February 16, 2000

BGCT asked to focus on church health in future
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___DALLAS--Church health will become a priority for the Baptist General Convention of Texas staff if the convention's Executive Board approves recommendations of a task force that has completed a 10-month study of the subject.
___The BGCT Administrative Committee will recommend a proposal that Executive Director Charles Wade appoint a five- to seven-member team to develop a comprehensive strategy through which the Executive Board staff can help churches achieve and maintain congregational health.
___The Executive Board will consider the findings and recommendations of the 20-member task force, chaired by BGCT Associate Executive Director Dick Maples, at its

Healthy church characteristics ___BGCT discussion groups asked for input on church health identified 11 characteristics of a healthy church: ___ God-centered worship that is biblically based, inspiring, dynamic, participatory and transforming. ___ Loving relationships based on trust, acceptance, openness, honesty and respect. ___Enabling servant leadership focused on equipping the laity for mission and ministry. ___ Bible-based discipleship focusing on life application. ___ God-focused vision shared by the church and pastor. ___ Focused prayer that facilitates a dynamic relationship with God. ___ Intentional evangelism in every ministry of the church. ___ Kingdom-based missions that reach the community and world for Christ. ___ Needs-based ministries that meet physical, emotional and spiritual needs. ___ Joyous stewardship of time, talent and finances. ___ Participatory decision-making that includes consensus building and the ability to solve problems and deal with conflict.

Feb. 22 meeting in Dallas.
___Executive Director Emeritus Bill Pinson appointed the task force last April to conduct a comprehensive study of church health. The task force searched the Bible and contemporary literature to find descriptions of church health, met with selected groups of Texas Baptists to discuss the issue and conducted a statewide church values inquiry.
___The task force developed the following description of church health: "A healthy church could be characterized by a progressive intimacy with God, genuine relationships among its members and compassionate mission/ministry to its community and world."
___Members of the task force met with associational directors of missions, members of BGCT boards and advisory committees, Baptist Student Ministry directors and the Executive Board staff to discuss congregational health.
___In the discussion groups, participants were asked to identify the most effective resources offered to churches by the BGCT. They listed the Church Starting Center, minister/church relations office, Sunday School/ discipleship division, Baptist Church Loan Corp., Ministers Counseling Service, intentional interim ministry, the Baptist Standard, financial resources, church stewardship department and training events.
___When asked about resources needing the greatest improvement, four areas of primary concern emerged--the structure of the BGCT Executive Board staff, networking and coordinating within the organization, the need for a comprehensive strategy to help churches, and clear communication of services offered.
___Participants identified several resources not offered but needed by churches: 24-hour-a-day access to staff, new ways for associations to work together, church health consultants to work directly with congregations and to lead conferences, church health training for directors of missions, a resource information center at the Baptist Building, resources for Sunday nights and curriculum for missions organizations.
___While the discussions were ongoing, the State Missions Commission administrative staff and members of the task force designed a church values inquiry and invited all directors of missions to distribute it to a representative sampling of churches. More than 4,400 Texas Baptists--mostly laypeople--responded to the inquiry.
___At about the same time, the task force developed a church health survey. Woman's Missionary Union of Texas administered the survey at its Texas Leadership Conference in Waco last summer. Texas Baptists also took the survey at associational meetings and at the annual state convention in El Paso. More than 2,800--the majority laity--answered the survey.
___From the discussions, inquiry and survey, the task force concluded the BGCT Executive Board staff needed to address church health further. The staffs of the convention, Texas Baptist Men and Texas WMU were affirmed in their efforts to help churches toward better health and were encouraged to strengthen those efforts. The task force also noted that BGCT-related institutions provide valuable resources to help local churches improve and maintain their health.
___"The subject of church health is a complex issue to which there are no easy answers," the task force concluded. "There is significant statewide agreement on the description of church health developed by the task force and a demonstrated willingness on the part of Texas Baptists to evaluate their own congregations accordingly."
___The task force noted remarkable consensus on the listing of characteristics of a healthy congregation as developed through its study.
___"A study of Holy Scripture and current literature along with extensive research in Texas Baptist congregations points out the need to emphasize the priority of church health in our local churches," the task force concluded.
___"If Texas Baptists are to fulfill the Great Commission, we must make every effort to ensure the vitality and strength of our churches. Our future depends upon how seriously we take the biblical admonition to build up the body of Christ by giving attention to the health and welfare of the churches that comprise this convention."
___The missionary mandate of Christ's Great Commission and the love imperative of the Great Commandment are foundational to church health, they concluded.
___The task force determined that church health and church growth are related but not synonymous.
___"A study of church health reveals that while all healthy churches are growing, not all growing churches are healthy," the task force report stated. "The numerical growth of a church does not indicate congregational health. Sometimes numerical growth is more a matter of demographics than the moving of the Holy Spirit."
___The report continued, "At the same time, churches can be vital and healthy yet fail to experience numerical growth ... . An emphasis on church health enables a congregation, regardless of size or location, to focus on its relationship with God, with one another as fellow members and with its community and the world.
___Based on its findings, the church health task force brought three recommendations to the Administrative Committee for consideration by the Executive Board:
___ That the BGCT staff make church health a priority by assisting congregations in achieving and maintaining spiritual vitality and wholeness.
___ That the Executive Board staff adopt the description of church health contained in the task force report as the primary framework by which staff responds to church health issues.
___ That the executive director appoint a five- to seven-member team from the task force, to be chaired by the associate executive director. The team will design a comprehensive implementation strategy, through which the staff will help churches achieve and maintain congregational health. The team will bring a full report to the Executive Board at its Sept. 26 meeting.

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