5 SIGNS TO KNOW IF YOUR CHURCH IS UNHEALTHY

I encourage you to share this article on Facebook and other social network to create a conversation within your personal network of ministry friends. There is no such thing as a “perfect” church. Honestly, there will never be a perfect church because the people who occupy the church are imperfect. The only thing perfect in church is the message and purity of the Gospel. Though there is no perfect church, there are healthy and unhealthy churches. I have been in church literally my entire life, so I have seen the great, the good, the bad and the downright ugly. After witnessing and having endless discussions about the church culture, I have compiled a list of five signs that signal you are a part of an unhealthy church.

1. Leadership Does Not Have a Clear Vision. Proverbs 29:18 states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” A church whose leadership has not explained or formed a vision that states, “This is who we are, this is where we’re going, and this is how we’re going to get there,” is unhealthy in the highest form. How can a church or any organization function or truly exist without vision? Jesus was the ultimate vision-caster. He stated his vision for not only what the church should look like, but, ultimately, what the role of the church is and its purpose. Unfortunately, I have seen churches that had no mission and absolutely no vision, and Scripture is 100 percent correct; the people did perish. If you don’t know what the mission and vision is of your church, chances are you are in an unhealthy church. Additionally, if your church has a mission and vision statement, but you don’t see the mission and vision being executed within the church’s setup and organizational structure, programs and/or ministries that are offered, you are probably in an unhealthy church.

2. Leadership Can Never be Challenged. If you are part of a church where leadership can never be questioned or challenged, run! I have witnessed this, and I can tell you this will not end very well. Please remember, church leaders are there to cast vision and to steer the church in the direction to which God is leading. Church leaders are not and should not be dictators. What I mean is this; members should never fear asking a question against a proposed idea or direction from leadership in the church. With that being said, there should also be a level of respect given when challenging church leadership. The key is to be concerned, not confrontational. Ultimately, you should be able to ask questions regarding where your church is headed without feeling fearful of church leadership.

3. You are Comfortable, but Never Convicted. If you are attending a church and you have a) never been convicted b) never been offended in your sin when the Gospel is preached or taught, hightail it out of there! It is very dangerous when a church’s preaching and teaching team operates in what I call the “Ren and Stimpy Theology.” What I mean by this is every sermon and lesson that comes from the preaching/teaching team is always “happy, happy, joy, joy,” but there are never heart-piercing, convicting messages that will challenge people. Church shouldn’t be designed to just make you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, but church should be there to bring conviction through the Word of God to bring correction in a person’s life. Additionally, if your church is not balanced in its teaching, your walk with God becomes stunted; you will not grow. If you have ever had to go to a hospital to get better, then you know that most times in your healing process, there is pain involved. It’s the same thing with church; your healing process won’t be joyful all the time. There will be and should be times you are broken, convicted and offended in your sin.

4. Congregants are Content With Being Pew Warmers. I can generally tell if a church’s culture is unhealthy if its congregants are content with being pew warmers. What is a pew warmer? A pew warmer is a person who does not get involved in their church; they only attend church on Sundays, and they are content in doing so. When a church is healthy, people are excited about lending their gifts to the up building of their local church and the Body of Christ as a whole. However, if the only time a church sees a rise in volunteerism is when the pastor lays a huge guilt trip on his or her congregation, something is wrong. When a church’s environment is a healthy one, you should never have to inflict guilt upon people in order to get them involved. They will have a heart to serve, not out of guilt but out of desire.

5. Outreach is Never Planned or Preached. A church that never plans or even preaches outreach is unhealthy. When a church feels no need or desire to not only preach helping those outside of the four walls, but never does anything in its surrounding community, it speaks volumes. Outreach was and is the heart of Jesus. Having worship on Sundays is not church; it’s simply a meeting. The work that is done in the community to show God’s love is church. It is one thing to talk church, but it’s another thing to actually BE the church. If the church that you attend never preaches or plans outreach in the community, country or world, you are definitely part of an unhealthy church. Real church takes place by rendering service, usually outside the four walls of a building.

DO YOU LOVE ME? PLS JUST LIE AND SAY YES!

ONE DAY I DECIDED TO QUIT I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality… I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with god “God”, I asked, “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”. His answer surprised me… “Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo ? “Yes”, I replied. “When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light.I gave them water.The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor.Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said. “In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit.” He said. “Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant…But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.” He asked me. “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots”. “I would not quit on the bamboo.I will never quit on you.” “Don’t compare yourself to others.” He said.”The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.”"Your time will come”, God said to me. “You will rise high”. “How high should I rise?” I asked. “How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return. “As high as it can?” I questioned.”Yes.” He said, “Give Me glory by rising as high as you can.” I left the forest and brought back this story.I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.Never, Never, Never, Give up. Don’t tell the Lord how big the problem is, tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

THE SECRET TO WEALTH

The secret to wealth is this; find a way to mindfully live within your means, save and invest the extra. Revisit and revise your goals and values at different stages of your life. Give generously and wisely. Sow consistently and wisely. Recognize what drains you and what lifts you up. Turn your pains into gains. Make your life simple, embrace contentment and do not covet or castigate others. You cannot become what you despise. Be inspired by the wealthy to work harder and smarter. There's always something to learn from others. The less you judge, the more you'll learn. Your excuses for failing can also be your reasons for succeeding. YOU have the power of CHOICE! If you want more, create more, you have the gift of abundance. Develop the discipline to say 'NO' or 'YES' when appropriate. Experience life with extraordinary joy!