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(Second of two parts; click here to read Part 1)

Christian A. Schwarz, head of the Institute for Church Development in Germany, conducted reportedly the most comprehensive church-growth study ever, drawn from more than one thousand churches in thirty-two countries. His study revealed eight qualities in healthy churches.

Leaders of growing churches. … do not use lay workers as "helpers" in attaining their goals and fullfilling their visions. Rather, leaders invert the pyramid of authority so they assist Christians to attain the spiritual potential God has for them.

When Christians serve in their area of giftedness, they generally function less in their own strength and more in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, ordinary people can accomplish the extraordinary!

The concept of spiritual passion and the widespread notion of the walk of faith as "performing one's duty" seem to be mutually exclusive.

Anyone who accepts this perspective will continually evaluate to what extent church structures improve the self-organization of the church. Elements not meeting this standard (such as discouraging leadership structures, inconvenient worship-service times, demotivating financial concepts) will be changed or eliminated.

Services may target Christians or non-Christians, the style may be liturgical or free, the language may be "churchy" or secular—it makes no difference. . … Whenever the Holy Spirit is truly at work (and his presence is not merely presumed), he will have a concrete effect upon the way a worship service is conducted.

[These groups] go beyond just discussing Bible passages to applying its message to daily life. In these groups, members are able to bring up issues and questions that are immediate personal concerns.

The key. … is for the local congregation to focus its evangelistic efforts on the questions and needs of non-Christians. This "need-oriented" approach is different from "manipulative programs."

Unfeigned, practical love has a divinely generated magnetic power far more effective than evangelistic programs, which depend almost entirely on verbal communication. People do not want to hear us talk about love, they want to experience how Christian love really works.

-Natural Church Development
(ChurchSmart, 1996)
(To order: 800-253-4276)

Six foundational aspects of ministry are crucial to creating an environment for (healthy) growth.

Jesus' insight, "By this will all men know that [we] love one another," (John 13:35) has never been more true.

Building relationships with people was an intentional, aggressive agenda for Christ. "He spent time with his disciples" (John 3:22). He lived by the principle that people respond when we reach out to them.

In a world that knows only caricatures of Christ, people need to know him as he really is. We must present him and his message of life and grace as he gave it, so that people might build a real relationship with the living Savior.

What kind of vision do the people in your ministry have for the work to which God has called them? How confident are they in his ability to accomplish the task he has entrusted to them? Cohesiveness, commitment to the cause, receptivity to change, and teachability are all related to a healthy group image.

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