All tagged church health
Contextualization is at the very center of the church’s mission. Christian congregations must know their context as they live out the gospel of Jesus. In other words, church leaders should understand why their church exists and what their God-given mission really is. This is not some fringe part of a church’s existence but is central to its very purpose.
Story after story unfolds and it becomes so abundantly clear that what makes for health and vitality is that in every new moment there is the space to look for God’s arrival and to name it!
Healthy, vibrant churches have a high degree of correlation between their declared theology and their practiced theology.
Congregational leaders can study congregational life, the decline of Christianity, and the aging of their church, yet they miss the most important thing of all.
These are my top five reasons that I have stayed in ministry. This isn’t the final word, but I do think that these are things that every person in full-time ministry needs to some degree.
I may or may not agree with everything every congregation or college in Abilene is doing, but I sure hope they all talk to everyone they can about Jesus.
Churches that live in the presence of the gospel are paying attention to spiritual vitality, passing and forming the Christian faith in people, and practicing hospitality to the world.
I believe that resilient congregations, pursuing God’s purposes in the world, will find healthy and constructive ways to prepare, support, nurture and partner with ministers in the days to come.
For me, perhaps the saddest aspect of the pandemic has been the polarization and consequent sorting of churchgoers.
The message of Jesus is prophetic enough as it is. Ministers must obviously retell that message in a faithful manner. That act of proclamation is prophetic enough on its own. Given the difficulty with hearing who Jesus was and was really about, the story doesn’t need much additional help beyond that.
Sometimes, a health crisis hits a church squarely in the face. If the church possesses enough self-awareness, it then faces the choice to either make dramatic changes or else permanently lose health and vitality.
In this article, we look at member perceptions of leadership strengths and weaknesses in their congregation.
What contributes to the growing divide between older and younger generations' views of the church?
Knowledge provides opportunity to choose areas in which we desire greater health, where growth is possible and ministries can become more robust.
I’ve been working on an elder selection process at our church, and I’m struck by a startling truth: appointing elders is just like setting up a fish tank.
These reasons for growth transcend simply being at the right place at the right time.
How similar are elders and members in how they perceive the health of the congregation?
What are the characteristics of newly planted churches that are thriving?
Preaching that emerges from prayer and from the context of the congregation’s own particular journey matters.
As more churches utilize this health assessment, emerging trends shed light on common struggles and strengths.
