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Why do some churches experience sustained growth while others seem to stay stuck?
In this episode, I sit down with Kent Elliott, Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle in Manchester, Connecticut, and founder of FaithWorks. Kent has served at the same church for 34 years and has been its senior pastor for 26 years. That kind of longevity gives him a perspective that can only come through experiencing both fruitful and difficult seasons of ministry.
We talk about Kent’s calling to ministry at 16, the importance of staying when ministry gets difficult, the disciplines that have sustained him, and the remarkable growth Faith Tabernacle has experienced in recent years.
Kent also shares practical advice for pastors leading churches that feel stuck or stagnant. We discuss creating a church culture that genuinely expects guests, preparing for growth before it happens, involving new believers and understanding the pastor’s role in shaping church culture.
Finally, we dive into digital evangelism and the story behind FaithWorks and Faith Funnels. Kent explains how churches can use digital marketing, social media advertising and intentional follow-up to reach people they might never encounter through traditional outreach.
Kent’s challenge is simple: the message never changes, but methods do.
10 Key Takeaways
1. Stay when ministry gets difficult.
Longevity requires faithfulness through good seasons and bad ones.
2. Don’t confuse a difficult season with a finished calling.
Hardship isn’t necessarily a sign that it’s time to leave.
3. Start your day in the Word.
Kent’s “30/30” principle puts Scripture before texts, emails and distractions.
4. Know when you work best.
Identify your most productive hours and protect them.
5. Pray for people, not just provision.
Kent learned to shift his attention from financing growth to reaching people.
6. Expect guests before they arrive.
Church culture should communicate that new people are genuinely wanted.
7. Pastors help set the culture.
Leadership extends beyond preaching from the platform.
8. Get new believers involved.
Some of your most enthusiastic evangelists may be your newest converts.
9. Reach beyond your existing network.
Digital evangelism can connect your church with people your members may never naturally meet.
10. Change the method, not the message.
As Kent said, “The message never changes. Methods always do.”
Scriptures Discussed
Psalm 90:17
Kent closed our conversation with a passage that has become a personal prayer for both his church and FaithWorks:
“And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful.” — Psalm 90:17, NLT
Kent has this verse displayed on the wall of his office as a reminder to ask God not only to bless his efforts, but first to approve them.
It is a fitting way to frame the entire conversation. Whether we’re preaching, welcoming guests, advertising online or trying a new method of evangelism, our goal should be for our efforts to have God’s approval and ultimately accomplish His purpose.
Connect with Kent Elliott
Faith Tabernacle
Kent serves as Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle in Manchester, Connecticut.
https://faithtabernacle.com/
FaithWorks
FaithWorks helps churches and ministries with branding, websites, streaming, marketing, guest follow-up and other tools.
https://faithworksimage.com/
FaithFunnels
Kent specifically mentioned FaithFunnels during our conversation as a digital evangelism and guest follow-up tool for local churches.
https://faithfunnels.church/
Final Thought
What stood out to me most from this conversation is that church growth isn’t about finding one magic strategy.
Kent’s story is one of faithfulness over decades. There were seasons of growth and seasons when growth seemed to stall. There were moments when the church needed more space and moments when Kent simply needed the strength to keep going.
At the same time, faithfulness doesn’t mean refusing to change.
We can hold tightly to an unchanging Apostolic message while continuing to evaluate how effectively we are reaching the people God has called us to reach.
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