Becoming a Healthy Church

Becoming a Healthy Church

Today it seems that we the church are more independent than interdependent, this book helps to foster how we as saints can build more loving caring relationships that cross Racial, Social and economic lines. As Paul says:

“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in LOVE, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ.” (Colossians 2:2)

Becoming a Healthy Church: Ten Characteristics,” is not a textbook. Nor is it intended to be a history of the church in New England. Rather, it is a tool designed to be adapted and used by churches and other organizations to evaluate and revitalize their ministries. Rather than laying down hard-and-fast models of growth or organizational structures, the author, Stephen A. Macchia, relies on time-honored principles and success stories from around the region.

The book is organized, as its title implies, around 10 principles. "The ten characteristics of a healthy church were not pulled out of thin air”. “They grew out of an intense strategic planning process that involved Board members, staff, area ministry leaders, with both genders, all ages levels, and a variety of denominations represented." (Maachia, 1999, 158)

The resulting book is a reflection of the organization for which Maachia has served as president for the past decade--“Vision New England.” Linking the book with the mission of Vision, Macchia says that, "Throughout the more than a hundred years of our history, Vision New England has been promoting evangelism, but we were not concentrating on whether the church was healthy enough to be prepared for every phase of the evangelism and discipleship process. Once the strategic planning group asked itself what it would take for a church to be healthy enough for all aspects of evangelism, we came up with the 10 characteristics of a healthy church. That process transformed Vision New England and has given us the focus we needed as we enter the new millennium."

“Vision New England,” in its continuing quest to help churches become healthier, offers several helps to accompany the book. A "Leadership Team Discussion Tool can provide both the diagnosis and a hope-filled prognosis," says Macchia. Vision also offers seminars to aid church leaders in understanding how to use the tools.

Instead of focusing on growth, church leaders have realized the need to focus on the health of the church and many new books have been written on this topic. Several authors have taken the time to write on what they feel are the necessary principles that a healthy church must possess. For example, Mark Dever lays out his principles in Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. Christian A. Maachia studied over 1000 churches on 5 continents in 32 countries and published what he thought were the eight essential qualities of a healthy church in Natural Church Development. George Barna, well known for his work in studying different churches, laid out his principles in his 1999 ...