This is an interesting article that the church needs to understand clearly!
What Makes a Church Healthy or Unhealthy Dr Richard J
Krejcir
What makes a Church Healthy or Unhealthy?
By Dr. Richard J. Krejcir
This comes from a big problem we have in most churches
today, that is the tendency of leaders not effectually growing in the Lord and
thus do not practice their faith and this dispenses down to the congregation.
And the outcome is a church that has missed its point and reason for being; as
its people, who Christ has brought in, go without being taught or discipled
because the pastors and leaders are not being taught or discipled. Being mature
means you know not just Who Christ is, but His impact has gone deep and has
occupied all aspects of our life and faith. Life is all about Him and not about
selfish ideas or perceptions. We have gone to His throne and His priestly duty
has been received, our Milk, and then the meat is feasted upon, His wondrous
precepts and Truth. So our faith is real, personal, fully transformed and
becoming fully engaged followers of Christ seen by a life well lived. If we
want to be an impacting Christian pastor or lay leader in a church that impacts
its community and world, we have to be eating the meat of God's precepts with
passion and conviction, in love and in truth and then sharing it with others.
Research Conducted between 1998 and 2007:
· Churches that are healthy have leadership that surrenders
to the Lordship of Christ and builds their church on His foundation.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have leadership that are
prideful and build their church on the foundation of their legacy or
personality.
· Churches that are healthy tend to be focused on prayer and
seeking what God has for them; they are interested in what God intends and the
opportunities that are at hand.
· Unhealthy churches tend not to be focused on prayer, and
they seek what they want, ignoring what God and His Word has for them.
· Churches that are healthy are in line with and in touch
with Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD. The leaders and the people have an
effectual sense of God's presence and seek Him out of gratitude for who he is and
what He has done. Their growing faith and their joyful attitude in life
evidences this.
· Unhealthy churches tend not to be interested or centered
upon the Lordship and centrality of Christ. They are places of personality,
leadership in control for personal agendas, and/or seeking trends contrary to
the agenda or call of God's Word.
· Churches that are healthy have pastor(s) and leaders who
are humble, exhibit patience and the Fruit of the Spirit, and have a strong
sense of indebtedness to God and others.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have pastor(s) and leaders who
are not humble, but rather seek formulas, trends, and do not feel indebtedness
to God and/or others.
· Churches that are healthy have a mindset that spiritual
formation and group and individual maturity are not achieved from programs or
facilities, but rather from the knowledge and passion of our Lord working.
· Unhealthy churches tend to place their focus on programs
over people.
· Churches that are healthy place God's priorities first.
· Unhealthy churches only desire to produce what the leaders
want.
· Churches that are healthy see worship as a lifestyle and
not just an experience.
· Unhealthy churches tend to see worship just as an
experience and not an attitude or lifestyle.
· Churches that are healthy have leaders who do personal
devotions, and for whom the study of God's Word is the foundation of their
faith and practice.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have leaders who do not or do
very little personal devotions, and negate the study of God's Word. Who they
are in society, education, or pride are the foundations of management of their
church.
· Churches that are healthy perceive Christ to be an active
presence in their church and thus have pleasant conversations and activities in
their halls and courtyard.
· Unhealthy churches tend not to seek Christ first in their
church and thus have conversations filled with conflict and activities that are
unhealthy or purposeless.
· Churches that are healthy have a strong sense of biblical
value for faith in the practice of church and personal life. The Bible is real
and relevant in the life of the leaders, so it is taught as well as caught from
one another.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have a weak sense of biblical
worth and see faith as just personal, not practiced in the life of the church.
The Bible is seen as unrelated to church leadership and thus they seek
substitutes from non-biblical or psychological/cultural sources.
· Churches that are healthy are pursuing the purpose for
which God has created and called them to.
· Unhealthy churches tend to pursue the purpose the leaders
want, personal agendas that are usually contrary to God's will and precepts or
are unrealistic or ineffective.
· Churches that are healthy allow its people to know and
exercise their spiritual gifts, and the strongest churches mentor their people
further in them.
· Unhealthy churches tend to ignore its people's gifting and
talents.
· Churches that are healthy have a sense of allowing God to
work in and through their people to build a healthy, loving community.
· Unhealthy churches tend to coerce and manipulate or
micromanage their people, which does not build a healthy community.
· Churches that are healthy are making disciples for the
transformation of the whole person, both faith and personal life.
· Unhealthy churches tend not to be interested in making
disciples and thus its people experience little or no renovation of faith in
their church or personal life.
· Churches that are healthy have pastors and leaders who are
equipping others to serve, doing so with care and kindness; they see their
people as participants in the ministry of the church.
· Unhealthy churches tend to see their people as consumers,
not participants.
· Churches that are healthy are centered around and led by
biblical principles and solid doctrine.
· Unhealthy churches tend to be led from an attitude of
church sociological trends and pragmatism that ignores classic Christian
theology.
· Churches that are healthy are filled with people who live
in the Fruit of the Spirit.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have its people self-focused
and who only want to be heard; they either do not want to listen to others or
have a conceited attitude or see those who are mature as threats.
· Churches that are healthy have leaders who are trained and
are involved in the life of the church.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have leaders who are not
involved in the people's lives or the life of the church-unless it is centered
on them.
· Churches that are healthy have leadership who are
spiritually passionate and have a love for the Lord that is obviously sincere.
They are also motivated to empower others.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have leadership who are not
interested in the people's spiritual growth, and rationalize they are better
for their lack of Bible and faith.
· Churches that are healthy have leaders who do the teaching
with care and in truth; they are concerned for the people's personal and
spiritual growth and are not there for pride's sake.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have leaders who do the
teaching carelessly and with disregard for truth; they are not concerned for
their people's personal and spiritual growth, but are there for pride-reasons
of the self.
· Churches that are healthy have leaders who are supported
by their pastor(s) in whatever committee or ministry they are a part of…such as
worship, teaching, and/or making disciples.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have leaders who feel they are
not supported by their pastor(s).
· Churches that are healthy are focused on the spiritual
journey of their people, and do not see it as just an emotional experience or
an academic quest. They have balance between real effectual faith and Bible
truth.
· Unhealthy churches tend not to be interested or focused on
the spiritual journey of their people, or else they see it as just an emotional
experience or an academic quest. The balance between real effectual faith and
Bible truth is null in these churches.
· Churches that are healthy see all their ministries and
committees as meaningful and important, and the people in them feel supported,
encouraged, and equipped.
· Unhealthy churches tend to see a pecking order in
ministries where one or two get all the attention and the rest are ignored. The
people in these ministries do not feel important, supported, encouraged, or
equipped.
· Churches that are healthy see their people on a journey
and desire to encourage and equip them in it.
· Unhealthy churches tend not to have a place in mindset or
function for the spiritual learning and growth of its people.
· Churches that are healthy have leaders who have energy and
are emotionally mature.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have leaders who are apathetic
and are emotionally unstable or conceited.
· Churches that are healthy have leaders who are inclusive
of others and who encourage and appreciate their co-leaders, pastor(s), and
congregation.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have leaders who are exclusive
with a "we-they" mindset and do not encourage; rather, they are
biased to only their wants and needs.
· Churches that are healthy have a collective mindset of
being a place of faithful character and the practice of joyful fellowship.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have a collective mindset of
being a place where there is a lack of intention of warmth, of learning, of
being faithful, and the practice of joyful fellowship is absent.
· Churches that are healthy have and emphasize small groups
and/or Bible studies, equip and train their leaders, and offer quality
curriculum fitting the spiritual developmental level of the participants.
· Unhealthy churches tend not to emphasize small groups or
Bible studies, and if they do have them, they do not equip and train their
leaders, nor do they offer quality curriculum for the spiritual developmental
of the participants.
· Churches that are healthy have worship services where
God's presence is sought and felt, and is alive with energy. The congregation
feels inspired and fed. Also, there is a strong sense of God as the audience,
the people as the performers, and the pastor or leader the facilitators to
worship. (Style and tradition were not significant factors; passion and prayer
were.)
· Unhealthy churches tend to have a worship service that is
perfunctory, where God's presence is not felt, and is dull and dry. There is a
strong sense that the leader is performing to the audience of the church
members. (Style and tradition were not significant factors; being
performance-driven with a lack of authentic spirituality was.)
· Churches that are healthy have leadership who are grateful
to God and others; they are modeling the precepts of Christ as servants first,
and are leading others to where they have been.
· Unhealthy churches tend to have leaders who are petty, and
who lead others who are hypocritical, immature, complaining, and ungrateful for
Christ and others.
· Churches that are healthy have clarity of vision and
mission and/or purpose, and who are also able to live it and communicate it to
their church people. The people in the pew know what their church is about and
feel a part of and connected in it.
· Unhealthy churches tend not to have clarity of vision or
purpose and if they do, do not follow it (or only a few do) or communicate it
to their church people. The people in the pew have no idea what their church's
function is about and do not feel a part of or connected in it.
· Churches that are healthy are making disciples and serving
their community and the world. Those who go into missions or ministry come from
being mentored and discipled.
· Unhealthy churches tend not to make disciples and thus
have few to none serving or preparing to serve their community and the world.
· Churches that are healthy have a system, and are on the
watch for problems, both personal and interpersonal; they deal with and resolve
conflict fast and with tact, love, and care.
· Unhealthy churches tend to ignore conflict or just placate
the big givers and power brokers.
· Churches that are healthy are forgiving and see people in
need of love and care; they have a sense of the other person as God's child
too.
· Unhealthy churches tend not to recognize other people as
God's children, and are unforgiving. (Most people leave a church because of
conflict.)
· Churches that are healthy are stewardship focused,
teaching and encouraging its people to give out of their time, talents, and
treasures. They are not forced or manipulated; rather, they feely give out of
gratitude to the Lord for the mission of the church.
· Unhealthy churches tend to skew what stewardship is about
and either ignore it or manipulate their people to give. (Real giving is always
out of a grateful and generous heart-not out of obligation or manipulation.)
· Churches that are healthy are "outward focused"
and are outreach and mission minded. They seek ways to reach out to people, and
train their people to do so both locally and globally. They see the world as
the mission.
· Unhealthy churches tend to be "inward focused"
and do not have an outreach and/or missions program, or else just a few know
about it and are involved in it. They see their church as only reaching out to
"our own kind" and rarely or just superficially go beyond their own
church membership. They see themselves as the mission.
· Churches that are healthy care about their people and
programs and seek how they can improve what they are there to learn and do, and
do not compare themselves to other churches.
· Unhealthy churches tend not to care about their people,
nor do they seek how they can improve; there is a disregard for what they are
there for and they love to compare themselves to other churches.
· Churches that are healthy are concerned with strategic planning
and being good stewards with their resources. They realize real marketing is
not about programs but about being a good model and witness.
· Unhealthy churches tend to do little strategic planning
and/or have overconfidence concerning marketing techniques and trends; they
also do not do a good job with their resources.
· Churches that are healthy measure success by how it's
impacting a life change in others' personal and faith lives; it is quality over
quantity.
· Unhealthy churches tend to measure success solely by
numbers, and seek quantity over quality.
· Churches that are healthy have facilities that are well
cared for, clean, and usable. They see their church as a gathering point and
tool for use by God and His people. The churches that rent treat their rented
building with respect, and keep it maintained and clean, seeing it as a form of
evangelism.
· Unhealthy churches tend to also have facilities that are
well cared for and clean. But they tend not to be usable; they see their church
as a ministry to itself and not to be messed up; thus, it is not used. Churches
where the facilities are dilapidated, dirty, and unsanitary tend to also be
that way in worship and ministry. The churches that rent do not treat their
rented building with respect; they have an "us versus them"
mentality.
These healthy churches also have 20-40 percent of their
church members in a Bible study or in small groups. In these small groups, the
main curriculum has the leader teaching the Bible as the prime program, such as
a Bible study or discussion on biblical precepts, and the Word is delved into.
Churches that are unhealthy have little to no active participation in small
groups, and/or the groups are using weak curriculum that does not teach or
inform about biblical principles, and the Bible is used very little.
Healthy churches have a deep love and gratitude to Christ
and desire to equip and empower the people He brings them. They seek to serve
in humbleness and effectual faith. They value people and do not depend on their
programs, rather on Christ; they allow Him to produce what He wants, when He
wants. They grow from the inside of their faithful journey before it is
exercised outward. Inward faith is formed before outward faith is expressed.
The average healthy church is where people feel good about God and others; they
display personal, spiritual, and relational maturity and have hope and life in
Christ, all because they are growing in the Word and Spirit. Gossip is absent
and conflict is dealt with; spiritual growth is glorifying our Lord, and the
Fruit of the Spirit is at hand. The pastors and leaders model to the people a
faith that endures as they look to Christ.
© 2008, Research from 1998- 2007, R. J. Krejcir, Ph.D.,
Francis
A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development www.churchleadership.org
