Is there such a thing as a healthy church?
Reading: Luke 24:13-35
We are all familiar with personal health checks and the need to adopt good habits to maintain healthy bodies. But can a group or organisation be healthy or sick? What do you think a healthy church looks like? Would it have a growing membership, a wide age range of congregational members, a youth worker, plenty of money, a smart building, a good choir or what?
Several years ago a research project was set up in the diocese of Durham to try to answer some of these questions. It was based on the observation that some churches were showing some numerical growth in contrast to the general trend of decline. These churches were located in a variety of social contexts, were of varying traditions and had diverse histories. A number of key marks of these churches emerged.
1. Energised by faith –meant that the worship of these churches moved people to experience God’s love and resulted in a desire to serve God and one another, to engage with Scripture in creative ways connected with life. This is what Jesus did in this morning’s Gospel – he opened the Scriptures to them and in such a way that it resonated with their recent experience As they broke bread together they worshipped and revelation struck them – they encountered the presence of the risen Lord. That is the way we can experience Scripture too – as the revelation of the presence of God.
Worship is not about ‘enjoyment’ as such ; it is not entertainment. Do we come expecting to encounter the risen lord Jesus, the power of the Spirit, the awesomeness of God? As people’s faith is nurtured so they grow in confidence and the desire to share their faith with others also grows, so late at night those disciples, energised by faith, set out to go back to Jerusalem.
2. An outward looking focus described growing churches which were soundly rooted in their local community, working in partnership with other churches and secular groups. Churches which are engaged and look outwards are also deeply passionate about peace and justice both locally and globally and willing to respond to human need through loving service.
3. Seeking to find out what God wants – meant sensing God’s particular call on their life and developing and communicating a vision for mission with clear priorities resourced through generous giving. So if we are healthy then the renewal of St Peter’s is not for us but for others. It’s not about what we want or the way it has always been – but it’s about being truly open to all: the disabled, the sick, the young, those who come occasionally and those who come often. Sacrificial giving especially by some will enable our church to be more open. We are grateful for that but we still struggle with our general giving so maybe we still have some way to go. Certainly involvement in this vision process is above about seeking to be open to discern what God wants of us in this next phase and to respond sacrificially – not just with money – but with time and energy and prayer.
4. Facing the cost of change and growth – led these growing churches to take on new ways of doing things, willing to take risks and learn from mistakes and difficulties and to affirm and celebrate experiences of change. We need to be honest. My plea has been for people to come and talk about things. Anger is not a sin – embarrassed silence may be! Maturity is about being able to face difficulties and admit mistakes, to forgive and move on.
5. Operating as a community was the style of the life of these healthy churches. Relationships were nurtured often through small groups where people were helped by others to grow in faith and service. Small groups are not exclusive – they enable growth. They are open to all, as are all activities, this vision process included. Take copies of the material, maybe do it with another person. In these healthy churches ordained and lay members worked as a team - no us and them!! The gifts and skills of all were nurtured and encouraged. Pastoral care was a strength. If you don’t know already then find out how we manage pastoral care in this parish as you think about this characteristic.
6. Room for all was a key characteristic whereby welcome to newcomers extended to finding them a meaningful place in the life of the church. Contributions from children and young people were encouraged and enquirers were helped to come to faith. Diversity was a key characteristic of these congregations. People knew one another and enjoyed spending time together. How many people here this morning do you really know?
7. A few things were done and done well. Public worship, pastoral care, stewardship and good administration were priorities. Occasional offices (baptisms, weddings and funerals) were seen as opportunities to communicate faith and make sense of life. There was realism about the impossibility of doing everything equally well at once and to accept that in a relaxed way.
During this summer period through sermons, discussion, questionnaires and with the help of an outside facilitator, we shall be unpacking these issues and trying to evaluate the life of our church at St Peter’s and St Francis. We want to celebrate the achievements and blessings of recent years, as well as being honest about where things could improve and grow.
It is important that as many people as possible take part so that we have a wide spectrum of responses as we seek God’s will for the next phase of our parish life and mission, using all our resources, old and new, in the best possible way for the blessing of the local community and in order to help more people come to faith in Christ. The whole exercise will culminate in a Parish day at St Peter’s on July 16th. Everyone is welcome. Book the date now in your diary and look out for more details.
Above all pray, giving thanks for all that God has given us and for all the blessings which we have received together and as individuals, especially those which have come through out membership of this parish. Pray too that God will reveal to us, in the power of his Spirit, the next steps on our pilgrimage together and that St Peter’s and St Francis’ will bring glory to Jesus our Lord in all they are and do.
