Characteristics of a Healthy Church

[Sarah]

There are many things that can mark an unhealthy church but here are a few that I have seen over the last couple of years. When churches become focused on control in governance rather than governance supporting and guiding the greater church. Additionally, when a church has more spectators and specialists rather than releasing the congregation to walk out the call. I also think we have missed the mark when we are only internally focused and do not have any outreach focus in our communities or in the local and global missions field. Additionally, when churches substitute a focus on the spirit and close relationship with Jesus for a more relational based grace only gospel that calls people to comfortability rather than a real response in their faith. These are some of the issues I have seen in unhealthy churches and I think all of us need to be careful to check our own hearts and churches as it is so easy to fall into these traps.

[Caleb]

Its important for churches to be healthy because if it is not the church cant effectively grow. if you think of a human body, when it is unhealthy all of the energy is focused to one or multiple areas rather than the physical development of the body. It also takes longer for the body to heal itself when there are multiple problems or complications. likewise the church needs to focus its energy to make disciples so the church should regularly keep its own body in check. the church needs to make sure its theology is correct, Jesus is at the center, proper exegesis is practiced, and to keep in step with the spirit through prayer and ministry with gifts. A church without these things has trouble growing and cannot effectively show grace and ignite hope in their community.

[Kylie]

The mission and goal of the Church is to grow, to multiply, to make disciples who make disciples. A healthy cell produces more healthy cells and the same is with the church, if a church is healthy the products of it will also be healthy and fruitful whereas one that is dying or ill will either not reproduce or will make products in its image of unhealthiness. So it is important for churches to be healthy because we desire for the Church to be a good environment but also so that the multiplication mission will be sustainable and productive. I think marks of an unhealthy church would be ones that are very internally focused and unfruitful. Healthy churches are not about big numbers but it is about fruitfulness and the ability to reach out “extending grace and igniting hope.”

[Micah]

The analogy of the cells is very helpful for a picture of a healthy church.

When I think of an unhealthy church and the lack of fruitfulness, I immediately think of the parable of the talents, in which the measure of faithfulness and fruitfulness is reproduction/multiplication/growth of what was gifted. God has given us the greatest gifts of love and grace, and he set the church in place to multiply those gifts. As we seek to be part of a healthy church, let’s fulfill the Great Commission, as seen in Genesis 1 and Matt 28: be fruitful and multiply.

[Karlena]

I think the importance for churches to be healthy goes back to Wes Mills' previous assertion in the Ethos unit of this course that "the right environment produces positive outcomes." Positive outcomes that we want to see are that people are empowered to love, serve, and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to fulfill His commission to make disciples of every nation. Or, to put it differently, ACOP churches have the ultimate positive outcome of being part of a global movement of passionate people who are extending grace and igniting hope in the community of the local church as well as communities around the world. Some more specific positive outcomes of a right environment were listed in the Ethos unit: "Loyalty, Faithfulness, Commitment, Cohesiveness, and attracting new members." I think this describes what happens when we have a healthy church. A healthy church is vibrant, empowering and effective in their mission. The marks of an unhealthy church would be the opposite: lack of commitment, discord/confusion/lack of cohesiveness, complacency/passivity/lack of participation and engagement from members, and church members (or the community) are "turned off" and want to leave. I think one of the main features of an unhealthy church that I have seen in recent years are churches who are: 1) not making disciples who make disciples" but rather have a tendency to become quite closeminded about reaching out and 2) governance is about restricting instead of releasing—in other words, the same exclusive small group "runs the church" for "spectators" over a period of years.