The Healthy Churches' Handbook

by Robert Warren

The material in this book has been around for a while and has become fairly influential. This felt like a good time to re-read it.

Put briefly the argument is that churches grow (towards wholeness) when they exhibit seven key characteristics or marks:

• Energised by faith
• Outward-looking focus
• Seeks to find out what God wants
• Faces the cost of change and growth
• Operates as a community
• Makes room for all
• Does a few things and does them well

The book explores these seven marks in more details and sets out how a congregation might use them to develop and grow. There's also a super section about relating to the "angel of the church" which develops a Walter Wink style concept of corporate spirituality. This is good stuff.

Healthy Churches has been on my mind for a number of reasons:

1. Back in 2005 we suggested that parishes use Natural Church Development (a similar but more expensive project), Healthy Churches, or some other mechanism as a way to encourage development. This was part of our Deanery Plan - and we set aside money for it! It's odd that no single church took the money or gave it a go. Why? As we start the deanery planning process up again is there some way we can learn from the past and incorporate this more fully in our thinking? What would be required?

2. In his new vision, Sharing Life plus, bishop John also mentions Natural Church Development and Healthy Churches. This concept is clearly back on the agenda.

3. The LSM Project Group is thinking of developing a system of companions/mentors who work with communities who are working towards LSM. There is a reasonable overlap between the intention of the companions and the ideals of Healthy Churches. The Handbook has a lot to say about the need for fascilitators, which I found helpful in my thinking, particulalry in its' discussion about training. Robert Warren suggests minimal raining with ongoing support and mutual reflection. This may be helful for us in our thinking...

Bringing all this together I wonder if there might be a place for Healthy Churches within the new Deanery Plan and whether the LSM Project Group might incorporate it as part of its development work... What do you think?