Every time I watch Duck Dynasty I go away with a smile. I’m encouraged, challenged, and sometimes emotionally moved. In short, I go away happy, happy, happy. Why can’t our churches be that way? If our Baptist churches were a little more happy, I suspect that 75% of them wouldn’t be declining or on a long plateau.
Now, don’t misunderstand, I’m not talking about the heresy of prosperity theology that is expounded from so many mega pulpits today. I’m simply talking about preaching the truth of the Bible in love and in the joy of the Lord. Biblically, the Greek word for joy is the word chara. The word occurs 59 times in the Word of God and is generally translated “joy” throughout. Joy is not something that is derived from the world; joy comes from Jesus.
In a recent post at Thomrainer.com, Dr. Thom S. Rainer shared Nine Traits of Happy Churches. Here’s Dr. Rainer’s list:
- The pastor was a strong leader, but not an autocratic leader. He was able to maintain that healthy balance of providing clarity of vision without imposing his will on every decision.
- The pastor regularly demonstrated and affirmed love for the congregation. In both his actions and his words, the pastor communicated clearly that he loved the members of the church. And he loved them regardless of their apparent feelings toward him, though most of the members genuinely loved the pastor as well.
- The pastor regularly demonstrated and affirmed love for the community where the church was located. Though he could not be omnipresent, the pastor made it a point to be involved in many of the affairs of the community. He genuinely loved people in the community and viewed the entire area as his mission field.
- The ministry staff liked each other, and they worked well together. If there are tensions among the staff, they cannot be hidden from the congregation. But if the staff is unified and banter in fun with one another, the members feed off that joy and unity.
- A high proportion of the membership was actively involved in ministry. When church members are doing the work of ministry, they have a sense of fulfillment and joy. When they aren’t, they often have extra time on their hands to be divisive.
- Business meetings were brief and friendly. These meetings were rarely a time of infighting and complaining. To the contrary, most of the members were too busy doing ministry to be negative (see #5).
- A high proportion of the members were in a small group or Sunday school class. Community grew in these small groups. People who are true members of a community tend to be happier people.
- The pastor’s time in the Word was protected. It is easy for a pastor to yield his time in the Word for the tyranny of the urgent. Thus he becomes frustrated, as he has to rush to complete a sermon, or as he does not have sufficient time to do the sermon well. The members likewise become frustrated because they don’t feel like the pastor is feeding them. A happy church makes certain that the pastor has adequate time every week to be in the Word.
- The pastor had a small informal or formal group to whom he was accountable. This group includes those members who clearly love the pastor. They offer both encouragement and accountability for him. The interchange between this group and the pastor is frank, transparent and, overall, healthy. And all communications take place on an unmistakable foundation of love.
If churches truly want to experience revitalization, this list should be reviewed from time to time. Keep in mind, this IS NOT a formula for church revitalization, but let’s be honest, it sure couldn’t hurt! People are much more likely to “tune in” to a church that is happy, happy, happy!
Steve Rice 