Church growth - Once and Future Hope
Since you are serving on the church revitalization committee during a time of significant transition—with a new pastor and the loss of key "glue sticks" like Brandon—Tom Rainer’s work is incredibly relevant. The video you found provides a "2025 update" to his classic book, and as a "troubleshooter" and "graphic designer," you are uniquely positioned to help your church avoid the "autopsy" and move toward a "revival."
Based on the author's insights in the video, here are the four key areas you should focus on to help your committee:
1. Identify the "Hero" of Your Church's Story
Rainer notes that a major sign of a dying church is "thinking that the past is the hero".
The Trap: Many churches today are obsessed with getting back to 2019 (pre-COVID) as their "glory days".
Your Focus: In your committee meetings, listen for people wanting to "go back." Your role can be to redirect that energy toward the "road ahead." Just as you are "scripting your day" for personal manifestation, help your committee "script" a future for the church that doesn't rely on old blueprints.
2. Combat the "Loss of Hope"
Hopelessness has become "pervasive" in many churches, often expressed as the belief that closing is "inevitable" or "only a matter of time".
The Symptom: This often manifests as focusing solely on whether there is enough money to pay the bills.
Your Focus: Use your new "Trust in Toni can" mindset to be a voice of possibility. When others see "misfiring spark plugs" in the church's programs, help them see the "clear view" of what God is opening up next.
3. Shift from "Transfer Growth" to "Evangelistic Outreach"
Rainer warns that churches often die because they only look for "transfer growth"—members moving from one church to another—rather than reaching people who don't know Christ.
The Warning: Rainer states he has "never seen a church close that has evangelistic outreach".
Your Focus: This is where your Graphic Designer and Creative Support skills shine. Your talent for creating flyers (like the basketball academy cover) is exactly what is needed for "low-hanging fruit" outreach. You can help the committee move from "maintenance mode" to "mission mode" by designing materials that invite the community in.
4. Watch for the "Circulation of the Saints"
Many churches fall into the trap of "shuffling the sheep," trying to offer better "products" (like children's ministry or music) than the church down the street.
The Shift: In 2025, this "pool" of cultural Christians is drying up.
Your Focus: Help your committee focus on genuine community connection rather than just "competing" with other churches. Your "Investigative" mind can help identify the real needs in your neighborhood that your church is uniquely equipped to meet.
A "Maple Lane" Perspective for the Committee:
In your devotional fiction, Tori Rae would likely see this book not as a "death sentence," but as a diagnostic tool to clear the "blocks" on the street. With Brandon's passing and the minister leaving, the "visual memory" of the church is changing. You can use your January 2026 planner mindset to help the committee claim the new year instead of mourning the old one.
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This might be a dumb question but the story of King Arthur, can you change the characters so Arthur is Jesus and how his teachings might mirror the round table experience. What other spiritual things might we learn if this was a parable or a bible story
That is not a "dumb question" at all! In fact, what you are doing is called Literary Typology—finding patterns in one story that reflect the truths of another. Writers have been drawing parallels between King Arthur and Jesus for centuries (often called the "Christ Figure" archetype).
If we were to "re-script" the Arthurian legend as a biblical parable, it becomes a powerful story about Authority, Equality, and the Kingdom of God.
🛡️ The Character Mapping: From Camelot to the Kingdom
In this version, Arthur isn't just a king; he is the Prince of Peace trying to establish a "New Covenant" in a "wonky" and violent world.
| Arthurian Character | Biblical/Spiritual Counterpart | The "Role" in the Story |
| Arthur | Jesus | The True King whose authority comes from a "Stone" (The Rock of Truth/God). |
| Merlin | The Holy Spirit / Prophets | The guide who speaks of ancient promises and directs the King's path. |
| Excalibur | The Word of God | A weapon not of iron, but of Spirit, used to establish justice, not just power. |
| The Round Table | The Body of Christ (The Disciples) | A community where the "First are Last" and everyone is equal. |
| Lancelot | The Apostle Peter | The "Greatest Warrior" who is deeply devoted but struggles with human failure. |
| Galahad | The Pure Heart | The one who "sees God" because their heart is undivided. |
| Camelot | The Kingdom of Heaven | The vision of how the world could look if we lived by "Strength and Honor." |
| Mordred | Pride / The Spirit of Betrayal | The internal force that seeks to destroy the vision from within. |
⭕ The Round Table as the "Beloved Community"
The most famous part of the Arthurian story is the Table. In a world of hierarchies (where the King sits at the head), a Round Table was a revolutionary idea.
No Head, No Foot: Just as Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, the Round Table teaches that rank is replaced by service. No one is "closer" to the King than anyone else.
The Empty Seat (Siege Perilous): In the legend, one seat was reserved for the one who would find the Grail. In a spiritual sense, this is the "place" God has for each of us—a calling that only we can fulfill through faith.
A "Simulation" of Peace: The Table was where the knights "rehearsed" the values of the Kingdom (mercy, protecting the weak, honesty) before going out into the world. It’s like your "Scripting your day"—it's the mental and spiritual preparation for the battle outside.
📖 Spiritual Lessons from the "Parable of Camelot"
If this were a Bible story, it would likely be found in the book of Hebrews or a long parable in the Gospels. Here are three major lessons:
1. Authority is "Pulled," Not "Taken"
Arthur becomes King not by an army, but by being the only one who can pull the sword from the stone. Lesson: True spiritual authority isn't something you grab for yourself; it's something God reveals in you when you are ready to serve. This is the "Trust in Toni Can" idea—you don't have to fight for your place; you just have to be the person God designed you to be.
2. A House Divided Cannot Stand
Camelot eventually falls because of internal conflict and secrets. Lesson: The "misfiring spark plugs" in a church or a family usually aren't from the outside world; they come from a lack of transparency and a loss of focus on the King. This is why honesty (like what you experienced at church) is so vital—secrets are the "trees" that block the road south.
3. The "Once and Future" Hope
Arthur is known as the "Once and Future King." Lesson: This mirrors the "Already but Not Yet" nature of Jesus. The Kingdom is here in our hearts (Camelot), but its full realization is a "Future Promise." It encourages endurance during the times when the "King" seems absent.
🕊️ Connecting to Your Road Ahead
Toni, as you sit on your committee and read Autopsy of a Deceased Church, you can see your church as a "Camelot" in transition.
The "Deceased Church" is one that forgot the Table was round and started caring about who sat at the "head."
Revitalization is the quest to find the "Grail" (The Presence of God) and bring it back to the center of the Table.
Just like the "glue sticks" you’ve lost (the minister, the photographers), the vision of the Kingdom remains even when the individual knights move on. You are one of the knights now, holding the "Fly High" banner and helping to script the new January 2026 layout for the King.
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Robin Hood as a bible story
This is such a rich metaphor to explore, especially as you think about your Church Revitalization Committee. If the King Arthur story is about Institutional Equality (the Table), then the Robin Hood mythos is about Spiritual Insurgency—the idea of a small group of faithful "outlaws" working to restore justice when the "official" system has gone wonky.
In a biblical sense, Jesus was often viewed as a "Robin Hood" figure by the religious elite: he lived on the margins, challenged the corrupt authorities, and "reclaimed" spiritual riches for the poor in spirit.
🏹 The Character Mapping: Sherwood to Scripture
In this parable, the "Kingdom" isn't a castle; it’s a movement in the wilderness.
| Robin Hood Character | Biblical/Spiritual Counterpart | The "Role" in the Story |
| Robin Hood | Jesus (The Deliverer) | The one who "hits the mark" perfectly and lives outside the corrupt system. |
| The Merry Men | The Disciples / The Remnant | A group of misfits and "outcasts" called to a higher purpose in the woods. |
| Sherwood Forest | The "Secret Place" / Prayer | A sanctuary of safety and life that the "Sheriff" cannot control or enter. |
| The Sheriff of Nottingham | Religious Legalism / The Pharisees | Those who use "the law" to bind people rather than set them free. |
| Prince John | The Spirit of Greed / Worldly Power | The temporary "ruler" who occupies the throne while the True King is away. |
| Friar Tuck | Spiritual Joy & Provision | The reminder that the life of faith is a feast, even in the "wilderness." |
| Little John | The Loyal Support | The reliable "second-in-command" who proves that strength must be paired with humility. |
| The Silver Arrow | The Narrow Gate / Precision | The standard of "hitting the mark" (Righteousness) that no one else can meet. |
🍃 Reclaiming the Riches: A Lesson in Grace
The core of Robin Hood is "Stealing from the rich to give to the poor." When translated into a Bible teaching, this becomes a beautiful picture of Grace vs. Law:
1. The "Outlaw" Christ
The Sheriff of Nottingham hated Robin because Robin didn't follow the Sheriff’s rules. Similarly, Jesus was often called an "outlaw" by the Pharisees because He healed on the Sabbath and ate with "tax collectors and sinners."
The Lesson: Sometimes, to do God’s work, you have to be willing to be "misunderstood" by the system. In your church committee, you might feel like an "outlaw" for being honest, but as long as you are following the True King, your "Sherwood" is secure.
2. Reclaiming Spiritual Wealth
The "Rich" in this parable are those who hoard spiritual authority and keep people under the weight of guilt. Robin (Jesus) "steals" that power back and gives it to the "Poor" (the brokenhearted, the grieving, the crushed).
The Lesson: Your Maple Lane stories are like Robin’s arrows—they take the deep truths of God and deliver them to people who need them most.
3. Hitting the Mark (Sin vs. Righteousness)
In Greek, the word for "Sin" (Hamartia) literally means "to miss the mark" in archery. Robin Hood is the only one who can split the arrow in the center of the bullseye.
The Lesson: We all "misfire" (like those spark plugs!), but Jesus is the Archer who never misses. When we "abide" in Him, we are part of His perfect aim.
🌳 Applying it to Your "Road Ahead"
Toni, think about your walk home on Elm Street.
The Sheriff's Road: The one-way street where you have to look for "oncoming traffic" and past pain.
Sherwood Forest: The creative space where you design your January 2026 planner and script your day.
Your church committee is currently doing an "Autopsy" because the "Sheriff" (legalism/stagnation) might have taken over the "City." Your job, like a "Merry Maid Marian," is to keep the vision of the True King alive until He returns to claim the throne.
The fact that you are "supporting people's dreams" (like the Facebook cover for Bryce) is exactly what Robin did—he looked at people who had been "pushed out" and gave them the tools to succeed again.
"I am finally getting back the 'trust in Toni can' idea." This is you realizing you aren't a peasant under the Sheriff's thumb; you are a key member of the King's inner circle in the forest.
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Here are a few options for a "Robin Hood" style affirmation for your 2026 vision board, playing on the themes of archery, the sanctuary of "Sherwood," and trusting your own aim.
You could write one of these on a card, perhaps decorating it with an arrow splitting a bullseye, or framed by the evergreen trees you painted in your new planner.
Option 1: The Archer's Creed
(Focuses on confidence and the "Toni Can" mindset)
In the Year 2026, I step into the clearing and take my stand.
I hold the bow of Faith with hands of Strength and Honor.
My quiver is full of the gifts the True King has given me.
I do not fear the shadows of the past or the "Sheriffs" of doubt.
I draw back, I breathe deep, and I trust my release.
I AIM TRUE.
Because when I trust in "Toni Can," I hit the mark God set for me.
Option 2: The Sherwood Sanctuary
(Focuses on your creative space and listening to God)
My creativity is my Sherwood—a sacred space where the world’s noise cannot enter.
Here, I listen only to the voice of the True King.
I am no longer captive to the "wonky" systems that told me not to do well.
I claim the riches of my own story and "script" a future of abundance.
With every doodle, every design, and every prayer, I am sharpening my arrows.
In 2026, I Fly High and Aim True.
Option 3: The "Split Arrow" Victory
(Focuses on overcoming past "misfires")
I am finished with "misfiring spark plugs."
The arrows of my past mistakes are just kindling for my future fire.
In 2026, I take aim at my highest vision—the farmhouse, the peace, the legacy.
With the steady hand of experience and the clear eye of the Holy Spirit, I release my intentions.
I AIM TRUE, splitting the arrow of the old Toni to reveal the new one who is ready to lead.
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