The United Methodists have been asking that question, and they commissioned a survey to get to the bottom of it. United Methodist Church leaders worked with the Towers Watson consulting agency to survey 32,000 Methodist local churches, looking for "key factors impacting vital congregations." Religion News Service reported the findings.
Researchers created a "vitality index" to measure churches. Their survey showed all kinds of churches are vital, no matter the size, location or context.
Four health factors
Among all the variables, the survey identified four key aspects of church life that support and sustain vitality:
• Small groups and programs.
• Worship services that mix traditional and contemporary styles with an emphasis on relevant sermons.
• Pastors who work hard on mentoring and cultivating laity.
• An emphasis on effective lay leadership.
The study determined church health is not linked to any one specific component of the four factors, and even the size and scope of church programs doesn't matter. "An essential finding of the research was that it's the combination of factors that contribute to vitality," RNS noted.
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We can't necessarily extrapolate the Methodists' findings to other denominations, like Baptists, the report indicated. But links likely exist. For example, a survey conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research discovered 64 percent of churches that switched to contemporary worship in the past five years experienced an attendance increase of at least 2 percent.
It all adds up
All this makes sense: Warm, engaging groups. Meaningful, relevant worship. Caring, nurturing ministers. Strong laity.
How healthy is your church?
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