Mark Riggins - Podcast Guest
Mark Riggins
Senior Pastor | Author | Church Revitalization Leader
Helping Discouraged Churches Choose Mission Over Comfort
“If your church is weighing whether to play it safe or follow God into something harder and better, read this.”
— Justin Elam, Irresistible Church Network, Global Director, North Point Ministries
About Mark & "Not Finished Yet"
Mark & His Church Story
For fifteen years, Church at the Creek experienced steady decline. Rather than settling for survival, Mark led the church through one of the most difficult decisions in its history: relocating to reach the next generation.
Five years later, attendance has nearly doubled, the congregation is younger than it has been in decades, and more people are engaged in serving, groups, and giving than at any point in the church's recent history.
Mark is the Senior Pastor of Church at the Creek in McKinney, Texas, and the author of Not Finished Yet: How a Declining Church Found Revitalization Through Relocation.
Why Your Audience Will Care
Across America, thousands of faithful pastors are quietly asking whether their church’s best days are behind them.
This conversation explores what happens when one church chooses mission over comfort and discovers that decline doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
Suggested Interview Topics
✔ The hidden cost of church revitalization
✔ Mission over comfort: Leading Change When People Don’t Want Change
✔ Tree or Soil? How to Identify What Is Really Holding Your Church Back?
✔ What Five Difficult Years Taught Me About Leading Change
✔ When Your Building Becomes a Barrier to Your Mission
Sample Questions
- After 15 years of decline, what finally convinced your church that something had to change?
- What would you say to the pastor who wonders if their church’s best days are behind them?
- How can a pastor tell the difference between a temporary setback and a church that’s in long-term decline?
- Why did your church choose relocation instead of simply trying harder where it was?
- How do you lead courageous change when good people sincerely disagree with the direction?
- What leadership mistakes would you avoid if you could start over?
Endorsements
Stuart Hall, Co-Author of The 7 Checkpoints and Max Q, Founder, INFLUNSR
Justin Elam, Irresistible Church Network, Global Director, North Point Ministries
Justin Elam, Irresistible Church Network, Global Director, North Point Ministries
“Not Finished Yet is for every leader ready to stop managing decline, start creating conditions for growth, and trust God with the outcome.”
Justin Elam, Irresistible Church Network, Global Director, North Point Ministries
Justin Elam, Irresistible Church Network, Global Director, North Point Ministries
Justin Elam, Irresistible Church Network, Global Director, North Point Ministries
“If your church is weighing whether to play it safe or follow God into something harder and better, read this.”
Steve Stroope, Founding Pastor, Lakepointe Church, Rockwall, TX
Brad Wilkerson, Founding and Senior Pastor, Rock Creek Church, Prosper, TX
Brad Wilkerson, Founding and Senior Pastor, Rock Creek Church, Prosper, TX
“The lessons and principles here apply to any challenging leadership movement.”
Brad Wilkerson, Founding and Senior Pastor, Rock Creek Church, Prosper, TX
Brad Wilkerson, Founding and Senior Pastor, Rock Creek Church, Prosper, TX
Brad Wilkerson, Founding and Senior Pastor, Rock Creek Church, Prosper, TX
“The choice to step into the mission has always been greater than a zip-coded location.”