What makes a church healthy?

That’s a question worth asking, especially when we’re celebrating another year of ministry.

This past Sunday, Lake Lynn Baptist Church celebrated its 74th anniversary. We welcomed back familiar faces, enjoyed time together, and thanked God for His faithfulness. Our guest speaker, Cameron Knowles, challenged us to consider what really makes a church healthy.

It’s a question every congregation ought to ask from time to time.

Because it’s possible for a church to look successful on the outside while struggling spiritually on the inside.

We often measure church health by the things we can count. Attendance, giving, programs, activities, and the condition of our facilities.

And those things aren’t necessarily bad. We should care for our buildings, manage our resources wisely, and make room for people to gather and grow.

But none of those things, by themselves, tells us whether we’re faithfully following Jesus.

What Does the Bible Say?

In Acts 2:42–47, Luke gives us a picture of the early church.

These believers didn’t have the kinds of facilities, programs, or organizational structures we’re familiar with today. But something remarkable was happening among them.

They were growing together as followers of Jesus.

Cameron pointed us to four practices found in Acts 2:42:

They were devoted to the teaching of God’s Word.

They were committed to genuine fellowship.

They gathered around Christ-centered worship.

They depended on God through prayer.

These weren’t four clever ideas for growing a congregation. They were the natural practices of people whose lives had been changed by the gospel.

And they still matter today.

A healthy church is one where Scripture has authority, where people genuinely care for one another, where Jesus is the focus of worship, and where prayer is more than an opening and closing formality.

Healthy Doesn’t Mean Perfect

Here’s something I think we need to remember.

A healthy church isn’t a perfect church.

We’re a family of imperfect people who need the grace of Jesus every single day.

Sometimes we misunderstand one another. Sometimes we disagree. Sometimes we disappoint each other. We don’t always get everything right.

But the question isn’t whether a church ever experiences problems.

The question is how we respond to them.

Do we turn to Scripture for guidance? Do we seek forgiveness and reconciliation? Do we care for people who are hurting? Do we pray together instead of simply talking about our problems?

Those responses tell us a great deal about our spiritual health.

A church can be busy without being spiritually healthy. And a church can be small while demonstrating remarkable faithfulness.

What About Growth?

Acts 2 ends with an important reminder.

The Lord was adding to the church those who were being saved.

Notice who was doing the saving.

It wasn’t the apostles’ personalities, the church’s organization, or a carefully planned outreach strategy.

It was the Lord.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work hard to reach people. Jesus has commanded us to make disciples, and we should take that responsibility seriously.

But we can’t manufacture spiritual life. We can faithfully proclaim the gospel, love people, teach Scripture, and pray. Only God can save sinners and transform hearts.

The Church We Want to Be

At Lake Lynn, our mission is to love Jesus, love people, and fulfill the Great Commission.

That mission should shape more than what we put on our website. It should shape how we treat people, how we make decisions, and how we spend our time.

As we begin another year in the life of our church, I hope we’ll keep asking the right questions.

Are people growing in their understanding of Scripture? Are relationships becoming deeper and more meaningful? Are we helping people follow Jesus? Are we reaching beyond our walls with the gospel?

Those are questions worth asking whether our building is full or nearly empty.

I’m thankful for 74 years of Lake Lynn Baptist Church. But I’m even more interested in what Jesus wants to do among us now.

Because a healthy church isn’t simply one that has survived for a long time.

It’s a church family that is faithfully following Jesus together.