Our way has always worked before. Why not now? This kind of “magical thinking” has pervaded the American church for the last sixty years. As the climate of culture grew colder to the rigidness and traditionalism of American Christianity, the church ignored the signs and didn’t light new “fires.” We were once confident that culture would “come to its senses,” and that things would revive and reboot without the need for introspective change or reassessment. But today, the institution—the denominational Methodist church in particular—appears paralyzed in shock with the realization that its worst fears have come to pass. The body of Christ is slowly freezing to death….No, the fire has gone out, not because we don’t know how to light things up, but because we fear fire more than we fear death. We fear and avoid whatever threatens our sense of control, power, stasis, and our need to believe in our own autonomy and correctness. That fear will keep us frozen and paralyzed in place unless and until we understand and accept for ourselves the freeing, dynamic, transfiguring, and rejuvenating power of fire—Holy Spirit fire.

Rekindling the church has nothing to do with strategies, order, and a five-year plan. It has everything to do with miracles. A Holy Spirit life infusion is not a controlled substance but a supernatural event. We do not plan it. We cannot control it. But we can create an atmosphere of expectation, openness, and reception.

The Spirit-breathed pastor is more interested in Pentecost than in pinnacles. He or she is not into structuring faith in a hierarchical system or running the church as an impersonal business with a numerical growth goal. He or she is attuned instead to the voice of the Spirit and encourages congregants to turn their ears toward God’s directive guidance. In this Spirit-led model, God, not the pastor, is in control.

As we marinate in prayerful moments, we do not have an agenda. No time limit. No desired outcome. No list of petitions. We spend significant time listening for God’s voice. We sit in ready anticipation for the direction the Spirit would have us take. It is a kind of communion that goes beyond conversation and into the realm of resonance. When we pray in the Spirit, we enter a new space in which we seek to vibrate along with God’s voice. In return, God’s voice resonates through us. We emerge vibrant and energetic, as though breathing has become so easy that it takes no effort. Like a beautiful song, it simply flows.