When we talk about church growth, our first thoughts are often about growth in numbers, in amount of activity, in hours of engagement, and alongside this what we might term growth in discipleship, in depth of understanding, Biblical literacy, and developing habits and behaviours which are in keeping with what we aspire to be as Christians. All those things are good in themselves, but they don’t tell the whole story. Alongside growing, we need to be mindful of our health. As teenagers grow physically, having healthy patterns of life, getting a good, balanced diet, and developing a positive but not narcissistic self-image are of importance in their growth into adulthood. Healthy people grow well, and for someone like me who is in his 50s, the habits I build now and my approach to my health and fitness now is something that 80 year old me may well thank me for in the 2050s! The same principle applies when we consider church growth. Healthy growth is the key, not just growth in numbers and activities. After all, in the human body, growth without health can lead to problems. In my case, I had non-cancerous bone growths in my spine which started to cause me problems in recent years. Growth was not a good thing in that instance, and unchecked could have left me in constant pain, physically weak, and my limbs impaired. The surgeries I received, and the rehab and physiotherapy afterwards put the impact of this unhealthy growth behind me.
Church growth vs Church health
A healthy church should grow. But the health we need to develop in church communities goes beyond talk of numbers, or how many groups we run, how many activities we see. We need to ask questions about the health of our church communities which address relationships, culture and ethos, as well as emotional and spiritual health.
Can we disagree in a loving way? Can we resolve our conflicts in a way which others would look at and say “See how they love one another”?
Is our culture of Safeguarding so deeply embedded that we are a genuinely safe and loving environment where everyone can safely grow and thrive in their faith, and find their place in God’s family?
Is our church culture complacent? Do we challenge ourselves and ask whether we are as welcoming and inclusive as we think we are? Are we open to change, and do we do what we do for God’s glory or to pat ourselves on the back and feel comfortable in our own holiness and self-righteousness?
Are people who are emotionally vulnerable, intellectually challenged, suffering from dementia or living in the aftermath of trauma being properly cared for, nurtured and protected? Are they being affirmed and empowered as well as ministered to? Is our church a place of healing for them where they can gain strength from the love and support they receive, and discover their own vocation as God’s children?
Are people in our church community truly rooted in Christ, being nurtured as his disciples and able to see their church activities and attendance in terms of their “theosis” – i.e. their transformation into the likeness of Christ?
Are our clergy and lay ministers in risk of burnout? An experienced vicar once said to me, a couple of years after my ordination, “Nick, when you talk about your ministry, I hear a lot about how you are pouring yourself out, but not a lot about how you’re turning the taps on to fill the bath back up. Make sure your bath doesn’t run dry.” We need to make sure, as ministers that don’t simply distract ourselves with rubber ducks, but turn on the taps. By this I mean, not just finding hinterland hobbies and occasional distractions from the pressures of ministry, but ensure we have space for genuine refreshment and spiritual nourishment. And if you are a vicar, it is your churchwardens’ duty to make you do this too: your health and wellbeing is part of their remit, so have regular conversations with them about this. Battling alone is not healthy in itself, and vocation and calling is never a wholly solo pursuit. Part of being a healthy church is taking shared responsibility for each others’ wellbeing, and in the case of clergy and other church leaders, an example has to be set from the leadership, and the leadership supported in this.
There are pressures, often of our own making, in ministry: pressure to perform, deliver, produce new things, develop everyone else’s vocations, keep the show on the road, dealing with everyone else’s crises and challenges without considering the cost and weight of all this. Time off, Sabbath time, spiritual refreshment, theological study and refreshing of our passion for Jesus, prayerfulness, retreats, and all the rest are important in terms of self care and spiritual nurturing, but these also should not be yet another pressure we put ourselves under – more things on the To Do List. Clergy and their families can implode under this pressure, and clergy can also pass this pressure on to congregations through their own expectations and demands, or poor delegation and failure to step back and question what is truly important, what is truly the work God is calling our church community to undertake. So part of the health of a church is stepping back from time to time to review the whole ministry of the church community and whether some things have run their course, or cannot realistically continue to be staffed in a way which is healthy for the volunteers and staff involved.
Growth tends to happen gently – though occasionally things take off unexpectedly and quickly. And this is because God nurtures as he calls. When we look at how God calls people in the Bible, there is often a sense of a gentle calling first, which grows. Samuel was quietly helping Eli in small ways as a servant before God called him in the night. And when he hears God’s voice, it is not to call him immediately to be a priest or prophet, but to warn his master Eli that he and his sons are going to be punished for their errant leadership. The calling is firm but nurturing, step by step. This is why, generally speaking, new believers do not immediately step up into leadership or teaching roles in churches, and vocations unfold more gently.
Growing churches is important, but healthy growth is what is needed, growth which nurtures and affirms, and which challenges all members of the church to grow in a way which is healthy, which makes us a visibly safe and more loving community, and which makes us more and more like Jesus.
Vicar of Villages 