Excellent Protestant Congregations

An Article Written by Paul Wilkes


COMMON TRAITS OF EXCELLENT CONGREGATIONS

APPROACH

  • A vibrancy, an excitement about living the Christian life.

      These churches revel in the challenges of seizing new possibilities.

      They live on the creative and holy edge that the New Testament both stipulates and forecasts.

  • Entrepreneurial.

      These are the risk-takers and self-starters. They are constantly looking for better ways to serve and reach people.

  • Draw not geographically or even denominationally, but philosophically?

      The style of these churches attracts people beyond their normal neighborhood or area, and often draws people from outside their denomination. Their vision transcends these boundaries.

  • Reach far beyond their comfort zone.

      These churches ask tough questions about themselves. They have a new kind of power to go places they would never have dreamed of going, to let words come from their mouths they might once have kept secret in their hearts.

  • Regularly evaluate themselves.

      Convention or convenience no longer rule; effectiveness or the potential for effectiveness do. They continually ask themselves, "Who are we? What are we trying to do? Is this working? Should we change?"

  • Have a clear, yet changing sense of mission.

      This is more than just a mission statement. There is a clear vision of where the church wants to be, and they work toward it. They are willing to redirect their energies toward what they perceive as their mission, even if it changes.

  • Willingness to break up and reassemble.

      Excellent churches are ready to put aside old structures and coalitions, even when this includes sometimes painful disbandment of long-standing church committees or groups that no longer serve the best purposes of the church.

    THE WORK

  • Laity are integral in leadership.

      Formal training and ordination are not prerequisites for church leadership. Competence and a desire to serve, the ability to learn, and the courage to stay the difficult course are hallmarks of the new generation of lay leaders in excellent churches.

  • Believe in evangelizing without 'evangelizing."

      Personal contact is the key. Most of the new people in these churches come because a coworker, family member, or a neighbor invited them.

    COMMUNITY

  • See themselves as a unique community.

      While they don?t see themselves as so unique as to be outside tradition or the larger Christian community, these churches revel in their uniqueness and celebrate their unique God-given thumbprint.

  • Believe in partnerships with other churches, agencies, interest groups, or governments.

      'No church is an island' is their motto. Excellent churches enter into partnerships that allow them to do their work better.

    SPIRITUALITY

  • Traditional without being traditionalist.

      Excellent churches are not reinventing Christianity. They are people of a revered tradition. But their tradition is a beginning, a springboard, not a wall that cannot be breached. They realize that what they are presently doing may be considered ?traditional? in the years ahead.

  • Tailor services and programs to different constituencies.

      One size does not fit all. These churches consciously try to present Christian beliefs and practice within a context that many various groups can understand.

  • Have powerful, life-situation preaching.

      The preaching is always rooted in the practical, in the cries and concerns of normal people. Pastors seek not to impress with their erudition, but with their compassion and understanding.

    STRUCTURE

  • Pastors have been in place for years.

      The pastor who moves on rarely plumbs the mystery and the real potential of his or her congregation. Changing the manager doesn't always improve the team.

  • Training, training, training.

      This is the key to excellent churches. If proper training doesn't exist, they will create it. These churches send members to workshops and seminars to learn about what is happening in other churches and in such fields as education, group dynamics, and management.

  • Bring new members to full membership and participation.

      It is not enough to have a person join a church. These churches are deliberate about taking new and existing members to new levels. They have a specific program to provide members with what it means to be a Christian and how they might best serve the church and the world.

  • Call leaders, don't fill slots.

      Excellent churches are deliberate about leadership, and the pastoral staff is not shy about seeking out people to take on responsibilities. Amazingly, they find that people were just waiting to be asked.

  • Break out of their walls and into the world.

      Excellent churches have no walls or property lines. They realize there are many people within just a short distance of their doors who will never know about them if they do not reach out to the world.

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