Towards an Understanding of Congregational Health: How Do We Nurture the Growth of God's Kingdom?

Towards an Understanding of Congregational Health: How Do We Nurture the Growth of God's Kingdom?

By Diana Moreland, 2020 -- What is a healthy congregation in the Episcopal Church? In April 2001, a research report on New Church Development commissioned by the Episcopal Church classified health or success as a “new church reaching a large enough size to achieve self-support within seven years.”1 This report claims that health is related to size and income. If we limit our definition in that way, we limit our ability to see the Kingdom of God at work in small, under-resourced congregations that do not fit that economic definition. And even more, it prevents us from allocating resources to these congregations. We should look to new ways of understanding health because healthy, low-income, rural congregations are an essential part of the Kingdom of God.

Moreland, Diana Sylvia

Virginia Theological Seminary

2020

@ 2020 Diana Moreland

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