The following excerpt was taken from Church Revitalization from the Inside Out by Robert D. Stuart

There are many wonderful and dedicated leaders within the church who have been challenged by their calling, slighted by the culture, and fatigued by their service in their congregations. The church is at war, and leaders are encouraged to pick up the sword of the Spirit and do battle with the enemy. This book is not about a particular style of leadership; it is about encouraging leaders to stay faithful and avoid the pitfalls of poor leadership. Weak leaders produce weak churches, and weak churches are ineffective in reaching a dying culture with the gospel of Christ.

Although there are churches doing mighty things for the Lord, others are languishing in a culture that seeks to make them irrelevant. Those that struggle in reaching society with the gospel have probably fallen prey to a chronic ailment—poor leadership. There are many wonderful leaders in the church, but the plethora of church quarrels and the decline in church efficacy for spreading the gospel prove that there are sundry others that need retooling and revitalization. Leaders need to know the pitfalls of their calling in order to sharpen their skills as shepherds in the church.

Excerpt taken from page 13, Introducing of Church Revitalization from the Inside Out by Robert D. Stuart, copyright 2016, P&R Publishing.