Podcast Summary: "Ways to Keep Your Church Alive – Vision 2025"

Podcast: Jentezen Franklin at Free Chapel
Host: Jentezen Franklin
Date: December 7, 2025

Episode Overview

In this powerful and candid episode, Pastor Jentezen Franklin addresses the urgent question: How do we keep our church alive? Drawing from Scripture, personal experience, and insights from Tom Rainer's book Autopsy of a Deceased Church, Franklin explores the symptoms of declining churches and offers practical, biblical strategies to keep the fire of faith, prayer, and outreach burning strong at Free Chapel and in churches everywhere. This message closes his Vision 2025 series, challenging each listener to renew their commitment to a vibrant, soul-winning, prayerful, and inclusive church.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Biblical Warning to Living Churches

• Scripture Foundation: Revelation 3:1–6.

  “I know your works, that you have a name, that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die.” (05:10)

• Franklin emphasizes that churches (and individuals) can appear alive on the outside but be spiritually dead inside.
  • Quote:

    “It’s possible to look like a Christian on the outside and be lost as you can be.” (05:28)

2. Lessons from ‘Autopsy of a Dead Church’

• Book Reference: Tom Rainer’s Autopsy of a Deceased Church provides the framework for examining what kills churches.

• Franklin shares the metaphor of “CSI – Church Status Investigation” and highlights signs of demise:

  • Traces of Adam’s DNA: Human nature impacting church health.
  • Mindless Christianity: Believers lose sight of why and what they believe.
  • Hardened Hearts: Loss of compassion.
  • Itching Ears: Only wanting to hear comforting messages (07:33).
  • Dry Eyes with Blurry Vision: Lost sensitivity to God.
  • Loss of Blood: Gospel without the cross or blood of Christ.
  • Untamed Tongues: Gossip and division.
  • Unbending Knees: Prayerlessness.
  • Unholy Hands & Ugly Feet: Moral compromise and lack of evangelistic outreach.

• Franklin Reflection:

  “It’s sad when the church only has memories. The past is not our hero.” (13:25)

3. Symptoms and Causes of Declining Churches

• Slow Erosion of Passion (09:20):
  • Gradual decline in prayer, worship, soul-winning, and vision.
  • Churches begin with fire but can become only religious and stagnant.
  • Quote:

    “I don’t want us to have the slow erosion of prayer in this church.” (10:38)

• Worshipping the Past (12:40):
  • Over-fixation on “the good old days” or former glories stalls forward movement.
• Outdated Traditions: Resistance to change in music styles and service order stifles spiritual growth.

4. Vibrant and Inclusive Church Life

• Embrace Diversity (19:18):
  • The church should reflect the community's diversity.
  • Tells the story of Gwendolyn, the first Black member at Free Chapel, and her perseverance (20:38).
  • Quote:

    “If you’re going to eat a good meal, you need some salt... you need some pepper... you need some hot sauce... you need some soy sauce... let’s keep it spicy.” (21:46)

• Reaching the Whole City (24:00):
  • Renewed vision to reach all demographics, including the elderly, youth, prisoners, and every neighborhood.

5. Culture of Prayer and Generosity

• Prayer is Essential (25:30):
  • Testimony of serve teams beginning every Sunday with prayer.
  • Quote:

    “Prayer keeps this church alive... What’s your gimmick? Why does your church keep growing? Prayer keeps this church alive.” (26:55)

• Generosity and ‘The Treasure Principle’ (28:40):
  • Where the congregation invests, their hearts will follow.
  • Free Chapel supports other growing ministries (e.g., $1 million to Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell’s church in Atlanta) (31:10).
  • Metaphor:
    • A “Dead Sea” church hoards blessings and becomes stagnant.
    • A “Sea of Galilee” church lets blessings flow out and stays alive (29:45).

6. Outward Focus: Mission, Outreach, and Longevity

• Mission-Mindedness:
  • Commitment to “go into all the world” through outreach, media, and direct evangelism (33:16).
• Leadership Longevity & Support (34:10):
  • Cites statistics: Average pastor’s most fruitful years are years 6–10 and beyond. Many burnout after 4–5 years.
  • Importance of supporting and encouraging pastors for stability and continued growth.
  • Quote:

    “If all you do is whine, whine, whine about a preacher, something’s wrong with you. If you’d spend half that time praying for him... it’d be a good thing.” (34:26)

7. Personal Touches & Memorable Moments

• Franklin blends humor and vivid stories, recalling wild illustrated sermons and bold outreach efforts from Free Chapel’s history (17:00–18:30).
• Shares a heartfelt letter from a viewer whose family was touched by the church during a lonely funeral, illustrating the impact of personal ministry (39:05–41:32).
• Quote:

  “It’s not about money. This is about people. This is about what keeps the church alive.” (41:22)

Important Quotes & Timestamps

• “You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain.” — Jentezen Franklin (05:10)
• “It’s possible to look like a Christian on the outside and be lost as you can be.” — Jentezen Franklin (05:28)
• “Prayer keeps this church alive. Somebody’s prayed over the seat you’re sitting in.” — Jentezen Franklin (26:55)
• “We are not a Dead Sea church… If you don’t have outlets, everything in that thing dies.” — Jentezen Franklin (29:40)
• “Let’s keep it spicy!” (on church diversity) — Jentezen Franklin (21:57)
• “The past is not our hero.” — Jentezen Franklin (25:00)
• “If all you do is whine, whine, whine about a preacher, something’s wrong with you. If you’d spend half that time praying for him...” (34:26)

Key Timestamps

• Scripture Reading (Revelation 3): 01:46–05:10
• Book Insights: Autopsy of a Dead Church: 06:03–08:47
• Symptoms of Declining Churches: 09:20–14:27
• Worshipping the Past / Traditions: 12:40–16:18
• Diversity & Community Reflection: 19:11–24:57
• Prayer & Service Teams: 25:25–27:55
• Generosity & The Treasure Principle: 28:46–32:38
• Outward Focus/Missions: 32:56–34:10
• Leadership Longevity: 34:10–38:24
• Personal Impact Letter: 39:05–41:32
• Communion & Blessing: 42:55–46:01

Conclusion & Call to Action

Franklin encourages everyone to:

• Continuously examine personal and collective spiritual health.
• Reject stagnation, prayerlessness, and nostalgia as substitutes for current faith and outreach.
• Commit to prayer and generosity.
• Support leadership and embrace the diversity of God’s people.
• “Never let this church die; keep us alive and full of your Holy Spirit.” (46:05)

Final Blessing:

“May the Lord bless you and keep you… Never let this church die. Keep us alive and keep us full of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus mighty name.” (46:01)

This rich, lively message provides an honest, hopeful roadmap for sustaining a healthy, growing church, centered on Christ and empowered by united prayer, generous giving, continual mission, and loving community.