A healthy church is more than just a building filled with people on Sunday mornings. We could all agree that churches can fill with people and still be unhealthy. So, what is a healthy church? Last month, we saw a couple of truths about a healthy church. First, it is a gathering of believers who stand in right relationship with God, surrendered to Christ’s lordship. Secondly, a healthy church is made up of Christ followers who are moving toward Jesus. Jesus gives us another clue about a...

This seems to have an obvious answer, but does it? Through Natural Church Development, we work with churches to help them become healthier, but what is the real goal? We may first think that more people means healthier. Maybe, but maybe not. I recently had a church leader in Prague ask me if God loves large churches. Interesting question, but I knew what he meant.   Does contentment or joy mean health? Not by itself. I’ve known some unhealthy churches that were quite content and even joyful...

If you’ve read James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, you’ve given thought to the power of small things – small decisions, tiny habits, and decisions that may seem insignificant at the time but will ultimately bring powerful, lasting consequences. While I could write about a number of decisions I’ve made as a pastor or helped church leaders make when I’ve coached their churches, but the one decision that has affected many other decisions is the choice to focus on church health instead of church...