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Growing Healthy Churches

How are we as a Church?

Edited by Canon Roger Medley

Mission Forum 2014

WELCOME

Growing a healthy church

Research from many Dioceses Focus on quality rather than quantity

• Terms:-Growing = nurturing the life of the church

Healthy = wholeness, balance, harmony with God and creation

• Goals, characteristics, values and aspirations rather than activities

SEVEN MARKS

OF A HEALTHY CHURCH

expressing the life of Christ

through the local church

HEALTHY CHURCH CHECKLIST

Mark

1. energised by faith

2. outward-looking focus

3. seeks to find out whatGod wants

4. faces cost of change and growth

5. builds community

6. makes room for others

7. does a few things – well

1low

2 3 4 5 6high TOTAL

scoring grid

1. weakness and holding us back

2. only a few signs

3. some evidence of this

4. making progress

5. evidence of much of this

6. this is a strength

√ √ the number that best describes what the number that best describes what you see is is happening in your churchin your church

Let’s go!

1. Energised by faith

rather than just keeping things going or trying to survive

worship and sacramental life move people to experienceGod’s love

motivation: energy comes from a desire to serve God and one another

engaging with scripture: in creative ways that connect with life

nurturing faith in Christ: helping people grow in, and share, their faith

2. Outward-looking focus

with a ‘whole-life’ rather than a ‘church life’ concern

deeply rooted in the local community, working in partnershipwith other denominations, faiths, secular groups and networks

passionate and prophetic about justice and peace, locally and globally

making connections between faith and daily living

responding to human need by loving service

Have you ever thought…

what Church is?

BAND ONE The Building is the church

BAND TWO

BAND THREE

BAND FOUR

BAND FIVE

The Vicar is the church

We help the Vicar to be the church

We are the church

We are part of God’s church

These five bands represent a common, if not invariable, sequence in the growth or renewal of

life in a local congregation

3. Seeks to find out what God wants

rather than letting our own preferences set the church agenda

vocation: open to the Spirit’s leading about what we should be and do

vision: developing and communicating a shared sense ofwhere we are going

mission priorities: consciously setting both immediate and long-term goals

able to call for and make sacrifices, personal and corporate,

in bringing about the above and living out the faith

4. Faces the cost of change and growth

rather than resisting change and avoiding failure

while embracing the past, daring to take on new ways ofdoing things

taking risks: admitting when things are not working, and learning from experience

crises: responding creatively to challenges that face the church and community

positive experiences of change, however small, areaffirmed and built on

Have faith in this chain letter for vicars do not break the chain.

If you are unhappy with your vicar simply have your church wardens send a copy of this letter to six other churches who are tired of their vicar.

Then bundle up your vicar and send him to the church at the top of the list in this letter.

Within a week you will receive 16,435 vicars, and one of them should be all right.

One church did and got their old vicar back!!

5. Builds community

rather than functioning as a club or religious organisation

relationships are nurtured so people know they are part of acommunity of faith (often through small groups) withopportunities for service

leadership: lay and ordained works as a team to develop appropriate expressions of all seven marks of a healthychurch

lay ministry: the different gifts, experiences and faith-journeys of all are valued and given expression in andbeyond the life of the church

6. Makes room for others

being inclusive rather than exclusive

welcome: works to include newcomers into the life of thechurch

enquirers are encouraged to explore and experience faith inChrist

diversities: coming from the social and ethnic backgrounds,mental and physical abilities and age differences are seen

asa strength and sought after

children and young people are helped to belong, contributeand be nurtured in their faith

So that leaves 4 to do all the work. And 2 say they’ve done their bit

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!

There are 56 members in our church. But 10 are frail and elderly

That leaves 46 to do all the work. But 8 are young people at college

That leaves 38 to do all the work. But 15 are tired businessmen

So that leaves 23 to do all the work. And 15 are housewives with children

That leaves 8 to do all the work.And A further 2 have important other interests

That leaves 6 to do all the work. But 2 live too far away to come regularly

So that leaves

AND I’M

YOU AND ME

EXHAUSTED

7. Does a few things – and does them well

focused rather than frenetic

doing the basics well: especially public worship, pastoralcare, stewardship and administration

enjoyed what we do and being relaxed about what is notbeing done

occasional offices: make sense of life and communicatefaith

You may wish to keep a record of your scores by writing them on the other half

of the Healthy Church Checklist

then…

Hand your score sheet in

After coffee you will create a church profile

To continue…

HEALTHY CHURCH CHECKLIST

Mark

1. energised by faith

2. outward-looking focus

3. seeks to find out whatGod wants

4. faces cost of change and growth

5. builds community

6. makes room for others

7. does a few things – well

1low

2 3 4 5 6high TOTAL

Exploring together

How did you get on

with scoring your church?

What strikes you most

about your church

from doing this Exercise?

Exploring together

what is holding us back

- and why?

Exploring together

Where there is

a wide spread of scores

- what does this tell us?

Exploring together

what needs working on?

In your table groups discuss the areas of church life that need

working on-using the check list.

• Remember today is part of your church life

• At sometime in the near future you should revisit all these points as a Church

• They are fundamental to you Church Health

• May God bless you in your journey of faith and mission together