Archbishop-Designate (Prof) Julia Fortune shares her thoughts on a profound statement credited to Dr. Eric Mason that People Don’t Need Flashy Church, They Need a Healthy, in her below article she exclusively shared with Christian Benefits. Excerpts
To folks asking for elucidation of my posting on the attributes of a Healthy Church.I believe you all are coming from a position of love and I strongly uphold
2 Timothy 2:23 (NLT).
Preamble: First and foremost, a healthy church will understand and believe
2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) which basically says “all scripture is God – breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,..” an unhealthy church will focus exclusively on “miracles, prosperity preaching, tithing, prophecies, cathedral buildings…”and will take scriptures out of context to give power where they do not belong.
Now, an healthy church will have some of the following attributes:
1)The central focus will be on Jesus and not self. In other words the church is Christ centered and will be reflected in the church’s deepening devotions to Jesus Christ as seen in public worship, small group interactions within and outside the church to include individual transformation.
2)There is a strong, visionary and forward looking leaders that are grounded in God’s word and godly characters.
3)An healthy church will teach its congregation, how to identify God’s purpose for their lives which will involve the following:
-Worshipping and Glorifying God
-Growing in character to become more like Christ
-Living in Faith and Obedience
-Challenging its congregation to grow in their walk with Christ to their next level of spiritual maturity to include the discovery and use of spiritual gifts.
-Evidence of Sacrificial love, towards one another, towards those outside the church. This type of love will speak to the authenticity of their faith.
-Building a loving relationship with God through prayers, personal study of God’s word and ownership of the Mission of the church.
-A healthy church will equip its congregation for service in the Kingdom and emphasis will be placed on preparing the congregation for service rather than filling vacancies.
4)A healthy church will have a culture of mentoring, discipleship and training.
-https://juliafortune.org