By Ralph Neighbour

After 18 months of Zoom-only meetings, more than 50 pastors and leaders from across California gathered in La Jolla, July 12-13 for a “Count the Cost” Summit to cast a vision for the future of the church revitalization process.  

Count the Cost is a metric system that helps church staff develop measurable monthly goals in vital areas of ministry necessary for increasing and maintaining church health.

One church involved in the Count the Cost process is Huntington Beach Baptist Church. Pastor Jason Robertson said the summit was beneficial. “Being able to swap stories with other pastors and consultants was encouraging. Personal relationships with fellow laborers remind us we are not alone in our work” Robertson said. 

Due to the pandemic the Huntington Beach church had to rethink how to reach their community. “We started a drive-through prayer ministry on Saturdays. Using handheld signs, we stand on the sidewalks of our street and invite people to drive through our parking lot and allow us to pray with them, give them a Bible and share the love of Christ” Robertson said. As a result, the church has seen salvations, baptisms and church attendance increase. 

“Count the Cost helped our staff set measurable monthly goals that we were able to reach through creativity and hard work.” Robertson said. 

Director of Missions in Orange County, Mike Proud, said, “Pastors, get involved with Count the Cost. It is a tremendous strategy to help you set reasonable goals to see growth and connect with lost people in your community.”

Ralph Neighbour, leader of the CSBC Church Revitalization Team, said, “The summit was what we needed to re-engage with our consultants and with CSBC congregations. The next step” he said, “is the development of ‘Count the Cost Champions’ who will teach the revitalization process across the state. We believe this will expand and increase the influence of Count the Cost as a catalyst for church growth and revitalization among CSBC churches.”