IS THE CHURCH FALLING APART?

HOW ARE WE TO VIEW THE CHURCH AS WHETHER IT IS HEALTHY OR NOT

We often say "Our church is struggling to keep its doors open." I was thinking about that this morning.

So how are we to view the health of our churches? How do we know if the church is healthy and alive?

Most of us look first at the attendance. We look at the members who are attending the church regularly on Sunday, Sunday Night or Wednesday Night. We might look at the offering. We might look to see if we have visitors. We might look at the number of people who have been saved and baptized, While all of these might be a good sign as to the health of the church, there might be other reasons as well.

There might be reasons the attendance is not growing, and the offering is noT high and the number of visitors are not flowing in as we would like.

Of course the church could be falling apart and we are trying to find signs of life too.

Setting aside the fact the attendance is not growing, and as a matter of fact is declining, and the number of visitors are slow, and the number of salvation and baptisms is really slow, how would we view the health of the church?

In many cases you would say this church is really not healthy.

But there might be reasons for all this decline in the church that might not be necessarily a bad sign to the health of the church overall.

WHAT SHOULD A CHURCH HAVE TO MAKE IT A HEALTHY CHURCH?

1. Biblical Foundational Principles that are giving the church direction
2. Biblical Goals that are designed to help your church body become strong Christians
3. Biblical Teaching/Preaching.
4. Church members who are engaged in the ministry of their spiritual gifts.
5. Leadership who are engaged in caring for the church body as good undershepherds of the Lord Jesus Christ.
6. A church that cares about its members, its property, and community, and getting out the gospel of Jesus Christ.

HOW SHOULD WE SEE A HEALTHY CHURCH FLESH OUT A HEALTHY CHURCH BODY?

1. Biblical teaching of the Word of God in all classes in the Sunday School/Bible Fellowship
2. A whole lot of "one anothers" being carried out in the Body of Christ.
3. The worship of the Lord will bring joy to the Lord Jesus Christ.
4. Members are caught up in the moment of serving the Lord with their spiritual gifts
5. There is a joy in the worship of the Lord in the singing, testimony and hearing of the Word of God.
6. There is a sense that when we leave a Bible Study, (on a Sunday Morning, or Wednesday Night) we have learned some principles that will help us grow if we apply them to our lives.
7. We sense in our hearts that following a worship service, that our hearts and minds have been refreshed, and we have grown in the knowledge of the Lord.
8. The praise and worship and the singing has been lifted up to the Lord
   
9. The preaching and teaching of the Word of God has been clear, and has pointed us to a wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
   
10. The preaching and teaching has been given with love and power.
    
11. The preacher has been fully prepared in his teaching of the Word of God.
12. The singing and music program has been prepared fully to give praise to the Lord.

Well, just a thought.