I came across this resource created by the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. I commend it to you for reading and reflection. It is dedicated to the seven key features of healthy churches. I will list the seven points and, below, provide a link to the full document. The full document explores each mark in greater detail.
Despite the fact that this distillation of healthy practices is not rocket science, I think it is spot on. Together, they insure growing in faith, sharing faith and remaining flexible. It is pretty good.
Seven Marks of a Healthy Church
1) A Life Giving Spirituality
2) Engagement in God’s Mission
3) Building up the Christian Community
4) Expectation of New Christians
5) Faith Development of Children and Young People
6) Leadership that Enables Lay Ministry and Witness
7) An Openness to Change Experiences
7 Marks
Despite the fact that this distillation of healthy practices is not rocket science, I think it is spot on. Together, they insure growing in faith, sharing faith and remaining flexible. It is pretty good.
Seven Marks of a Healthy Church
1) A Life Giving Spirituality
2) Engagement in God’s Mission
3) Building up the Christian Community
4) Expectation of New Christians
5) Faith Development of Children and Young People
6) Leadership that Enables Lay Ministry and Witness
7) An Openness to Change Experiences
7 Marks
2 comments:
Our recent clergy conference featured David Gortner of CDSP leading a workshop on evangelism, but not before going through a lengthy analysis of healthy and struggling congregations and healthy and struggling clergy. Your Seven Marks are entirely consistent with his presentation. But one of the points he made is that struggling clergy seem to be both unable and unwilling to move in that direction. Although he didn't come right out and say it, his implication was that we are burdened with an excess of very nice, warm, loving, caring, indecisive, easily intimidated clergy lacking in the self-confidence needed to be effective leaders. Their current line of defense is the Ministry of all Baptized. Behind that line they can claim that "effective clergy leadership" is the same thing as authoritarian priest centered control. So if things are not working it's because the Ministry of all Baptized is not yet working the way it should.
CP,
I think that analysis is on the money. The execution is the hard part. Everyone knows, in some sense, what we are to be about, but doing it is another thing entirely. Leading is hard. Trying to lead and encountering resistance is difficult as well. The easier, softer way is to roll over. Fr. Cathie posted a piece at Anglican Centrist about theological education. We all know it is expensive and becoming more so, maybe to the point that residential study may be impossible in the future. The harsh reality is there are many gaps in formation already. I would love to see more of a leadership focus. Most of us have some of it, and develop it "on the job". It may be that more clergy are undone by a lack of clarity around leadership, than anything of theological substance.
What do you think?
Chris+
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