"It's Alive!"

When I was a kid I used to love watching old monster movies. The Mummy, Wolf Man, even the Swamp Thing, were sources of thrill and enjoyment. But my favorite was Frankenstein. The most famous scene in the various Frankenstein movies comes when the insane doctor lowers the body of his monster back into the lab and cries out, “It’s alive! It’s alive!” But was it really? And how do you know if something is alive. Recently I have been enjoying Building a Discipling Culture by Mike Breen. He reviews the 7 biological signs of life, the elements that define something as alive: (1) movement, (2) respiration, (3) sensitivity, (4) nutrition, (5) excretion, (6) growth, and (7) reproduction. He goes on to say that “the inevitable result of a healthy life” is growth and reproduction. It’s not enough to just be alive; the goal is to be vibrant and healthy. Healthy life is ultimately measured by the reality and extent of real growth and reproduction.

We are asking and believing for an alive, vibrant, powerful church. We want to see a congregation that accurately reflects the dynamics of God’s Kingdom in our time and place. To see that vision fulfilled we need to have a clear pathway forward.

Church Health. Just like it’s possible to have a sick, diseased individual, it’s also possible to have a sick, dysfunctional congregation. When Jesus brought salvation, it included healing and restoration. To receive healing we need to understand the kinds of “germs” that make congregations sick. Here are just a few of them: (1) Patterns of unconfessed sin. The apostle Paul had to deal with the Corinthian church for refusing to address and correct a serious pattern of sin. “But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people” (1 Corinthians 5:11). We all wrestle with our own sinful tendencies, but some sinful behaviors, when not adequately addressed, have the power to make a congregation sick. (2) Divisions and factions. Satan’s strategy is always to “divide and conquer.” When a small group in a congregation attempts to use power and influence to gain control at the expense of unity, the congregation becomes sick. “You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?” (1 Corinthians 3:3-4). (3) Lovelessness. An attitude of spiritual pride, exclusiveness and separation not only make a church sick, it changes the church into a social club. God’s house is to be known for attitudes and demonstrations of love. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” (1 John 3:16-17).

Church Growth. Spiritual growth begins in the heart and life of individual believers. If we are walking with the Lord, listening to his voice and obeying him, the character of Christ will be formed in us. “Making disciples” is our first calling as a believing congregation. Unfortunately, attracting a crowd, even if it means stealing sheep from other congregations, seems to be the mission of a few congregations. “In the past, our zeal to fulfill the Great Commission has often led to the great omission – we’ve made converts without making disciples fully trained and equipped in all Jesus taught” (Mike Breen). Learning dynamic spiritual practices will train us in spiritual maturity. Spiritual growth and development in individual members will then result in corporate growth in the congregation. Our corporate growth will be both qualitative and quantitative. The simple fact is this: healthy sheep reproduce. God’s plan to grow a healthy congregation is through the healthy reproduction of its members. “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:37). Unhealthy churches tend to defer to unhealthy growth strategies, reinforcing the pattern of disease in the church. “Reproduction is a sign of life. There seems to be a mechanism with the created order that prevents unhealthy specimens from being multiplied. The unhealthy ones generally don’t multiply; it is the healthy ones that carry on the species. It is the goal of a species to create a healthy next generation, the most important target of their lives” (Mike Breen).

Church Multiplication. Just as healthy sheep reproduce, healthy churches reproduce. A healthy congregation will make disciples from the surrounding area. Healthy believers will be commissioned by the Lord to take the Gospel outside of their immediate sphere of influence. “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went” (Acts 8:4). In time, other healthy congregations will be established that will grow and then ultimately reproduce themselves. In this way, it will be obvious that these communities of Jesus followers are indeed alive. “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust” (Acts 14:23).

For us to be the kingdom community God has designed us to be, we are committed to a clear pathway of church health, church growth, and church multiplication – trusting the Lord to lead and empower us every step of the way. The best is yet to come!