Characteristics of Healthy Churches
Characteristics of Healthy Churches
Natural Church Development (Christian Swartz, 1996)
Empowering leadership
Gift-oriented ministry
Passionate spirituality
Functional structures
Inspiring worship service
Holistic small groups
Need-oriented evangelism
Loving relationships
Becoming a Healthy Church: 10 Characteristics (Stephen A. Macchia, 1999)
God's empowering presence
God-exalting worship
Spiritual disciplines
Learning and growing community
A commitment to loving and caring relationships
Servant-leadership focus
Wise administration and accountability
Networking with the Body of Christ
Stewardship and generosity
The Antioch Effect: 8 Characteristics of Highly Effective Churches (Ken Hemphill, 1994)
Supernatural power
Christ-exalting worship
God-connecting prayer
Servant leaders
Kingdom family relationships
God-sized vision
Passion for the lost
Maturation of believers
Leading Your Church to Growth (Peter Wagner, 1984)
A pastor who is a possibility thinker and is a catalyst for putting the church into action.
A well-mobilized laity who is putting their spiritual gifts into action.
A church big-enough to provide the range of services that meet the needs of its members.
A proper balance of relationship between celebration, congregation, and cell.
A membership drawn from one homogeneous unit.
Evangelistic methods that makes disciples.
Priorities arranged in biblical order.
Beyond Church Growth (Robert Logan, 1989)
Visionizing faith and prayer
Effective pastoral leadership
Culturally relevant philosophy of ministry
Celebrative and reflective worship
Holistic disciple making
Expanding network of cell groups
Developing and resourcing leaders
Mobilizing believers according to spiritual gifts
Appropriate and productive programming
Starting churches that reproduce
PAYING THE PRICE
(Leading your Church to Growth, C. Peter Wagner, 1984)
The Pastor's Price for Growth
1. Assuming responsibility for growth
>i. There is a substantial risk.
ii. Most pastors were not trained for leadership.
iii. They are not sure of God's call.
>2. Hard Work
3. Sharing the ministry
4. Having members you can't pastor
5. Revising non-growth theology
The People's Price for Growth
1. Agreeing to follow growth leadership
2. Paying the money
3. Readjusting their fellowship groups
4. Opening their leadership circles
5. Giving the time
