TheBottom Line

The Quality of Church Health

Church Health Board

Michigan District

Are we doing the right thing?

How do we know?

Are we doing it the right way?

Every organization should ask these three questions (Peter Drucker)

“Some church growth concepts are so focused on

the fruit..

that they fail to remember

the roots that produce the fruit.”

Mark 4:26

"Jesus also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on

the ground.”

Mark 4:27

“Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though

he does not know how.”

Mark 4:28

“All by itself the soil produces grain--first the

stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.”

Mark 4:29

“As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it,

because the harvest has come.”

Jesus Explained What We Can And Cannot Do

•We can prepare the soil

•We can sow the seed

•We can sleep & can get up

•We can harvest the crop

•We CANNOT

bring forth the fruitNCS © 2000

Growing and declining churches vary

significantly in some church health “quality”

areas

Research Reveals…

Empowering Leadership

Note

the

adje

ctiv

e

s

Empowering Leadership

Leaders “equip, support, motivate, and mentor individuals

to become all that God wants them to be. . . They know that God has an unique calling for

every individual.”

Empowering Leadership

Gift-oriented MinistryNot

e th

e

adje

ctiv

e

s

Gift-Oriented Ministry

Church leaders help members “identify their gifts and integrate them into ministries that match

their gifts.”

Empowering Leadership

Passionate

Gift-oriented Ministry

SpiritualityNot

e th

e

adje

ctiv

e

s

Passionate Spirituality

The faith of the people is “actually lived out with

commitment and enthusiasm, which impacts their giving.”

Empowering Leadership

Passionate

Inspiring

Gift-oriented Ministry

Spirituality

Worship Service

Note

the

adje

ctiv

e

s

Inspiring Worship

Worship is an “inspiring experience” that is well planned and regularly evaluated, where people sense God’s presence and lives are being impacted.

Empowering Leadership

Holistic

Passionate

Inspiring

Gift-oriented Ministry

Spirituality

Worship Service

Small Groups

Note

the

adje

ctiv

e

s

Holistic Small Groups

The church has developed a system of small groups where “individual Christians can find intimate community, practical

help, and spiritual interaction.”

Empowering Leadership

Holistic

Passionate

Inspiring

Gift-oriented Ministry

Spirituality

Worship Service

Small Groups

Note

the

adje

ctiv

e

s

Need-Oriented Evangelism

Need-Oriented Evangelism

The church shares the gospel “in a way that meets the

questions and needs of non-Christians.”

Empowering Leadership

Holistic

Passionate

Inspiring

Gift-oriented Ministry

Spirituality

Worship Service

Small Groups

Note

the

adje

ctiv

e

s

Need-Oriented Evangelism

Loving Relationships/Assimilation

Loving Relationships / Assimilation

The relationships in the church are loving, warm and accepting

of new people. The church intentionally follows up on

guests and guides them into relationships and involvement.

Empowering Leadership

Holistic

Passionate

Inspiring

Gift-oriented Ministry

Spirituality

Worship Service

Small Groups

Note

the

adje

ctiv

e

s

Need-Oriented Evangelism

Loving Relationships/Assimilation

Strategic Structures

Strategic Structures

The church operates with an annual Ministry Action Plan,

evaluates its ministries faithfully, experiments regularly and acts to remove barriers to

church growth and health.

What Jesus Taught That We Can & Can Not Do

•We can prepare the soil

•We can sow the seed

•We can sleep & can get up

•We can harvest the crop

•We CANNOT

bring forth the fruitNCS © 2000

Mark 4:28

“All by itself the soil produces grain--first the

stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.”

“The key is quality.

Jesus taught, if the root is quality, it

will produce the right

fruit.” Matt 7:17

Strategic Steps To Consider

Make a commitment to annually evaluate the church’s health as a foundational component

of church life

Strategic Steps To Consider

Consider requiring a church health assessment every year to the district,

to assist the church in continuing to remove

its health barriers.

As a Church Health Board, we

desire healthy churches across

our district.

What would that look like?

These are churches

in which the leaders are committed to on-

going growth and development;

These are churches

in which the members use their gifts to unify and build up

the church;

These are churches

in which members practice spiritual

disciplines like praying, growing, giving and

serving with contagious enthusiasm;

These are churches

in which worship services are a high

point of the week for the majority of the

congregation;

These are churches

in which the loving and healing power of

Jesus’ life can be experienced in small

groups;

These are churches

in which attendees invite others to

attend and members use their gifts to

help fulfill the Great Commission;

These are churches

that intentionally follow-up on guests

and where the love of Christ permeates all

church activities

These are churches

that annually plan, evaluate church

structures regularly and act to remove barriers to growth

and health.

Would anyone vote “no” to

becoming that kind of church?

Who might be interested in

attending that kind of church?

Are we doing the right thing?

How do we know?

Are we doing it the right way?

TheBottom Line

The Quality of Church Health

Church Health Board

Michigan District