Recently our team in East Asia was able to check in with a church that we have invested in long-term. What we found there moved us deeply! Without prompting, eight of the church’s core co-workers eagerly shared how LeaderSource’s training and long-term investment had brought transformation not just to individuals, but to the entire culture of the church.

What emerged was a vibrant testimony of life change: in mindset, leadership, relationships, and spiritual vitality.

From Meetings to Movement

The church once operated around rigid programs and meetings, events that many people were reluctant to attend. But now, gatherings are vibrant and full of life, and people are eager to come. Co-workers who used to avoid meetings now look forward to them because they center on life transformation, not logistics. “The culture has changed,” one said. “Now everyone is proactively involved.

They no longer see themselves as “just a small church.” The way the LeaderSource team interacted with them – with humility, equality and servant-heartedness – deeply encouraged them. They also expressed particular appreciation for their leader’s patient and faithful service.

From Criticism to Encouragement

Relationships in the church have also undergone a marked transformation. Where there was once fear of making mistakes, there is now grace and growth. When someone stumbles, the culture now asks, “What can we learn from this?” This is a significant mindset shift that has fostered trust and mutual support.

Older members, especially, have adopted a posture of affirmation and encouragement, helping cultivate a safer, healthier team dynamic.

A Mindset Shift in Crisis

In the past, whenever crises arose, like government restrictions or the COVID-19 pandemic, the church simply prayed for the situation to be resolved. But after years of formation in holistic, God-centered leadership, they’ve begun responding differently.

Recently, when authorities told them to stop gathering, their response was flexible, creative, and full of faith. Instead of feeling defeated, they quickly arranged new meeting times and homes to continue fellowship. Our team member noted: “Instead of being rigid, they’ve become creative. New methods have emerged.” In comparison to some other churches which are still bound by fear and tradition, where people still gather in silence and darkness, this church is thriving, adaptable and full of joy!

From Guarding Finances to Building People

One older sister, responsible for managing church finances, confessed that she had once been known for tightly controlling expenses. Her goal with the church finances was to purchase property, prioritizing building wealth instead of building people. Co-workers had long struggled to approach her with financial requests. But through years of engagement with LeaderSource’s principles, her mindset completely shifted.

The value of building people has taken root in my heart. Now, if something is beneficial to people’s lives, I gladly release the funds.

This shift from preserving resources to investing in people is emblematic of the broader transformation across the church.

A Deep Hunger to Grow

This summer, the church hosted a multi-day co-worker retreat focused on spiritual growth, team relationships, and renewing their shared vision. The results were extraordinary.

One woman who had never attended a training because of her son’s epilepsy and autism was finally able to come. Before the retreat, her son frequently experienced seizures. But during the retreat, not only was he seizure-free, he also began reading the Bible and showing signs of spiritual growth.

Co-workers who once avoided training now ask eagerly when the next one will be, and they’ve even offered to pay the costs for it themselves (as opposed to our normal procedure, in which the church covers the cost of the training). Two older women who shared with us, overcome with emotion, wept together and said:

Things are so good now.

Passing the Baton: A New Vision for Generational Transfer

After learning about biblical succession through the LeaderStream course, the church began to rethink leadership altogether. Previously, older members assumed young people were unqualified and rarely gave them opportunities. But now, that is changing.

Young people are entrusted with real responsibility, and they serve with freedom. They bring ideas, speak openly, and are met with affirmation. The older generation encourages and believes in them:

It’s okay if you don’t do it perfectly – you’ll have to make decisions one day, and we believe in you.

This mutual trust has created a beautiful, Spirit-filled environment of intergenerational unity, where younger leaders honor their elders, and older leaders empower the next generation.

A Living Picture of Healthy Church

What we witnessed at this church was not simply a list of changes, but the visible fruit of years of investment in life-transforming leadership principles. Through long-term engagement with the LeaderSource team, this once-small church now models a vibrant, mature and healthy community.

They’ve moved from fear to faith, from rigidity to creativity, from self-preservation to people-building, and from age-based separation to generational partnership.

This church may be small in number, but it clearly shows what happens when biblical, holistic leader development takes root. Lives are being transformed, and a healthy, life-giving church is emerging in this city!

Want to know more about building healthy churches? Here are some resources:

• Get a brief overview of our healthy church model.
• Go deeper with our video course on Building Healthy Churches.
• Check out our books on healthy churches in the Bible: A Portrait of a Healthy Church (1 Thessalonians), and Glimpses of Church Life (Philemon).