It is the proclamation and adoration of the Lord Jesus Christ that leads a church to have and pursue a vision for church health, because a healthy church ultimately desires what Christ desires—for him to build his Church. Such churches are fast-bound in their love of the Gospel and long to see Christ’s Kingdom advance. 

Introduction

My first ordained ministry position was in a church plant that grew from just under 200 to over 1,000 in less than five years. As pastor of evangelism and discipleship, I was busy helping people who had made professions of faith find avenues of discipleship through small groups, one-on-one Bible studies, and Sunday School. Each week it felt like we were living out Acts 2 as the Lord was “adding to our number” almost daily those who were being saved.

Simply put, our church grew—and fast.

Since then, after serving 23 years as a Senior Pastor and currently as Pastor of Church Revitalization at a large PCA church, without exception every church I am aware of that has experienced a similar growth was committed not to growth but to faithful obedience to make disciples.

A Healthy Church Is A Growing Church

A healthy church desires to impact its community at-large along with its families and individuals in particular. A healthy church wants to grow. Though it is God who brings growth, he employs means to bring that growth (1 Corinthians 3:7). These means characterize a healthy church: Faithful exposition of Scripture, emphasis on Biblical doctrine, a vibrant covenantal Community, consistent emphasis on the sacraments and worship, a life of prayer, and a love for and commitment to sharing the Gospel.

None of these means can be missing nor weak if a church is to see significant spiritual growth and, as God wills, physical growth in the number of members of the body. God does not guarantee explosive physical growth to every church—but when he does it is always because there is healthy spiritual growth within the body. Simply put, healthy bodies grow.

Think Church Health First

For this reason, it is better to think in terms of church health than church growth. First, when Paul refers to doctrine, the word that is translated as “sound” (1 Timothy 1:10, 6:3; 4:6; 2 Timothy 1:13, 4:3; Titus 1:9, 13, 2:1) can be translated as “healthy.” Second, though he does not use the word, Paul clearly has health in mind when he describes the operational goal for the church:

…speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:15, 16).

There are other passages that teach us that God desires for his church to be healthy in principle and in practice. So, when we ask what is necessary to implement as a vision for church growth, we are really asking “What is necessary for a church to intentionally pursue good health?”

Assuming that a church is humbly and intentionally committed to all of the means of grace, both Scripture and experience tell us that, if a church is to grow, the following characteristics are necessary.

A Church Must Want to Be Healthy

No person is accidentally or incidentally healthy. Even though we may not think very intentionally about our health when we are young, as we mature we realize that to have a healthy body we must desire a healthy body. We will not eat well, exercise, or rest unless we want to eat well, exercise, or rest.

Read More