Just What Is a Healthy Church Anyway?

Originally published in The Church Network Professional Journal summer 2023

By Bill Wilson

It’s a question we’ve been asked dozens of times when we tell someone we are an advisor or coach at the Center for Healthy Churches (CHC): “Exactly what do you mean by a healthy church?”

That’s a fair question. Initially, you may be tempted to think, “Well, everyone knows what a healthy church is,” but upon further reflection you’d realize that answer is incorrect. There are many ways to define a healthy church, based largely on what metrics you use to think about the word “healthy.”

When we started the Center, we engaged in a long season of discernment around how to describe a healthy church. A Google search of the phrase reveals thousands of suggestions, and we looked at most of them. Some had 25 specific traits, some rejected the words altogether, others suggested 9 marks, some just quoted scripture, others proposed a very specific approach to theology, church culture, worship, or organizational structures. Nearly all were more prescriptive than descriptive. They sought to drive a church using their definition toward a particular brand of Christianity or polity or theology.

However, since we have adopted a trans-denominational approach to our ministry, we needed a definition that would have wide application, regardless of one’s denomination or lack thereof, theological convictions or programmatic biases. Our work leads us into nearly every part of the American church, in all its diversity and uniqueness.

At one of our CHC team gatherings, we decided to come up with a definition of “healthy church” that would help us articulate our understanding of what lies at the heart of the Center’s work. We studied scripture, reflected on many years of experience, and read widely. As a result, we spent many hours crafting a definition.

We wanted it to reflect both our own long years of experience in creating healthy churches in congregations we had served as pastors and what we have learned from our years of working as consultants with church leaders from around the country.

We quickly came to a shared agreement about what metrics don’t inform our understanding of “healthy,” specifically: the number of members a church has, the size of its budget, and how “successful” it has been. We’ve seen too many large, “successful” churches that exhibit unhealthy behaviors. We’ve also worked with many small churches that exhibit robust health and a vital mission.

After many drafts, we came up with a statement that we feel captures the heart of our work. It also mirrors our understanding of the church’s call to be the body of Christ in and for the world. This definition emerged from our discernment:

A healthy church is a community of Jesus followers
with shared vision,
thriving ministry,
and trusted leadership.

Notice that this is a qualitative definition as opposed to a quantitative one. We focus on who the community understands itself to be and how it exhibits that understanding in its shared life. Rather than looking at how much a church is doing or what it has accomplished, we look instead at how much that church follows in the way of Jesus.

• A healthy church understands that its most fundamental call is to be a community of Jesus followers. This understanding turns us away from institutional concerns and toward discipleship commitments. Such a church is clear that its core purpose is to incarnate Christ’s healing and saving ministry in a hurting world, joining God in God’s work in that world in the power of the Holy Spirit.
• A healthy church has a shared vision that all its members seek to embody. When a church’s vision is fractured, its ministry’s impact weakens, both in its members’ lives and in the community, God has given it to serve. Having a clear and focused vision invites us joyfully to align all our resources—spiritual, mental/emotional, physical, financial, and structural—toward shared Kingdom work.
• A healthy church has a thriving ministry. There is a sense of excitement and passion among its members. People experience meaning and purpose as they are given the opportunity to share their gifts. They experience God’s deep generosity and grace and are glad to give of themselves and their resources. They understand that their church has all it needs to accomplish the mission God has given it.
• A healthy church has trusted leadership—both clergy and lay. A congregation that deeply trusts its leaders can face any adaptive challenge, respond with enthusiasm to any new call, and work faithfully through any conflict that may arise. Clear communication and encouraging words and actions by leaders embolden the congregation to step out in faith.

This way of thinking about a “healthy church” reminds us of Paul’s metaphor of the church as a healthy body in Ephesians 4: “(W)e must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love” (v. 15).

Far too many churches are more concerned with the symptoms of their unhealthy church than they are willing to address the root causes of poor health. Like an individual who seeks shortcuts to physical health, churches are often lured toward easy or surface fixes. Such an approach seldom produces long-lasting health and vitality.

The path toward a healthier future starts with refocusing the church’s attention on the life and ministry of Jesus. One of our assessment tools seeks to discover what is at the “center” of a congregation. We frequently see churches that are pastor-centric, staff-centric, number-centric, doctrine-centric, denomination-centric, building-centric, program-centric, history-centric, and so forth. Whenever the organizing center of a church is anything other than Jesus, we know that our first task is to refocus their attention upon the call and commission that Jesus brought to his followers. It’s no surprise that such an invitation often creates something of an identity crisis. While Jesus is certainly talked about a great deal in many churches, prioritizing his commandments and commissions will mean putting aside lesser agendas that have encroached upon the unified, thriving, and high-trust community Jesus envisioned. 

One pastor was reflecting upon the impact such a pivot would have upon their congregation. Their insightful comment was: “You know, Jesus really makes us nervous, and putting him at the center of all we say and do is going to push us far outside our traditions and comfort zones.” 

That pastor was right. Getting and staying healthy is no easy matter. For a human body, organization, or a church to be healthy will require sacrifice and discipline. It will probably mean discomfort and rethinking of priorities and practices. Some will prefer the old ways of unhealthy relationships and misplaced priorities. Others, however, will welcome the idea that congregational life can be healthy in a way that not much else in their world is right now. 
Health is always a choice, and we believe the churches that will thrive in the 21st century will be those who deliberately embrace a healthy lifestyle built around the centrality of Christ, the shared leadership of the Spirit, the joy of ministry and the trust that marks genuine fellowship. 

Author

Bill Wilson serves as the Founder and Senior Consultant of the Center for Healthy Churches in Winston-Salem, NC. He can be reached at billw@chchurches.org. Add Bill’s photo.

Edited by Bill Owens