Pioneer Christian Monthly - October, 1997

Your Church Needs A Complete Physical Examination (Part 1)
Jim Moerman

Now that the task of discerning a three-year vision for the Regional Synod of Canada has been identified (Hallelujah!), the even more important task of massaging that vision into the bones and sinew of classes, pastors, consistories, and congregations is next on the agenda.

To review-the officially-approved, government-inspected, Grade-A, crystal-dear (usually) vision of the Regional Synod of Canada is this:

By The Grace of God, Every Church A Healthy Church: Radiant in Christ, Reaching and Reproducing.

JUST CHECKING

I do confess that it has been an awfully long time since I've had a complete physical examination to ascertain my health status. There are a few little aches and pains that I've just accepted as indicators thatI'm decidedly alive, but to be a good steward of the life God has given me, I think I'd better get a complete physical.

But how healthy is the church, your church? If Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, gave your church a complete physical, what would He discover? Would He give it a clean bill of health, rush it to the emergency ward for immediate care, or something in between? If we ignore the issues of church health, we are being irresponsible and reckless stewards of the life of the Body. Your church needs a complete physical. At the very least, we need to think hard about health issues in the local church. I'd like to assist that process by donning my white jacket (borrowed, of course) and stethoscope and by asking a few probing questions. These questions too are borrowed from a fine article published in Leadership magazine (Summer/97).

1. Does your church have a clear and common vision?

Ascertaining a congregational vision is not just "the latest thing' for busy consistories to ponder; it is an essential activity to the life of a healthy church. But "any dream" will NOT do. It is important that the vision is biblical, widely-known in the congregation, owned by the people, and articulated with clarity by the church's leadership. It's actually fairly simple to bang out a vision statement for the church on a word processor and then plaster it onto the masthead of the church bulletin. But it's another thing to work it out in the life of the Body.

Too many congregations in Canada are in near-critical condition because the answer to the question "What, for God's sake, are we to do?" is remarkably fuzzy. On the whole, Christians (and non-Christians for that matter) are more drawn to a church that has a clearly-defined purpose/vision than to one that does not. Churches without a vision will soon find themselves without a congregation.

An example of a congregation with a vision is Grace Community Church of Thorold, Ontario. The vision is biblical, widely known, articulated by the church's leadership, and it's only four words long: "From Religion To Faith.' While Pastor Les Boyd admits that identifying purpose statements is not an activity he consciously participates in, he does preach the purpose of Grace Community Church from the pulpit and lives it out in intentional personal evangelism, so that "the unsaved will come to faith and the saints will be equipped," he often says.

Even an entire classis must have a vision if it is to move forward in good health. Classis Ontario has recently done some extraordinary work in this area, arriving at the following purpose statement: our task as Classis Ontario is to give leadership as we embark on a pathway to the future, helping our congregations - by the grace of God - to reach a condition of spiritual health and vitality so that fi-uits, the ultimate goal, will be produced to the Glory of God." Wow!

A must-read book for identifying and working-out your church's vision is The Purpose-Driven Church by Rev. Rick Warren. A number of our Regional Synod of Canada pastors have already read it with much profit.

2. Is there purposeful direction in our activities?

At first glance, you might think this is the same as # 1. But while it is clearly related, it is different. The idea here is that the leadership of the church concentrates on focused and purposeful programming rather than regurgitating what was done before. In other words, the groups, ministries, and programming flows out of the vision and help fulfill the vision.

As noted above, the Regional Synod of Canada has a vision! Yippee! Let the bells ring and the banners fly! But friends, the vision is meaningless unless it now determines our purposeful activity! Because our stated vision is for every church in the Regional Synod of Canada to be a healthy (defined as radiant in Christ, reaching and ultimately-reproducing), we are shaping our groups, ministries, and programming to bring it about-by the grace of God.

One example: we are convinced that healthy churches have a great deal to do with healthy pastors. Therefore, we are in the process of establishing "Refocussing Networks" in every classis, consisting of pastors who meet together monthly for the development of character, leadership, and ministry skills.

A second example: a second Grace Community Church (this one in Surrey, British Columbia) identified discipleship as a key component of their vision for the next few years. They have proceeded to set up a host of disciple-making teaching ministries, building on the pastor's exceptional teaching gift.

Here's a threatening imaginary exercise: imagine your church with nothing but a vision. Take away all the current programs, groups, and ministries. Now, what ministries, groups, and programs are necessary to "put wheels" on the vision? That's where you want to begin.

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