What does a healthy church look like?
What does a healthy church look like? Is there such a thing?
I used to measure church health by man's measures. Now I look back and all that success I had in the eyes of men was not success at all. As I reflect with sadness, I measured some/lots of the wrong things. What is a healthy church?
posted by Bob Carder @ 2:22 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Thanks for the comment, I need all the advice I can get.
Here is a couple for quotes from Howard A. Snyder’s “Theses on Renewal” that speaks directly to your question. He describes the illness and the cure. Given this, the challenge remains with the theology and ecclesiology that has been developed by the worldly disciple making process of the last 10-30 years. The answer rests in a return to the true discipleship that is literally breathed out of the mouth of God through the text. My heart literally grieves each week as Pastors fill pulpits all across this land and preach from a loss of faith in the text to deliver as God has designed. This requires submission and faith. A healthy church is one that exercises true discipleship and a consciousness of who God is. May God help us all….
Snyder Quotes (X2)
"Leadership grows out of discipleship. Where careful discipling is lacking, leadership cannot be biblical and a crisis of spiritual leadership results. Worldly qualifications for leadership replace biblical ones."
"The fundamental crisis of the church today is a crisis of the Word of God. The church must recover the full dynamic of the Word, not just as Scripture, but as God-in-communication, especially through the written Word of Scripture and supremely through the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. This is another way of saying the church must recover a consciousness of who God is."
Byron, I would add to this just a tiny bit. When the Word of God is preached it often goes into heads and never turns into active demonstrated faith.
In other words, what we learn and know often stays where it is and what we say we believe is rarely seen in our actions personally and outwardly.
A major crisis regarding the word of God is that we agree that it is true, but then we don't obey that truth.
This leaves the Great Commission mandate for all believers relatively a cast away non important command. Or better yet, we often label things Great Commission or discipleship when those things are clearly at all what Jesus meant bu the command.
*We hire our pastors to do that.
*We have yearly outreach events once a year.
*We have programs to attract.
*If they don't come to us they are responsible for their soul. *Afterall we are open on Sunday.
*We invite people and some do come to church, but after that the church has to lead them and disciple them.
*There are thousands of excuses but I certain you do not want me to point them out.
Come on friends, we need to hear you on this one. If there is hope for the local church then health is in the mix. What does a healthy church look like?
Hey Bob,
Perhaps you could outline for us your understanding of "active, demonstrated faith." Tell us what you mean by that.
Hey Bill, thanks for telling us your first name but your profile is blank. You might as well be anonymous.
Are you somehow afraid we might know you? Do you have some sneaky motive? Or are you just afraid to be known? Or do you have another reason for keeping your identity hidden?
Your question is not relevant to the post here. Let's get that one back in the context of the original post.
Tell us who you really are?
Would you please tell us who you really. You profile is empty the last time I checked.
What???
Bob, you know who this is. Yes, my blogger profile is blank. I don't use blogger. You can find my profile on http://awaitingrain.typepad.com.
I think my question is entirely relevant to your post. I'm just asking for clarification. But never mind.
There is no such thing. The church is made up of people and I have yet to meet a person who has "arrived" above the effects of the fall. Plus, I worked for Macchi who professes to know the principles of a healthy church. If he does know them then he has no idea how to live them out and make them practical in a Christian organization.
OKAY BILL, here yah go. I was a little cantankerous on that day.
"Active Demonstrated faith"
"Active" - alive, vibrant, contagious and victorious.
"Demonstrated" - able to be seen and lived in the lives of believers every day and not just on Sunday.
"Faith" - Totally sold out and sacrificially committed to Jesus as one's entire and only life line. A desperate faith focus.
Hope this helps. I'm still feeling sort of cantankerous. I thought you were messing with me and my choice of words here. Forgive me. :)
Where's REMO when you need Him?
Remo is sleeping I guess.
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