What does a healthy church look like?

Traits of a Healthy Church

One of the risks in planting new churches is the rush to move to the latest, greatest ideas that seem to be working in other areas.  Part of the purpose of the Launching Zone will be to help potential church planters to clearly understand the basic components of a healthy church, no matter what style of church they plant.  Many times terms like Purpose Driven, Cutting Edge, Contemporary and Post Modern are thrown around as the key to a successful church plant.  While there is merit in these ideas and many others, these ideas do not necessarily make a healthy New Testament church. 

Several years ago I attended a church consultation training program hosted by Southern Seminary.  Dr. Thom Ranier and Dr. Chuck Lawless conducted hundreds of church consultations with churches of all denominations and in all part of the country.  The results of their study became part of the training for church consultants.  Below I will share some basic concepts of a healthy church as you think about planting your church.

Essential Parts of a Healthy Church

Solid Theological Foundation: The church must be based on a solid theological foundation of the basic tenants of the Christian faith.  People may be looking for something different but they are not always looking for compromise when looking for a church.

1. Exaltation:  Many of the unchurched are looking for dynamic worship that is authentic.  Many perceive the church as irrelevant to their need for worship.  They may not be oppossed to the traditional music but they see the traditional church worship as stale.
2. Evangelism:  Healthy, growing churches must have a commitment to evangelism as part of their DNA.  This is especially critical of a new church plant.  The new church planter and his team can get so busy doing good and necessary things that they leave off the most important thing.  Church planters must keep evangelism at the forefront of everything you do or you will inevitably drift towards a comfortable existence like so many other churches.
3. Equipping:  One of the greatest struggles of church planters is to find capable leadership in your infancy.  If the church is committed to reaching the unchurched, you may find a void of leadership that you must learn to fill over time through strategic discipleship and leadership development programs.  Someone once said that an organization can not rise above the leaders of the organization.  This is also true of churches.  Early on in your plant, develop and commit time, resources and staff to leadership development.  Currently I am writing a Leadership Training Program for NorthStar that will be used as a basic training for all leadership positions in our church.
4. Edify:  Healthy churches have a commitment to consistency in teaching the Bible both from the pulpit and in the teaching ministry of the church such as Sunday School or small groups ministry.  The unchurched are hungry to learn what the Bible actually says and to be able to apply these truths to their lives.
5. Encounter:  A healthy church also must be committed to serving the needs of the community through servant evangelism.  One of the chief complaints of the unchurched is that so many churches appear irrelevant to the needs of the people around them.  As a church plant, find creative ways to minister to the needs of your target audience and better yet learn to anticipate the needs that are coming!
6. Encourage:  Fellowship is critical to the health of any church, especially to a church that is just starting.  People are more likely to join groups that do not already have well formed relationships.  It is much easier to start a new relationship than to join a group that has been together for 20 years.  As a church plant, find ways for each new person to quickly make connections with others in your core group.

What is a Church Restart

What is a Church Restart?

In a church where the vision of the church becomes obscure, or the culture of the church changes, or disease enters the body, or numbers have reduced to the point of a surviving remnant -- the church may very well be a candidate for a restart or rebirth. Terms: Restart: To restart a church means to start over again with a new vision that is from God and appropriate to fulfilling the Great Commission in the context of the Church's Culture. Rebirth: To rebirth a church means to completely shut the church down and start over again from scratch. Refocus: To refocus a church means to help a mature church refocus its ministries and vision for the future God desires of it. The Launching Zone can help your church consider the process of a church Restart, Rebirth, or Refocus. In many ways, these events are much like church planting. The refocus overlays current church planting strategies into an existing growing church. Restart and Rebirth help declining churches become growing vibrant new churches.