Healthy Church Characteristics

"What Does A Healthy Church Look Like"

Definition of healthy- a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being not merely the absence of disease or infirmities.

As we read the Bible we find that God is really good to tell us what a healthy Church should look like. As I have read through the scriptures, it has become very clear that sadly we have a lot of unhealthy Churches that need to be cleaned up.

People build the structure of a Church. The Church is people. I remember when I first became a Christian and actually started to understand that the Church is more than just a building, things started to make more sense to me.

A healthy Church with wise, Godly people will build a Church structure the way God says to. Wise humble people will admit when they have made a mistake while building and they will clean it up.

The Bible does in fact talk a lot about how to build a healthy church and how to treat one another. Remember, the church is made up of people.

A Full Gospel Church Is A Healthy Church

I know at times this is a controversial subject. But when I read through the Bible what always hits my heart is that it shouldn't be, because it's VERY clear in scripture. At the end of this article you will find many scriptures that tell us what a healthy church should look like and also ones on to how to treat one another.

I encourage you to dig into the scriptures, really read them in a whole to understand. I have shared some but there are MANY more. Let go of any pride you may have and let God speak to you. Pay attention to the scriptures that use the words, All, Each Of You, Sons And Daughters, Co Laborers, He Gave Some, One Another.

A Healthy Church

1.Healthy Churches Teach About the "Gifts Of The Holy Spirit". They will see the gifts in others and build them up. They will help disciple the people in the gifts. A secessionist church is NOT a healthy church. Those churches remind me of the scripture in 1 Timothy that says, having a form of godliness, but denying the power of from such turn away.

Yes, there are good people sitting in those churches who love Jesus. But they are missing out on all God has for them. And they are being deceived by the teaching that the gifts have ceased, they are NOT being taught the full gospel. Again when you read the Bible and go through all the scriptures you will clearly see that the "Five Fold Church" and walking in the "Gifts" is apart of the "Full Gospel of Jesus Christ" Just like growing in the "Fruits Of The Spirit" is part of the Full Gospel.

There are some Churches that believe the gifts are active today, but they are not practicing the gifts yet as a congregation. They are working towards introducing the gifts to the people. They are not unhealthy Churches, they believe the scriptures and are working towards becoming a Full Gospel Church.

2.Healthy Churches Encourage One Another. Often times in unhealthy Churches, there are always some people whose gifts are highlighted and built up within the church structure. While other people walking in their spiritual gifts are overlooked. They need some encouragement in walking out what God has called

A healthy Church will encourage everyone, understanding that they are all a team. No one is more important than the other. Walk in your gifts and encourage others to do so as well. Don't let anyone talk down to you when you share that you need encouragement. Jesus called us to encourage one another, he knew we needed it.

3. Healthy Churches Will Allow A Woman To Preach or Teach. They will read the whole Bible in context and understand that women preached throughout the Bible. There were in fact women leaders that preached to men. There were women leading home churches with their husbands, there were women leaders within the Church in general. Healthy churches will welcome the voices of Godly women and will build them up. When you read through the scriptures there were so many women who led and prophesied in great capacity. 

I spent many hours researching this subject when someone tried to tell me that women are not allowed to speak from the pulpit. When we read the whole Bible on the subject in it's full context you will find women did in fact prophesy (Preach) to other men and women. A healthy Church understands that a woman giving the word does NOT mean that she is trying to take authority over the Pastor or disrespect him. She is sharing the word God gave her to preach to his people. Churches that silence women are NOT healthy. I encourage you to get out of them. Its pretty amazing how they misinterpret the scripture that says a woman is not to preach and be silent. They overlook the other scriptures where God talks about his daughters and calls them to prophesy (PREACH). 

They don't try to understand what Paul was saying in that time to the culture. BUT yet they also don't enforce the scriptures that say a woman is not to wear pants, not to wear jewelry and is to have a covering over her head, and that she is saved through child birth! Interesting that they leave out pushing all that on women but focus on them remaining silent. Unhealthy Churches won't dig into the scriptures to find out what it really means in its context. Read the scriptures for yourself. You might be surprised at what you find. 

4. Healthy Churches Hold People Accountable. There is a major lack of accountability within our Churches. Accountability is Biblical, control is not. Many pastors and leaders get away with abuse and other sins they are actively walking in. I encourage you to get out of those Churches and find a Church that holds people accountable. 

My greatest moments of growth, greatest moments of conviction and repentance came from being in Full Gospel Churches. That held me accountable, encouraged my spiritual growth and did not silence me. They taught me the Full Gospel. 

Also, if you know that people are being abused SPEAK UP! You could be saving a life by doing so. Jesus would not be silent and neither should you. Healthy Churches do not use scriptures taken out of context to convince people who are being abused to stay with the abusers. Nor do they try to convince a wife to submit to her abusive husband. Nor do they teach people to obey a Pastor no matter what he does. Yes God hates divorce BUT he also hates abuse and does NOT expect his daughters to stay in it. 

5. Healthy Churches Have A Good Understanding Of Deliverance And Discipline. Healthy churches understand that Jesus did in fact cast out demons, and he said his people would do so also. He said it several times throughout scripture. He also said, Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.". John 14:12 

A Healthy Church understands that there should not be people sitting in Church every week in bondage to a demonic stronghold. Yes, Christians can be oppressed by demons but NOT possessed.

A Healthy Church also knows that not everything is demonic oppression. Some struggles come from not enough spiritual discipline or self control. In those cases surrender to The Holy Spirit and discipleship is needed. I have heard so many testimonies from people who left churches that did not belie demonic oppression that they had suffered from for many years. Deliverance IS part of the Full Gospel. Churches that don't believe in deliverance have hurt many people.

6. Healthy Churches Will Deal With Conflict When It Comes. As I said before, all Churches make mistakes, its part of learning and growing. Healthy Churches will have moments of healthy conflict. It grows them and makes them strong.

Unhealthy Churches push the conflict under the rug and bully people. Healthy Churches grow in dealing with it a loving and respectful way. And of course you always have those in the church that try to start unnecessary conflict, it is important to put a stop to that before it gets out of control. And sadly, in some cases, you may even have to ask someone to leave the church.

I have witnessed unhealthy Church structures become healthy as the leaders repent. There is hope for them. Pray for them.

7. Healthy Churches Will Teach Repentance A healthy church will teach about repentance and grace. It understands that the scriptures tell us, we are to repent and give our lives to Jesus. That he will give us the Holy Spirit to help us walk out our salvation and walk in holiness. It understands that when a Christian messes up, we are to repent, not justify the sin. They teach that God will continue to transform his people from glory to glory. A healthy Church will NOT teach that sin is ok.

Churches that preach that repentance is not necessary and that you can act like the world and just include Jesus are dangerous for the souls of people. It's one thing to mess up. It is another thing to live in willful sin. Jesus is very clear on that. Some unhealthy Churches like to preach that Jesus hung out with the sinners only. They leave out that he led them to repentance and did not participate in the sin.

We all choose what Church we go to. It will benefit us greatly if we look to The Holy Spirit to guide us in choosing a Church. Churches that mock Full Gospel Churches , mock those that walk in the Gifts Of The Holy Spirt, that are abusive and cover it up, and that silence women need to repent.

The scriptures encourage us to look for a healthy Church to be apart of, you will be happy you did. They are out there. Don't let the abuse and lack of understanding scripture in some Churches cause you to give up. Keep Searching!

Scriptures That Support A Healthy Church And The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit

1 Corn 12, 1 Corn 14, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4: 8-11, Hebrews 2:4, 1 Thes 5:11-22, Mark 16: 17-18, Romans 1:11-12, Romans 15:5, Collosians 3:16, Jude 20, Romans 8:27, Revelation 2 & 3, Acts 2:17, Joel 2:28, Romans 16:1-2, Acts 16, Acts 18. Matthew 8:16, Luke 9:1, Luke 10:17, Acts 21:9, Acts 18:26, Phili 4: 2-3, Romans 16:7, Micah 6:4,