Dr. Dave Miles has spent 31 years walking into church buildings where hope is dwindling, relationships are fractured, and the future seems uncertain. As founder of Vital Church Ministry, he's dedicated his career to being a spiritual first responder for congregations in crisis.

Growing up in Detroit's fundamentalist church scene, Dave found his faith truly blossomed through small group Bible study that "let the Bible speak for itself." This experience planted seeds for his future ministry, creating a passion for discovery-based discipleship approaches that would later shape his organization's DNA.

After completing doctoral work at Fuller Seminary focused on intentional interim ministry, Dave pioneered approaches to help churches navigate periods of transition. Unlike some early practitioners who took confrontational approaches to church intervention, Dave developed a methodology centered on spiritual discernment—what he describes as "seeking to know what the Spirit is saying to the church" and then facilitating movement in that direction.

What makes Dave's perspective particularly valuable is his observation of how American Christianity has transformed over three decades. When he began his work in the early 1990s, the United States was experiencing what he calls "the last gasps of Christendom"—a time when cultural Christianity still provided enough framework that evangelism could happen relatively quickly. Today's landscape requires churches to think like missionaries in a foreign land, prepared for "hours and hours of conversation" with people who lack basic Christian understanding.

The most profound challenge Dave encounters isn't just helping churches solve immediate leadership or structural problems. It's addressing a fundamental identity crisis where believers have never embraced their missionary calling as "ambassadors for Christ." His work involves not just diagnostic intervention but reorienting entire congregations toward this biblical identity that feels surprisingly new to many.

Ready to see your church move from survival to revival? Learn how intentional interim leadership might be the turning point your congregation needsLearn more about Vital Church Ministry  at their website: www.vitalchurchministry.org . We HIGHLY recommend them!. You can also visit flourishcoaching.org to start the conversation about renewal.

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