What Do I Look For In a Healthy Church?

Interesting question, and one that has been partially answered by Philip Yancey, one of my favorite writers, here.

His three-part answer is this: diversity, unity, and mission.

About diversity, Yancey writes:

One modern Indian pastor told me, "Most of what happens in Christian churches, including even the miracles, can be duplicated in Hindu and Muslim congregations. But in my area only Christians strive, however ineptly, to mix men and women of different castes, races, and social groups. That's the real miracle."

About unity, he writes:

Of course, diversity only succeeds in a group of people who share a common vision. In his great prayer in John 17, Jesus stressed one request above all others: "that they may be one." The existence of 38,000 denominations worldwide demonstrates how poorly we have fulfilled Jesus' request.

About mission, he writes:

The church, said Archbishop William Temple, is "the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members."

Good words, all. But perhaps the best word is one of the comments on Yancey's article, posted by a young pastor of a small church.

Philip, as one who IS in ministry, in a tiny, young church (that I helped establish) wrestling with the threat of not being viable in a few short weeks, I cannot say anything but "Thank you" for your insight, your obedience, your patience and the grace you exhibit. And also for being willing to make the sacrifice of visiting a different community every week. Be assured, you sound very much like Jesus when you write about his church. And I grow more and more in my love for her when I read what you write. Once again you have been a spring of water for a tired and thirsty soul. So, once again, thank you.

And of course, there are things I would have put in here, like doctrinal soundness, Christ-centered worship, etc. But since Yancey is writing about churches that he visited, it is probably fair and gracious to give him the benefit of the doubt that he just assumed those things were there.

I suggest a read of this article, brief as it is. We are struggling here at APC to be faithful to our past, and to embrace a new future that is being birthed even as we wrestle.

I think we are doing well at the diversity and the mission, but not so well at the unity. May the Lord grant us courage and wisdom as He leads us in the days and years ahead. SDG [JS]