10 healthy habits of Sunday morning saints

Perry Engle, bishop of the Midwest and Pacific Conferences, has identified 10 healthy habits for Sunday morning saints that he believes can help strengthen relationships among the people of God. He asks: How much more healthy would our congregations be if each member made the following commitments to their church and their brothers and sisters in Christ?

1. If I have a problem with you, I will talk to you about my concern before I talk to anyone else.

2. If I have a problem with the pastor, I will talk to the pastor before I talk to anyone else about the pastor.

3. I will work to make sure that all of my comments made in public are respectful, helpful, and positive.

4. I will come to church expecting to be a participant in worship rather than an observer.

5. Each week I will meet and greet at least one person I don’t know very well and do my best to remember their name.

6. I will involve myself in at least one other church-related activity or small group meeting outside the weekly worship gathering.

7. Each week I will look for at least one thing in a person who serves in my church and tell them how much I appreciate their efforts.

8. When we meet as a church, I will assume that the people gathered around me, to a large extent, are wounded and hurting, and will do my best to interact with and encourage, and not ignore them.

9. I will come to church expecting to learn (or relearn) at least one lesson from God’s Word that I will work to apply to my life during the upcoming week.

10. I will expect to encounter Almighty God on a regular basis, and be open to his redeeming grace in my life.

The health of our churches is not just the responsibility of the pastor, the staff, the board, or the bishop. It’s the responsibility of each and every person who considers him- or herself a follower of Jesus Christ. As Paul stresses in 1 Corinthians 12:27: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” These 10 healthy habits of gathered saints will go a long way toward improving the health of individual congregations.

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