We want to see our churches grow and become spiritually healthy. Yet, church leaders must deal with many issues that can prevent or stunt reaching those objectives. We can, and should, learn as much as we can about the obstacles but keeping issues from blocking church growth and health requires aligning with God’s overall purposes for the Church.
Objective to Grow & Become Spiritually Healthy
First spend some time reflecting on your desire for church growth and health. Ask God to help you understand your part in it and how to handle blockages to that growth. Here are some articles and books that can help you grasp a better understanding of this objective:
- Article: Leaders & Church Growth
- Article: Are We Ready for Conversion Growth?
- Article: Variety of Articles on Church Growth
- Book: Effective Church Growth Strategies by Joseph Walls, Gene A. Getz
- Book: Growth by Accident, Death by Planning: How Not to Kill a Growing Congregation by Bob Whitesel
- Article: A Christ-like Church: God’s Heart for the Church to Be Holy
- Article: Alignment with the Truth Required for Christ-likeness
- Article: Spiritual Principles of Church Health
- Resource: Steering the Church Toward Christ-like Character Leadership Guide by Ministry Tools Resource Center
Issues That Might Be Blocking the Realization of These Objectives
Obstacles of both a physical and spiritual nature can sometimes block church growth and health. This post won’t provide solutions but rather point to other resources for you to read, reflect on, and pray about.
- Physical concerns like safety and legal issues can get in the way of spiritual growth and health if not dealt with effectively. They could become distractions and even cause people to become disillusioned with the church. Perhaps the following resources can help you with these kinds of issues:
- Article: Safety Measures in the Church?
- Article: Safety Measures in the Church: Trust God or Take Precautions?
- Article: Variety of Articles for Leaders on Church Safety
- Book: Church Security: Providing a Safe Worship Environment by Kevin Robertson
- Book: The Child Safeguarding Policy Guide for Churches and Ministries by Basyle Tchividjian & Shira M. Berkovits
- Resources: Church Safety Resources for a Variety of Areas
- Sometimes people stray from God and His ways. Similar to the account of Achan in the Old Testament whose disobedience to God affected the whole camp (Josh. 7), so will sin left unchecked in the Church lessen its light and saltiness in the world (Matt. 5:13-16). If the people in the church act and react no better than everyone else, what’s the benefit of becoming part of it? Church leaders can find help thinking about their role in these situation in the following resources:
- Article: A Christ-like Church: Holiness, Not By Leaders Taking a Hands-Off Approach
- Article: A Christ-like Church: Holiness, Not Legalism
- Article: Leaders & Church Discipline
- Articles: Variety of Articles about Church Discipline
- Download: Steering the Church Toward Christ-like Character Leadership Guide
- When conflict festers in a church, it tends to derail real ministry and can even lead to division. Jesus clearly stated that a house “divided against itself will not stand” (Matt. 12:25). Leaders can become so consumed with putting out relational fires that they have little left to steer the church toward health and growth. If we can’t reconcile with one another and find ourselves wrapped up in political power plays, how are we any different than the world around us?
- Article: Church Leadership Skill: Conflict Management
- Article: Healing in Divisive Church Situations
- Article: Harmony in the Midst of Conflict?
- Article: Obstacles in Becoming More Purposeful: Fleshly Resistance & Conflicts
- Article: The Pastor’s Role in Managing Church Conflict
- Article: The Slippery Slope: Staying on Top of Conflict
- Article: Unity Prohibited by the Need for Control
- Article: When Resistance from Others Hinders Pursuit of God’s Purposes
- Articles: More on Managing Conflict
- Book: Caring Enough to Confront by David Augsburger
- Book: The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by Ken Sande
Keeping These Issues from Blocking Church Growth & Health Requires Aligning with God’s Purposes
We must always remember what Jesus identified as the Greatest Commandments — to love Him with all of who we are which spills over into loving others (Matt. 22:37-40). Jesus also said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn. 13:34-35). Church life will at times get messy as a diverse group of people come together as one living in a world full of trouble (Jn. 16:33). But, if we keep bringing each other back into alignment with God’s overriding purposes, we will overcome and continue to grow and mature in Him. To keep from letting issues destroy and divide rather than build up and propel us, we need to “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8). Use the resources below to work through how to continue on this pursuit:
- Articles: Do You Have a Church Purpose Based on the Greatest Commandments to Love? (follow links in that post)
- Articles: God’s Purpose for the Church – Help Breaking Through Barriers (follow links in that post)
- Article: Fulfilling God’s Purpose to Love
- Article: Our Greatest Purpose in Life Made Clear by Jesus
- Resource: Church Purpose Ministry Manual by Ministry Tools Resource Center
- Resource: Steering the Church Toward God’s Purposes Leadership Guide by Ministry Tools Resource Center
More Help for Leaders: Leadership Resources