Over 17 years ago my wife and I walked into our current church and by the end of the morning we said to each other, “We’re home.”

What makes a church “home”? What makes it special? What makes it worth committing our lives to it? Here are a few suggestions from personal experience.

1. The church is a family

This shouldn’t need to be stated. A church that is loving, caring and intentional about serving others will be a true Christ-centered family.

This kind of family life is going to be tough to leave. It takes work though. It doesn’t come easy. It means forgiving each other when we are hurt.

It means making the late night visits, making meals, helping others move, looking after kids and on and on. It’s work, but it’s worth it.

2. Leaders lead out front

People want to be led. They want to know that their church has a vision, a direction and that the elders are the ones to model that vision to the church.

That requires elders to be visible and highly communicative. In my own experience as an elder, the times we have gone before the assembly and clearly stated a vision it has been received by the majority.

Even if people don’t agree with a decision, they know exactly where the leadership stands and are not confused about what is happening.

3. Teaching that impacts the heart

There’s nothing more invigorating than to leave the church on a Sunday excited about the Christian life because you were uplifted by the Word.

A church that is intentional about practical, powerful teaching is going to have well-fed, fulfilled believers. It confirms that the Scriptures are not just for the mind but for the heart as well.

This also means using those who are gifted and not just anyone or everyone. Developing gift within the body is key to the growth of the church.

4. Every member mentality

There are some people who love to do nothing. I mean nothing at all. Those people are rare. Most of us want to be involved. We want to be a part of something important. We want to be a member of the body.

A church that allows every person in the fellowship to be active and involved is going to see the body thrive. This also includes children.

We have several of our youth active in the main services of the church. They love it and so do their parents. Everyone counts!

5. Church life exists Monday to Saturday

This may seem similar to point #1 but it gets a bit more specific. A church that is involved in each other’s lives throughout the week is going to be healthy.

Nothing makes me encouraged more as an elder than to hear about God’s people encouraging one another throughout the week.

It’s pretty easy to “do” church on Sundays. A vibrant church will “be” the church 7 days a week.

Oh and also …

I could probably mention 100 other things but these are what came to me when I was thinking of this subject. Please leave a comment below and share your thoughts.


Taken from AssemblyHub.com