8 non-numerical ways to assess the health of a church
From an article by Karl Vaters
Karl Vaters has been in pastoral ministry for over 40 years. He is the teaching pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, a small church in Orange County, California. His heart is to help pastors of small churches find the resources to lead well, and to capitalize on the unique advantages that come with pastoring a small church. He is the author of four books and produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive.
Church 'success' is often about numbers - attendees, donations, etc. However, they are not the best way to measure church health and effectiveness, especially in smaller churches.
Here are 8 helpful ways (abridged) to assess the health and effectiveness of a church without using numbers:
1. Ask “What Should We Be Doing And How Well Are We Doing It?”
Jesus gave us the Great Commandment and Great Commission. That is the mission of every church. But the way one church is called to do that is going to be different than the way another church is called to do that. Every leader of every church needs to know how their church is fulfilling the Great Commandment and Great Commission within their context.
We must constantly assess the health and effectiveness of the congregation based on the following questions: Are we a worshiping church? A loving church? An evangelistic church? A compassionate church? A discipling church?
2. Talk To The People In The Church
“How are we doing?” should be our constant attitude. We need to ask the questions and be open to honest answers.
3. Hear From People Outside The Church
There’s a limit to what we can learn about the health and effectiveness of a church by talking amongst ourselves. We need an honest assessment of how our church looks from the outside looking in. When friends and neighbours visit, we need to provide a way for them to give their feedback.
4. Compare Your Demographics To The Neighbourhood’s Demographics
Churches typically look like their neighbourhood in one of two ways:
First, unhealthy churches tend to look like their neighbourhood used to look – either when the church was founded, or during the last strong pastorate. They’re freeze-dried in place, repeating patterns that no longer work. And they’ve lost the ability to speak to the people around them today.
Second, healthy churches look like the neighbourhood looks today – with a similar demographic blend of ages, ethnicities and so on. They haven’t changed their core message or their values, but they’ve learned how to communicate them in a way their current neighbourhood can hear and understand.
5. Does Your Bulletin Have A Mix Of Inward-Focused And Outward-Focused Events?
Unhealthy churches are concerned with their own events and comfort – and the bulletin will reflect that. Healthy churches have a good blend of events to strengthen the current congregation (worship, discipleship, fellowship) and events that reach out (ministry teams, evangelism, compassion ministry).
6. Do You Dread Leadership Meetings Or Look Forward To Them?
In a healthy church, administrative meetings are short, effective and as infrequent as possible. When they meet those criteria, meetings that fix problems, cast vision, and build the team are not just endurable, they’re exciting, energizing, and even fun.
7. Do Conflicts Get Resolved, Or Do They Linger?
Healthy churches do not avoid conflict, they deal with conflict quickly, collaboratively, and effectively. The best way to do that is to spot the conflict either before it happens or as soon as it’s noticed. The earlier you address a conflict the smaller it will be, and the easier it is to resolve. Sometimes, smaller issues fade away on their own if you don’t give them any air to breathe. But when you know it won’t disappear due to lack of interest, the sooner you address it, the better.
8. Listen To Conversations – Are They More About The Past Or The Future?
Unhealthy churches talk a lot about “going back” to the glory days – whether real or imagined. Healthy churches honour the past and build on it, but they have no desire to repeat it or live in it. We must never forget what God has done among us, but our focus should always be on what God is doing now and wants to do next.
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From an article by Karl Vaters, 12/06/2023