RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Since January, a network of Arkansas Baptists has been prayerfully and diligently constructing a strategy on church revitalization – Renew Arkansas.
Arkansas Baptists were introduced to the new strategy, coming in 2026, during the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC) held at First Baptist Church in Russellville.
Renew Arkansas – a collaborative network of the ABSC – “exists to foster church renewal through meaningful partnerships. Rooted in the belief that every church can experience new life and ongoing vitality, this collaborative network supports leaders and congregations across the state in their pursuit of Gospel-centered renewal.”
In an introductory video that aired at the Annual Meeting, it said, “Across Arkansas God is doing amazing things. But not every church is experiencing health and growth. Some feel stuck or even in decline. Maybe your church is wondering where do we go from here? We believe that every church no matter the size, the setting, or the season can experience new life. That’s why Renew Arkansas exists. Renew Arkansas is a collaborative network of pastors, church leaders, and associational missionaries who are ready to come alongside you to pray with you, to assess where you are, and to encourage you as you discern God’s path. This team of coaches and catalysts is here to walk you on a spirit led journey toward renewal and revitalization.”
While introducing Renew Arkansas, ABSC Director of Convention Advancement and News Craig Jenkins said, “Renew Arkansas is designed to assist and come alongside churches in the area of church revitalization. The focus is simple: Foster church renewal through meaningful partnerships.”
When you look up the word renew in the dictionary, it is defined as “resume (an activity) after an interruption.”
“A struggling church today likely hasn’t always been struggling. There likely was once a vision in that church. There likely was once a commitment to a mission that led a group of people to start that work in that place. There was spiritual life. There was spiritual activity. There was spiritual fruit … but it was interrupted,” Jenkins said. “But because we love the church, that doesn’t have to be the way that the story ends. There can be a renewal in any church. A resuming of Gospel activity, Kingdom activity, in that church after that interruption.”
Jenkins went on to invite people to the 2026 Evangelism Conference, Jan. 26-27 at Geyer Springs First Baptist Church in Little Rock, where one of the topics will be church revitalization. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about Renew Arkansas and how it can impact and assist their church in the area of church revitalization.
“Our vision is very simple. Our vision is that every church in Arkansas is renewed, and every church is always being renewed for God’s glory and for the good of its community through the power of the gospel,” Jenkins said.
To learn more about Renew Arkansas, visit absc.org/renew.