described new people as “strangers.”
That kind of mindset contributes to an unhealthy culture, and people feel it when they come in.
A healthy culture welcomes people and tears down barriers. It encourages connections and relationships. It values authenticity by communicating we are not perfect, and we don’t get everything right, and that’s okay. We can figure it out together and help one another up when we fall. Many ingredients contribute to a healthy culture, but one thing is certain: people feel the difference. If you aren’t sure what your culture feels like, ask people outside your church to visit and pay attention to what they hear, feel, and see. When they share their experience with you, the feedback may surprise you.
Location
Replanting also provides an opportunity to consider where you will launch as a new church. This decision is important and must be approached with prayer and wisdom. You may have a building already and think, “We’ll launch here, of course!” But you need to pray and ask these questions:
Do these facilities fit the vision God has given us?
Does our location allow us to reach the people God wants us to reach?
Does this location have a reputation we need to leave behind?
Do you have resources to launch somewhere else?
Venue? Team? Finances?
These are only a handful of the many questions you must consider and pray through as you decide on a launch location. After much prayer and research, we decided to launch in the building we already owned. That came with pros and cons. On one hand, we had our own building, and we didn’t have to set up, tear down, or share. On the other hand, the existing building made it harder to keep the old culture from creeping back. Despite all the changes, it took time for people to embrace a new identity in the old building. People still walk into our services and say, “I’ve been coming to this church for years.” And I’ve never seen them before!
Is it worth it?
I remember standing in the sanctuary, leaning against a pew, and praying, “God, what have I done? What have I gotten my family into? I moved them across the country for this. Did I hear you wrong? Did I make a mistake?”
At various moments during the replanting process, I questioned everything. But I kept coming back to the clarity my wife and I experienced regarding God’s call to this ministry. There were (and are) hard days. But watching God move and work in it all is nothing short of amazing.
During the pre-launch period, when all the change was happening, a couple let me know they were planning to visit other churches and praying about leaving. I prayed with them, prepared for them to leave, but deep down really wanted them to stay. God never gave them peace about leaving. Fast forward: they now lead a small group in their home, and their daughter, who hasn’t attended church in years, has begun attending regularly. She even brought her best friend, now saved and baptized.
Three members of the original congregation realized they had never trusted in Christ and have been saved and baptized. We started with a group of 30 faithful people (mostly older). Some left, but most are still here and serving. Since launching in 2024, we have seen 45 people give their lives to the Lord and be baptized. On Easter, we stood in awe as over 300 people attended two services. I have watched God stretch and grow our remnant members to disciple and walk with new believers.
Replanting isn’t easy. Dying to resurrect a new congregation is messy and challenging, but when God is in it, it is always worth it. There is no limit to what He can do with a few faithful people.
About the Writer: Greg and Hailey Smith are lead church planters at The Well FWB Church in Ypsilanti, Michigan, a church replant through North American Ministries. They have three children: Norah, Lucy, and Theo. The Well exists to lead people to hope by loving them like Jesus. Learn more about their ministry at fwbnam.com/gregandhaileysmith.
