When It comes to vital signs, the greatest of these is loving God

The first on the list of vital signs of healthy BIC congregations is also the first on Jesus’ list of what it means to be a healthy Christian, and that is our love of God. We state: “In congregations where the Great Commandment is emphasized, people are passionate in their desire to follow God in obedience to Christ who is the head of the Church.” And as an indicator of that passion, it is expected that members of healthy churches “eagerly share how Jesus found them and brought new meaning to their lives.”

But how do we know if the people in our churches are growing in their love of God? What are the markers of love-healthy congregations? According to researcher George Gallup, the majority of churches are charting the wrong things when it comes to assessing growth in love of God. We tend to fall back on the obvious things—attendance, new programs, and giving—as indicators of improved health. Or as Gallup puts it: “The giant assumption is that because people are there, they are growing. But it’s not enough to collect a crowd. You’ve got to make disciples.”

The book Focusing Our Faith: Brethren in Christ Core Values lists what we BIC take to be the signs of a healthy Christian and, by extension, of healthy churches. Loving God is foundational. Then we continue with believing the Bible, worshipping God, following Jesus, belonging to the community of faith, witnessing to the world, serving compassionately, pursuing peace, living simply, and relying on God. We’ve been talking about, preaching on, studying, and refining these core values over the past decade.

Now it’s time to be intentional and adept at tracking congregational progress in all the core areas. If these things matter—and we’ve said they do—then we must find ways to assess how our churches are doing. To that end, we’ve added a researcher to the General Church staff. We are also eager to be a clearinghouse for examples of best practices for encouraging and tracking church health. So please, let us hear from you. The commitment to starting and supporting healthy churches belongs to all of us.

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