A Word about Healthy Churches

Today I am sharing a word about the characteristics of a healthy church as I comment on Matthew 16:13-19, which reads,

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Obviously, in that short passage of Scripture we can see many different theological issues that we need to unpack, but the one I would like to focus on today is the idea that Christ will build His church and that it will be a church triumphant. What would that kind of church be like?

We often hear it said that a church is a “body of baptized believers in Christ,” but I remember noted missiologist and missionary practitioner Dr. Jim Slack once describe how he resisted pressure from his mission agency leadership to call a large “body of baptized believers in Christ” in his area of responsibility a church. Dr. Slack said that while that group of believers was a relatively large congregation, it was not yet a church, because they were not doing the things a church should do.

This story from Dr. Slack reminds me of a pithy critique of the church in North America by Vance Havner, the noted revival preacher, who said, “We are many, but we’re not much.” How can a church “be much” for God?

The International Mission Board has discerned 12 Characteristics of a Healthy Church. IMB representatives teach these characteristics to the thousands of new churches which are planted each year on the international mission field. As churches here in the United States begin to rebuild their ministries after a year of COVID-19 restrictions, I think it would be good for our churches in North America to review these same characteristics and determine to incorporate them into their life and ministry in the months and years to come.

So, what are these 12 Characteristics of a Healthy Church? I am glad you asked! They include, in the order listed by the IMB, the following:

Biblical Evangelism: Jesus did not actually issue many direct commands to His followers, but He did direct that they would be witnesses for Him and that they must go into the world and make Disciples in His name. This is obviously a central task for a healthy church because any healthy creature in nature will reproduce. The church must evangelize, or it will weaken and die.

Biblical Discipleship: Jesus, in the Great Commission, did not command us to make converts, but to make disciples, and to teach them all that He has taught us. The central focus of most of Paul’s Epistles is that it is necessary to grow and become mature in Christ, and the church is the place where that growth should take place.

Biblical Membership: The doors of the church should be open to everyone, but not the membership roll. While, like the credit card advertisement says, “membership has its privileges,” it also has its requirements. Churches must ensure that their members give a clear testimony in word and action that they have been saved and regenerated through a relationship to God in Christ.

Biblical Leadership: A church can only be as strong as its leaders, and the Bible lays out rigorous and clear qualifications for church leadership. The Scriptures also provide us many negative examples of poor leaders and their destructive effects upon God’s people. Churches should heed both aspects as it calls, installs, and follows its leaders.

Biblical Preaching and Teaching: Baptists are known as “people of the Word” and rightfully so. The Scriptures are our guide for knowing God and for knowing His will and way. As you will have noticed, all of these characteristics of a healthy church are preceded by the word “Biblical” and that implies that we teach and preach God’s Word faithfully so we can know both His standards and His heart.

Biblical Ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper: Again, some of the few direct commands of Jesus include these church ordinances. These ordinances are key elements of a church’s worship, and the right and privilege of celebrating them has been given to the church. Churches must be good stewards and practitioners of these so that they retain their meaning and their power of proclamation.

Biblical Worship: Although creation itself is a praise unto God, our Creator wants to hear the praises of His people. Worship is an act, and attitude, and a way of life for the church and all churches should strive to worship God well in accordance with the Word.

Biblical Fellowship: The Bible tells us that, even from the time of the Creation, it is not good for people to be alone. Humankind was made for fellowship, both with God and with each other. Churches should be a place of mutual care and encouragement for its members and those whom they love.

Biblical Prayer: In the same way that God wants to hear the praise of His people, God our Father wants to hear the prayers of His Children. He wants to hear our concerns and cares, our joys and sorrows. He wants us to share our hearts with Him and He with us. Healthy churches promote and practice intercessory prayer as well as prayer that praises and glorifies God.

Biblical Accountability and Discipline: Our God corrects and disciplines His children, and He expects the church to do the same. Accountability and discipline must be done with a mixture of grace and truth, justice and mercy. It is always done with the goals of repentance and restoration, not judgment and condemnation.

Biblical Giving: Because God is the Creator of this world, He owns it all. He does not just own “the cattle on a thousand hills,” but also the hills, the gold under the hills, and the oil under the gold under the hills. Everything that we have comes from God, and He has given us charge over it. We must be good stewards of what He has provided to us!

Biblical Mission: One of our human frailties is that we can’t see the forest for the trees. That is, we become so consumed by everyday life that we forget the big picture, but the church cannot. As the Body of Christ present on the earth today, the church must continue with His mission of seeking and saving that which was lost. Billions of souls around the world still need a relationship to God through Christ and the church must take the Gospel to them if we are to honor and obey our Lord.

Wow, what an intimidating list! Yet, think about all of the things that healthy bodies do each day, almost without us thinking about them: breathing air, pumping blood, turning food into energy, cleansing itself of impurities and poisons, resting, and healing itself. Healthy bodies do what comes naturally, and the same can become true of churches and their members if they are nurtured in the admonition of the Lord.

Over the next weeks we will look more closely at each of these elements of a healthy church. While we are unpacking them, please pray for your church, your pastor, and your leaders as they all work to Biblically rebuild your church’s ministry so it can fulfill Christ’s vision as we saw in Matthew 16.

 I will be back soon with more discussion of the Characteristics of a Healthy Church we can share together. Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt