The Power of One Weekend
Introduction: The Power of One Weekend.
Most churches don’t need more activity. They need a moment of concentrated spiritual clarity—one weekend where the congregation stops drifting, stops “getting by,” and encounters God with fresh attention.
That’s the heartbeat behind Dale R. Turner’s newest book, Annual Spiritual Impact Event—a practical, repeatable way to give a congregation a focused spiritual “reset” every year (and to build real momentum instead of a short-lived emotional spike). Dale recently highlighted the book in his writing and social posts, pointing readers to the new resource and inviting leaders to put spiritual renewal back on the calendar, on purpose.
Click here to learn more about the book. https://21renewal.com/product/annual-spiritual-impact-event/
This blog is about why that approach works: one weekend can become a turning point—if it’s designed with spiritual intention, grounded in the cross, and followed with wise next steps.
Why one weekend can change a year – The Power of One Weekend.
A weekend is short enough that people will actually commit. It doesn’t feel like another “program.” It’s a manageable yes. But it’s also long enough to create a spiritual environment—space for prayer, worship, repentance, testimony, and calling. When a church experiences that kind of concentrated spiritual focus, something often shifts:
People who have been drifting wake up.
Leaders regain hope.
Relationships soften.
Vision becomes more than a slogan.
Spiritual gifts start to surface.
On Dale’s website, 21st Century Renewal Ministries (21renewal.com), his mission is stated plainly: “To Encourage Spiritual Giftedness in Everyone God Sends My Way!”
Click here to view Dale’s website. https://21renewal.com/
That single sentence explains a lot about why a weekend matters. A weekend event isn’t merely a “service series.” It’s a catalytic space where people can recognize what God has placed in them—and start using it.
The deeper idea: renewal is not accidental- The Power of One Weekend.
In one of Dale’s prayers published on LinkedIn, he asks God to empower believers by the Holy Spirit “for the work of your kingdom,” and he explicitly connects grace, gifts, compassion, and a “passion for souls.”
That prayer captures a big truth: spiritual renewal isn’t just emotional warmth—it is empowerment for mission.
And on 21renewal.com, Dale repeatedly grounds renewal in the cross-shaped life: humility, sacrifice, forgiveness, witness, and mission. On his “Mission” page, he describes the cross as the foundation and power-source of the church’s mission—self-giving love that becomes a pattern for ministry.
So when we talk about the power of one weekend, we’re talking about something more than scheduling.
We’re talking about designing time and space for people to encounter Christ in a way that sends them back into daily life with new clarity.
Why does this theme fit Dale R. Turner’s life work? The Power of One Weekend.
Dale’s “About” page reads like a lifetime spent building renewal through leadership development, small groups, and congregational training—decades of pastoral service, consulting, and equipping. He notes a particular passion for small groups and extensive study in group process and analysis.
That matters because a weekend event is not meant to stand alone. It’s intended to launch ongoing formation—often through small groups, mentoring, ministry teams, and practical spiritual habits.
In other words: The Power of One Weekend
A weekend becomes powerful when it becomes a doorway, not a dead end. That’s why an annual, repeatable model—like the one emphasized in the Annual Spiritual Impact Event—is so strategic. You’re not hoping for a random breakthrough. You’re building a church culture that expects renewal, prepares for it, and follows through.
What makes a weekend spiritually “impactful” (not just busy)? The Power of One Weekend
Many churches have hosted “special weekends” that created excitement but didn’t create lasting fruit. The difference is usually not effort—it’s design. Here are the core elements that turn a weekend into a lasting spiritual impact:
1) A clear purpose that people can repeat in one sentence. If attendees can’t explain the goal, it becomes just another church event. Dale’s stated mission gives a strong example of simple clarity: encouraging spiritual giftedness in everyone God sends his way.
That kind of clarity does two things:
It focuses on the planning.
It helps people recognize what the weekend is for.
Practical application: The Power of One Weekend. Put the purpose everywhere—announcements, invitations, opening remarks, printed programs, and the closing charge.
2) A cross-centered atmosphere (not performance-centered).
A weekend becomes transformative when it moves beyond “impressive” and becomes spiritually honest. Dale’s mission reflections emphasize that the cross is not merely the message—it shapes the way believers serve: self-denial, humility, courage, and perseverance in hardship.
That means an impactful weekend includes moments that allow people to: confess, forgive, surrender, receive grace, and respond with obedience. Not hype—heart.
3) Room for the Holy Spirit to do real work through the Power of One Weekend.
In Dale’s LinkedIn prayer, he asks for empowerment, grace for each task, and a renewed desire to feed the hungry, heal the sick, bring forgiveness, and carry peace into a troubled world.
That is the language of spiritual activation.
Practical application: The Power of One Weekend. Build unhurried prayer into the schedule. Not as a token moment, but as a real centerpiece—space for intercession, listening, and response.
4) A next-step pathway (so “amen” becomes action).
A weekend that ends without next steps often becomes spiritual nostalgia. A weekend that ends with the following steps becomes discipleship. Because Dale’s broader ministry emphasizes equipping, leadership development, and small-group formation, the natural “landing points” after a weekend might include: spiritual gifts discovery and deployment, a short-term small group launch (4–6 weeks), a service/mission project, testimony-sharing gatherings, or a pastoral care follow-up plan for those who responded sincerely.
And because the event is annual, the church begins to build a rhythm: every year we gather, refocus, and re-engage—a simple weekend framework (that churches can actually execute).
Here is a practical structure that fits the spirit of Dale’s approach—precise, repeatable, and spiritually focused:
Friday night: Return. The Power of One Weekend
Theme: Come back to first love.
Focus: Worship, repentance, forgiveness, prayer.
Could you start with a clear purpose statement?
Include a testimony moment that highlights transformation.
Could you offer a guided time of prayer (not rushed)?
Invite people to write one concrete “return step” they will take.
Saturday: Renew.
Theme: Renew mind, renew calling, renew community.
Focus: Teaching + workshops + prayer + gifts.
An intense teaching session centered on the cross and mission.
A spiritual gifts emphasis (Dale’s mission aligns here directly).
A workshop track (leadership, prayer, small groups, personal renewal).
A service-oriented element (even simple: a community care project or offering focus).
Sunday: Release.
Theme: Sent into the world with power and purpose.
Focus: Commissioning, mission, and next steps.
Dale’s “Mission” reflections emphasize that the cross is the power for mission, and the goal is to bring people to the foot of the cross and into reconciliation and purpose.
So Sunday isn’t merely a finale—it’s a sending.
Commission ministry teams.
Invite sign-ups for the next-step pathway?
End with a clear charge and a specific timeline: “Here’s what happens this week.”
Why does making it annual multiply the impact? The Power of One Weekend.
Click here to see the LinkedIn article. http://inkedin.com/pulse/your-church-can-grow-dale-richard-turner-fblgc/?trackingId=eW%2BRlBGYm7eTjEs67NdSTQ%3D%3D
A single weekend can ignite renewal. The Power of One Weekend.
But an annual weekend builds culture.
That’s why the concept behind the Annual Spiritual Impact Event is so timely: churches today are pulled in a hundred directions—content overload, cultural stress, leadership fatigue, and spiritual distraction. A yearly renewal anchor counters that drift with a predictable, faith-filled rhythm.
When your church knows, “Every year we return, renew, and release,” you begin to see compound effects:
Rising leadership confidence, growing volunteer engagement, more precise mission alignment, deeper discipleship habits, and more consistent outreach. And it fits Dale’s lifetime emphasis on practical ministry systems—structures that serve spiritual vitality rather than replacing it.
Tying it back to 21renewal.com: a hub for renewal and resources, Dale’s website functions like a ministry hub—biographical credibility, devotional resources, and a stated mission that keeps the whole project centered: encouraging spiritual giftedness.
That matters because “one weekend” is not meant to be isolated from ongoing formation. If a church uses the weekend as a launchpad, it needs ongoing content, reminders, and teaching that reinforce the cross-centered life and the call to witness and mission. Dale’s writing consistently circles those themes—cross, witness, mission, transformation, and Spirit-empowered service.
An invitation to The Power of One Weekend.
If your church feels tired—or scattered—or simply overdue for fresh spiritual focus—don’t underestimate what God can do in concentrated time.
One weekend can re-center a congregation, The Power of One Weekend.
One weekend can awaken gifts.
One weekend can heal old wounds and create new unity.
One weekend can turn passive attendees into active witnesses, that’s The Power of One Weekend.
And when that weekend becomes an annual event, it stops being an experiment and becomes a culture. That is the power behind the vision Dale R. Turner is calling leaders to reclaim at the Annual Spiritual Impact Event—and it aligns closely with the mission he states on 21renewal.com: encouraging spiritual giftedness in everyone God sends his way.
Click here to view more information on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/annual-spiritual-impact-event-dale-richard-turner-3u3fc/?trackingId=%2BneWuAyg3KCBeeg5rkqYIA%3D%3D