In a recent EFCA West semimonthly in-person staff meeting, we discussed what characterized healthy churches. It was a good conversation. Since I have been our team’s “church health guy” for eleven years now, I was asked my opinion. I suggested three characteristics I typically see, though I have added one other to my list in the weeks afterward.

A lot has been written about the characteristics of a healthy church. There are multiple church health assessment tools and surveys that can be used to assess a church against the tool’s creator’s opinion of what constitutes a healthy church. Mark Dever’s 9 Marks of a Healthy Church, which has spawned its own organization, is now in its 4th edition – yes, things have been added since the 1st edition was written. That’s okay because there is an endless list of things that might be added to such lists depending upon one’s ecclesiastical convictions and how long a list one wishes to create. But scripture doesn’t give us a checklist – it gives us lots of commands and lots of historical, descriptive information about churches and closes with a list of seven churches in our Savior’s Revelation. It’s a lot to consider and something to talk about.

But I decided to go a different route in this month’s article. Rather than creating my own list of things that make a church healthy, I decided to share with you the most common characteristics I have found in churches that are in trouble. A major part of my work is with churches experiencing times of trouble. Some troubles are sudden onset, but I have found that most of the time the troubles have been simmering for some time before they were recognized and efforts made to deal with them.

If we know common signs of trouble for churches, we can take steps to avoid or remedy them before it becomes too late. But no steps will be taken unless leaders talk about it. So here is my four-point list of common traits of troubled churches. They are something to talk about.

Great Commission

Almost every troubled church has lost sight of doing the Great Commission. Missionaries and organizations may be receiving support, but the members are not actively engaged in doing the Great Commission. Oftentimes, we are so busy doing church work that we don’t even think about it.

Here are some ideas to help your leadership team assess your church’s Great Commission mindset.

1. Do we talk about the Great Commission mandate during our church services?
2. Do we leaders talk about it during our staff and board meetings?
3. Are we leaders personally and intentionally engaged in doing the Great Commission?
4. Do we know any personal stories of our members doing Great Commission things?
5. Are we intentionally seeking to ensure that our church continues from generation to generation or are we getting older and older on the way to our church’s demise?
6. Are we celebrating success?
7. How are we doing on the Great Commission commands?

Great Commandment

Almost every troubled church lacks a commitment to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We note in our preaching and teaching on these verses that the Samaritan loved an injured man he came across – a stranger. Yet, in practice, I have found that troubled churches love their church friends, but not the strangers. In a recent article I wrote about the difference between churches being friendly and being hospitable as hospitable and friendly are two very different concepts.

How might we leaders assess our church’s obedience to the Greatest Commandment?

1. Do we and those we lead love God enough to obey him? The command includes loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength – all we have. Are we seeing this among ourselves and our members?
2. What happens when a stranger comes into our church? Do we love on them or merely greet and be “friendly” toward them? Do guests return or not come back? If you have a greeting time, do people spend time with guests or strangers or blow by them to hang with their friends?
3. Have we been training our flock to be hospitable or do we just assume it will naturally occur?
4. Do our members worship with heartfelt passion? Always keep in mind that “heartfelt” won’t look the same for everyone.
5. How are we doing on the Greatest Commandment?

Healthy Leadership

Almost every troubled church has dysfunctional or unhealthy leaders. Dysfunctional means that things are not functioning as well as intended or desired. Unhealthy means there are relational or spiritual troubles within and among the church’s leaders. I often say that there should be no place in a church where the Fruit of the Spirit is more evident than when its leaders meet together to discern the will of God.

1. Do we have fractured relationships that need mending within our leadership team? Do we love and respect one another? Do we resolve conflicts quickly and in a restorative way? Do we handle conflicts well?
2. Are our meetings productive and yielding positive results in a positive way?
3. Do we pray together? Are we moving the same direction? Do we trust one another?
4. Do we hold one another accountable for our behaviors and words or ignore misconduct within the team?
5. How are we doing on our leaders’ health and functionality?

On Mission

Almost every troubled church lacks intentionality in pursuing their mission – many don’t even know what their mission is.

1. Do we leaders have clarity about where we are leading the church and what we are trying to accomplish? Is it clear or ambiguous and ill-defined?
2. Do our members know our church’s mission? Do we publicly talk about it frequently as a reminder? Do we celebrate successes?
3. Is our mission to do the Great Commission in our local context? If not, what is it?
4. How are doing in having and pursuing a mission that’s worth sacrificing for? Can we give it the clarity it needs to make it our main thing? 

Sure, there are other things that become evident in troubled churches, but these are the things that I see most often. And I’m convinced that churches that address these four things and keep them in mind have a greater chance of avoiding serious trouble than those that do not.

One key to avoid becoming a troubled church is to get help early trouble is on the horizon. Our USA culture of rugged independence works against us when we try to solve significant problems on our own. The EFCA West staff is ready and able and would love to come alongside our churches’ leadership communities to help them be the Great Commission, Greatest Commandment, healthy leadership, and “on mission” churches that God has called us to be.

And that’s something worth investing some time in talking about.

Let us know if we can help and how your conversation goes. Contact Bob Osborne by e-mail at bob.osborne@efca.org. 

This is one of a series of articles intended to facilitate and guide church leaders’ conversations about significant issues that often are not talked about among pastors, boards, and church leadership teams. Visit the EFCA West website to see prior Something to Talk About articles.