Essential Core Values for a Healthy Church

So many churches are places where people walk in, walk out, and forget everything that has happened in between, while patting themselves on the back for being a good Christian. A church that will be pleasing to God and will help its congregation to grow spiritually in their individual relationships with the person of God will make an effort to incorporate the following core values into its essential structure.

Core Value: Focus on Jesus

Any Christian church that is not focused on Jesus has a fundamental lack. In John 14:6, Jesus announces that he is "the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through [Jesus]." It is the death and resurrection of Jesus that allows all believers today to come into the presence of the holy God, having their sins washed away. It is the hope of Jesus' return and reign as king that motivates us to strive for sanctification holiness now, not later.

Core Value: Be Fascinated By God

A church that is intentionally encouraging its congregation to pursue knowing the person of God in all His depth and glory is going to be a spiritually alive church. Of course, there needs to be an understanding that God is amazing and beautiful, and that he is not completely knowable, so there are always more exciting things about Him to discover. As Paul puts it, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!" (Romans 11:33).

Core Value: Practice What is Preached

James 1:22 says, "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves." If a pastor preaches a sermon, he should encourage the congregation who hears it to go and do something about it. Any sermon can have a "doing" component to it, whether it is going out and encouraging one another, or serving one another, or meditating on God's love, or developing practices of prayer that model those of Jesus. Whatever the topic, the important part is for the sermons to increase the congregation's understanding of the word, and then for there to be structures in place to help people carry out what they have learned.

Core Value: Encourage One Another

It is amazing what a little bit of encouragement can do to a person's spirits. The worst day can be lifted by a kind word of hope and encouragement. These should not be empty words of encouragement, but rather specific messages that address current situations and speak the promises of God into them. It is through the constant remembrance of truth that people are able to continue striving. "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called 'Today,' so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13).

Core Value: Worship From the Heart

Worship doesn't have to be about music. One day, my church tried an experiment during the worship time when the band stopped playing all instruments and the congregation just began to speak praises and thanksgiving to God aloud. Within just eight minutes, spontaneous worship arose among the congregation, dancing, clapping, and shouting. Worship is anything that is telling God who He is and why we like Him, and it can be through song, dance, art, spoken words, or just the heart. As it is said in John 4:23, "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers."

Core Value: Pray for God to Demonstrate His Power

Because Jesus has gone to the Father, and is the great intercessor for us, our prayers are very powerful. Jesus told us to pray to see God's power in greater works than even He had done: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father" (John 14:12). A church that is satisfied by a God who doesn't respond to anything is not a healthy church.

Core Value: Be Outwardly Focused

As much as it is important for each individual in the church to have a healthy spiritual life, including continual spiritual growth and service within the church, a church that does not do anything outside its building is lacking. Churches should make an effort to serve the larger community in which they are placed by giving of their time and money, and they should also be giving to help take care of needy people around the world. As James puts it, "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world" (James 1:27).