DyingChurch.org has complied a number of resources to educate churches and their leaders on the problem of unhealthy (sick) and dying (terminal) churches, provide helpful resources to encourage return to health, and some simple test for self-evaluation.
Dying Church.org’s strategy is similar to Warren’s in his book “A Purpose Driven Church”. Below is Warren’s four steps:
1. define our purposes
2. communicate our purposes
3. organize around our purposes
4. apply our purposes
Ten Step Church Health Check-UP
We also have expanded his four steps into smaller bites in the specific sequence (listed below) with every step bathed in corporate prayer. Our research has led us to identify the following ten areas that we consider the ones to address initially with prayer, both individual & corporate is the most critical element
Description/Information
Test/Evaluation
If you test below 70% on a category, it may indicate that you need to focus some time and resources on that category. If you test below 70% on more than three categories, your church needs to be concerned and take immediate action. Based upon the scores you might need to seek outside intervention, because many times the local church leaders are a key portion of the problem.
The above are questions/tests to help you understand the state of the spiritual condition of a church. However, there are some physical issues in a local church prohibit growth and at times causes serious church health issues.