Is Your Church “Revival Ready?”

Many of us are longing for revival, praying for revival, perhaps even expecting revival… but are we ready for revival? Are we actually ready to receive what many of us are asking for? Or are we, like the proverbial dog pursuing a firetruck, wildly unready for what happens if we actually catch what we’ve been chasing?

The time has come for Kingdom leaders to adopt the mindset of the military, FEMA, and the Red Cross. These organizations know their job is not just to react to a crisis—but to be ready before the crisis hits. Why? Because when war or disaster comes, everything changes and the time to get ready is already elapsed. The time to build the ark is before the flood comes. So, too, with revival.

Recently, the president of Indiana Wesleyan University, paying close and careful attention to the outpourings of the Spirit on multiple college campuses around the country, beginning with Asbury in 2022, called for an all staff/faculty meeting. He began by saying, “We have a contingency plan for an active shooter. We have a plan for a tornado. But we don’t have a plan for what to do in the event of a visitation of the Holy Spirit.” The university is currently working on such a plan. And we should all follow their example.

Revival is a divine disruption. It reorders priorities, reshapes rhythms, and revives hearts. And like a wildfire or flood, it can’t be safely stewarded unless we've prepared.

This principle is not just pragmatic—it’s biblical:

Consider the story of the widow at Zarephath in 1 Kings 17. Recall that she received oil only as long as she had capacity—once her empty jars (and those of her neighbors) ran out, so did the divine flow.

Or consider Jesus’ teaching about the wineskins in Luke 5:37–38. If we ask God to pour out new wine into old, crusty, brittle systems, it will burst the container and waste the wine. We need new wineskins to hold the wine.

Awakening is God’s job, but preparing for awakening is ours.

It may be that in God’s mercy, he will withhold the outpouring of his spirit if the leadership or community are not ready to steward it. In either case, if we are asking for revival, and expectant about revival, it behooves us to ask ourselves: are we ready for revival?

Readiness is not just the job of a pastoral staff. Revival will test the whole church. So the key question isn’t just whether the senior pastor is ready, or whether the staff is ready—but whether the whole community of believers is ready.

Below are three types of preparation, along with some practical questions to assess church-wide revival readiness. May God use them to shift our mindset and guide our preparation.

1. Theological Capacity: Can We Recognize and Interpret Revival When It Comes?

Revival stretches our categories. It disrupts the “normal” of church life. Without a theological framework for revival, people will resist it or misinterpret it.

Jonathan Edwards wrote extensively during the First Great Awakening - much of it to attempt to interpret revival to its detractors, many of whom were faithful followers of Jesus, Kingdom leaders who resisted revival because they lacked a theological framework to understand it. The upshot of this was that Edwards’ writings help us with that framework, the unfortunate thing is that many of his contemporaries missed out on a mighty move of God. In much of his writing, whether in his Distinguishing Marks, or his Faithful Narrative, Edwards’ main point can be summed up as: “Just because it's uncomfortable doesn't mean it's not God.”

When John Wimber first experienced a visitation of his Spirit on his church, and the seeming chaos that ensued, he cried out in his dismay, “My ministry is over.” God responded, “No, John. That was Me.”

Revival requires a shift to a different gear in church life—disrupting normal routines, demanding flexibility, and inviting awe. But without a theological lens to understand this different mode of church life, we tend to default to fear, skepticism, or burnout.

Key Scriptures to Reflect/Meditate on:

Acts 2 – The crowd misunderstood the Spirit’s outpouring as drunkenness.

1 Thessalonians 5:19–21 – “Do not quench the Spirit… test everything; hold fast what is good.”

Isaiah 55:8–9 – “My ways are higher than your ways…”

Practical Readiness Questions:

Have we ever taught on the theology and history of revival?

Would our people recognize a move of God if they experienced it—or would they mislabel it as disorder?

Do we have categories for spiritual mystery, awe, and disruption?

Can we distinguish between emotionalism and genuine Holy Spirit activity?

How would we shepherd people experiencing unusual manifestations (weeping, repentance, joy, etc.)?

Are our leaders aligned on what revival is and how we should respond?

2. Spiritual Capacity: Do We Have the Prayer Culture, Purity of Heart, and Unity to Sustain a Move of God?

Jesus’ disciples were quite successful in casting out demons when he sent them out 2 by 2, but in Mark 9:29, they found themselves powerless in the face of a higher order demonic spirit. And yet Jesus cast this spirit out with a word - afterwards they came to him asking, “Why could not we cast it out?” Jesus replied, “This kind only comes out by prayer.”

Here we find illustrated a principle: some spiritual undertakings are more strenuous than others and require more power to carry out. Jesus informs his disciples that such spiritual power and capacity come through prayer and fasting. The principle is relevant for us. We may have the requisite power to manage the status quo or Kingdom decline…but do we have the power needed to go on offense? Do we have the spiritual power needed to take ground from the enemy - as happens in times of revival?

As someone once said, the first person who awakens in a revival is the devil. The trains ran on time in France during the German occupation. On a surface level, things were orderly under the Nazis. The trains ran on time. Curfews were in force. It was only when the Allies invaded that the bullets started flying and things got crazy. In like fashion, the demons were quiet until Jesus showed up and began taking ground. Leading in such a moment requires great spiritual capacity and power - not just among leaders but all God’s people.

Even though it is hard to quantify, there IS such a thing as spiritual capacity. So how do we build that spiritual capacity?

In revival God uses consecrated people—yielded, humble, and holy.

Revival is fueled and sustained by extraordinary prayer. Of all the things we can do to ready ourselves for revival, deepening the prayer habits and culture of our church may be the most important, most vital behavior. Prayer is an atomic habit, change the prayer culture and you will unleash a cascade of other changes in the church.

Stewarding revival requires spiritual discernment and trust—to navigate deliverance, repentance, healing, and awe. What will help us build those muscles now so that they’re strong when we need them?

The intensity and spiritual battle of revival will expose the depth of relationships—do we trust each other enough to lead as a team when real teamwork is required?

Key Scriptures to meditate and reflect on:

Mark 9:29 – “This kind can only come out by prayer.”

Joel 2:12–17 – “Call a sacred assembly… return to the Lord with fasting and weeping.”

Acts 4:31 – “After they prayed… the place was shaken.”

Psalm 24 – “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? He who has clean hands and a pure heart…”

Practical Readiness Questions:

Is our church marked by a culture of prayer and fasting?

Are there corporate prayer rhythms that reflect spiritual hunger?

Do our leaders have relational trust and shared spiritual discernment?

Are we preparing people for spiritual warfare, healing, and repentance?

Are there unresolved divisions or patterns of sin in our leadership or body?

Do we have spiritual “muscle” to contend for breakthrough?

Have we created regular opportunities for consecration and surrender?

3. Logistical & Tactical Capacity: Are We Practically Prepared for God to Move?

When the outpouring of the spirit came to Asbury University in 2022, the challenges weren’t merely theological or spiritual—they were also logistical.

The septic system was stretched to its limit.

Class schedules and the normal routines and plans of a college and seminary had to be reworked on the fly.

Facilities, food, and traffic flow needed to be rethought overnight.

Roles changed immediately.

If we ask for fire, we need fire exits. If we ask for harvest, we need baskets.

We must build simple, scalable structures—ready to hold what God might send.

Hosting a move of God requires making room, not just in our hearts, but in our buildings, calendars, and previously scheduled programming. Jesus tells the church in Revelation - behold I stand at the door and knock. But we must make room for him if he is going to come in. We must open the door - and this necessitates tactical and logistical considerations.

Key Scriptures:

Acts 15 – the Church had to wrestle with how Gentiles could be included in the church

Acts 6:1–7 – Practical structure (deacons) led to further expansion

Matthew 9:14-17 – Jesus’ parable about how new wine needs new wineskins

Practical Readiness Questions:

What would break first in our church if 100 new people came next week?

Do we have a clear plan for follow-up and discipleship for new believers?

One historical model worth recovering: Wesleyan Class Meetings—small, reproducible bands for confession, encouragement, and discipleship.

These provide flexible, relational scaffolding for revival growth.

Are there scalable small group systems or bands in place?

Do we know who has decision-making authority in the moment?

Have we pre-identified “flex leaders” or volunteers for rapid mobilization?

Could our staff and systems flex for extended gatherings, hospitality, and prayer?

Do we have overflow space and security planning for spontaneous growth?

Are our digital, admin, and facility systems ready to expand?

Do we have a plan for internal communications? External communications with the city? The press? Etc?

Will we get ready now?

To pray for revival is to pray for disruption—but it is not chaos. It is holy order—from heaven.

If we want the fire, we must build the altar.

If we want the glory, we must prepare the tabernacle.

If we want the oil, we must gather our empty jars.

Revival does not come to the church that wants a nice Sunday service. It comes to the church that is willing to host and be disrupted and transformed by the weight of God’s presence.