By EDMUND CHAN, A3 FACULTY
One of the most urgent agendas in church leadership today is not innovation, expansion, or even relevance. It is revitalisation – the revitalisation of the church, through biblical discipleship, that will win the lost, nurture church health, and empower deep change.
This personal conviction was reinforced when I actively participated in the global consultation hosted by ATKI (Advancing The Kingdom Initiative) in November 2025 in the USA. I was inspired by the audacious vision of revitalising one million churches over the next 15 years.
Discipleship as Essential Strategic Pathway
What encouraged me most was this » Discipleship emerged, by global consensus, as one of the essential strategic pathways to realise this compelling vision. Not programmes. Not platforms. Not personalities. But discipleship unto JESUS!
Now, let us pause for a reality check.
By and large, the church is in trouble. I say this candidly but carefully. Not to condemn or to offend, but to diagnose with accurate objectivity.
In many parts of the world, the church is suffering not only from opposition without, but more significantly, from non-discipleship within.
I see at least three major fault lines.
First, leadership burnout.
Many ministers and missionaries are chronically busy, emotionally weary, and spiritually depleted. The joy of ministry has quietly evaporated. Spiritual dryness is left unchecked. The ‘Can Do’ spirit has atrophied. What remains is activity without abiding, performance without piety, involvement without intimacy, and service without surrender.
Some leaders continue to speak in moral categories, yet have lost their moral compass. They live double lives, walking in the darkness, and forgetting the sobering truth that we cannot walk with God while holding hands with the devil.
Second, families in crisis.
Marriages are disintegrating; rocked by affairs, abuse or an alienation due to neglect. Children are deconstructing their faith; and many have turned away from God.
Religious consumerism has become normalised. We listen to sermons but resist obedience. We are hearers of the Word, but not doers. Our lives are compartmentalised; fragmented by competing loves and mindless distractions. And if we are honest, our family sees the spiritual hypocrisy between who we are at church and who we are at home.
Third, division and heresy in the church.
Churches are fractured by suspicion, strife, and unresolved conflict. We pay lip service to unity. 'Serving with no strings attached' is widely preached but seldom practiced. We restrict our commitments to only that which benefits us or our organisation.
Even more alarming, false teachings and unbiblical practices go largely unchallenged. Biblical illiteracy is widespread. Depth has been sacrificed for speed. Substance for style. Syncretism and superstition creep in under the guise of spirituality. What remains is a troubling shallowness.
Church growth is frequently superficial. An inch deep and a mile wide. Without foundational discipleship, growth becomes distortion. And distortion eventually leads to derailment.
What we need is not another strategy. What we need is God Himself. A fresh vision of God. A fresh alignment to God!
We desperately need revival. A revival that purifies. An awakening that sanctifies. A revitalisation marked by deep repentance and renewed holiness. A return to deep reverence and piety.
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The greatest need of the church today is not the limelight of success but a holy revival of God.
A devotional refrain that floods my soul quite often these days is this: “Open wide the gates and let the King of Glory come in!”
For when JESUS takes centerstage, everything else shifts! And they shift towards an alignment that would truly revitalise the church!
Baruch HaShem!
Great days ahead,
Rev. Edmund Chan
A3 Faculty Member and Friend
Mentoring Leaders. Multiplying Disciples.
"I believe that the test of leadership is found in the third generation. It involves mentoring leaders who would reproduce leaders. This is why I thank God for A3! It is an outstanding movement that's strategically committed to sustainable leadership development! Mentoring leaders. Multiplying disciples. YES!!!”
Rev. Edmund Chan
Leadership Mentor, Covenant Evangelical Free Church, Singapore
Founder, Global Alliance of Intentional Disciple-Making Churches
REVEREND EDMUND CHAN is a seasoned disciple-making pastor. The Leadership Mentor in Covenant Evangelical Free Church, Edmund is widely regarded as an insightful Bible expositor and a wise mentor of Christian leaders. In 1995, he launched the annual Intentional Disciple-Making Church (IDMC) Conferences, which have drawn over 1000 pastors and disciple-making leaders from more than 150 churches from over 18 countries. He also serves on the advisory councils of several Christian organizations. Edmund has authored Built To Last: Towards A Disciple-making Church, Growing Deep in God, Mentoring Paradigms and Growing Deep in Faith. He graduated summa cum laude from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with an MA (Missions). He is married to Ann Chan, who serves as an Associate Pastor, and they have two adult daughters, Amanda and Belicia.
More Information
- This article has been reposted with permission from Rev. Edmund Chan.
- Cover photo of church being renovated by Jon McCallon on Unsplash
