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!
All tagged church health
Don’t Glaze Over—It is Important!
Healthy, vibrant churches have a high degree of correlation between their declared theology and their practiced theology.
Getting the Right Diagnosis
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.
Why One Minister Has Stayed
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.
What Do You Think About What That Church is Doing?
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.
What Really Matters?
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.
Ministers in Short Supply
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.
Is it Time to Quit My Church?
For me, perhaps the saddest aspect of the pandemic has been the polarization and consequent sorting of churchgoers.
Too Many Prophets, Not Enough Pastors
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.
Five Steps to Restore Your Church’s Vitality
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.
Resource Highlight: What the Church Health Assessment Is Teaching Us About Leadership Strengths and Weaknesses
In this article, we look at member perceptions of leadership strengths and weaknesses in their congregation.
Resource Highlight: What the Church Health Assessment Is Teaching Us About Generational Differences
What contributes to the growing divide between older and younger generations' views of the church?
We Needed a Trusted Advisor
Knowledge provides opportunity to choose areas in which we desire greater health, where growth is possible and ministries can become more robust.
Elders in the Fish Tank
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.
What Is Most Important?
These reasons for growth transcend simply being at the right place at the right time.
Resource Highlight: Elders’ vs. Members’ Perceptions and the Church Health Assessment
How similar are elders and members in how they perceive the health of the congregation?
Mission Evidences from the Field: What Do Healthy Growing Churches Look Like?
What are the characteristics of newly planted churches that are thriving?
Preaching and Spiritual Vitality
Preaching that emerges from prayer and from the context of the congregation’s own particular journey matters.
Resource Highlight: What the Church Health Assessment Is Teaching Us
As more churches utilize this health assessment, emerging trends shed light on common struggles and strengths.
The Importance of Prepositions
I want to take that notion of being responsible to others instead of for others, and apply it to the church.