When churches are unhealthy, far from being a transformative presence in their communities, they can wreak havoc in the lives of the people who interact with them or who languish in their midst. But what are the warning signs that a church is cultivating an environment that is unhealthy or even toxic? Here are four signs that your church is not healthy.
5 Marks of Relevant Churches
Central to the mission of the Church is offering a compelling witness to the life-saving and life-transforming power of the gospel message. In other words, we are called to show the world around us that the message of Jesus is relevant, both in this life and in the next. Nevertheless, being “relevant” doesn’t always entail what we think it does.
Carey Nieuwhof: 8 Reasons Churches Don’t Break the 200 Attendance Mark
Why is it that most churches never break the 200 attendance mark?
According to Thom Rainer at Church Answers the barrier to church growth is now lower than 200 attendance mark.Next-Level Church Planting
Every generation shapes the church for the generation to come, but today we may be at a particularly malleable hinge point. If that’s true, our efforts over the next two decades may have a greater impact on the future than any other 20-year period in the history of the American church.
3 Steps to Help Revitalize a Church
"...the seeds planted decades ago can still germinate and come to life," writes Desmond Barrett.
Hebrews 11 and Cancel Culture
Cancel culture has also come to evangelical Christianity as both contemporary and historical figures are judged to be unworthy because they said or did something deemed to be oppressive or incorrect. Former allies are persona non grata. What once were close personal friendships have been severed.
8 Practices in Culture the Church Must Challenge
Studying the practices the Lord declared detestable in Ezekiel, we learn how God may view our culture today and how the church can respond.
6 Questions for Pastors to Ask a Grieving Person
No matter the reason for the grief, here are five (sic) simple questions to ask any grieving individual in order to understand how to best offer spiritual care.
There is actually six questions listed in the article.Waiting Takes a Village Too
No Christian should walk through infertility or miscarriage alone.
The Family of God in a World Without Families
How does the decline of the family alter the way we understand the church? It’s not enough to ask how the church can address the breakdown of family relationships; we must also consider how these new challenges affect church relationships.
Engaging and Embracing People with Disability
How can we welcome people with disability—often forgotten or neglected—so that they feel like they really belong to the body of Christ?
A Small Group "Summer of Purpose"
Many groups tend to “take a break” for the summer, meeting for times of fellowship and fun. Why not encourage your small group members to make it a “Summer of Purpose?”
How To Go From Good to Great in Church
Some thoughtful suggestons on how local churches may remain in outward focused ministry despite the various distractions that may beset a particular congregation.
Parishes Go Multi-Site for Mission
When it launches Trinity North Campus next year, the Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Augustine, Florida, will become one of a number of Episcopal churches to adopt a multisite structure, a vehicle for church growth common among evangelical churches but less often adopted in the Episcopal Church.
In the 1980s the Episcopal church I attended as a youth and later an adult adopted an ambitious long-range plan. The plan included planting a new church, as well as constructing a church day school and retirement community/assisted living facility. It was envisioned that the chapel of the church day school would eventually become the meeting place of a second new church. While the church achieved its first three goals, it did not achieve the fourth goal.
A new church was launched in the part of the parish (county) in which the school was located but it did not enjoy the support of the rector of the church albeit it had the support of the bishop. After meeting in private homes and then in a hotel conference room, the church would wind up meeting in the sanctuary of a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod church. The new church would enjoy modest growth until the events of 2003, after which it became a shadow of its former self and eventually disbanded. The events of 2003 severely damaged the public image of the Episcopal Church in what is a conservative part of the state of Louisiana.
Since that time a number of Episcopal churches have flourished and grown while others and the denomination as a whole have declined. From what I have observed, contributing factors have been population growth, population diversity, an outwardly-focused church, and a favorable public image of the church in the community. A possible fifth factor is that their particular way of doing liturgical worship appeals to large enough segment of the population to be a viable church.
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