What Makes A Church Healthy?

Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.  (Ep 4:16, NLT)

I really like the above verse, it shows how a healthy church operates.  It does not give you a step by step plan, but it does show the body interaction necessary for a church to become healthy. I believe that God would have His Church to be healthy, growing, and full of love.

It does not give you a plan to follow, but shows the necessity of each person and how important it is that each person function, and be allowed to function, in their gifting. It takes everybody active in their gifting for the body to truly become healthy.

It does not give you a wineskin to model, but shows you what will keep your wineskin pliable, soft, useable, and able to contain life.

For each of personally, it shows a few things we need to remember:

Ÿ  We each need to use our gifts for God’s glory and the Churches edification

Ÿ  The body is not complete without us, it needs our gift to be operating

Ÿ  We are not complete by ourselves, we need the rest of the body

Ÿ  It is not a one man show, one person is not gifted to do it all

Ÿ  We are not to be spectators, we are to be participants

Are we active in the Church? Are we doing what God has called us to do? Are we in a body where each person is allowed and encouraged to exercise their gift? Is the body we are part of healthy, growing and full of love? If not, what can we do to help bring about change? One thing we can do is follow God’s leading and do our own special work, thereby helping the other parts grow.