Strengthening Churches

Our goal is for each of our congregations to be healthy, and strengthened for living out the Great Commission in whatever community they are found. The Rev. Mark Eldredge, our Canon for Congregations, bears the responsibility of providing resources to our established congregations to help them in bearing fruit. If a congregation enters a period of plateau or even decline, he is the point-person ensuring that the Diocese can come alongside and assist that ministry through the process of revitalization.
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Church lifecycle stages

What does the Diocese do?

A lot of Diocesan activities fall into the category of strengthening churches. We monitor church health by annually collecting key metrics and data points that go beyond budgets and attendance figures. We provide training for clergy and lay people through regional and diocesan gatherings (in-person and virtually). Clergy active in ministry are engaged in Missional Leadership Alliance cohorts that meet monthly. Diocesan staff convene affinity groups of parish staff and volunteers to provide resources and peer-to-peer collaboration. We provide resources to help in parish administration and ministry life, from bylaws templates and our Safeguarding Handbook to example discipleship plans. One of the main functions of the Diocesan Staff is to be a resource hub for our congregations and ministries, as well as point churches to materials available from the Province.

Church Vitality

One definition of vital is “necessary to life” — as in our vital organs. Just as our bodies' vital organs must all be working properly in order for our physical bodies to be healthy and growing, there are certain vital systems in every local church body that are necessary for it to be a healthy, growing church. These vitals for church health can be summed up in the following five areas:

Each of these five areas working properly and together are vital – necessary – in every local church for it to be healthy and revitalized.

A Biblical Model for Healthy Churches

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

In Acts 2:42-47, we see people that are in love with Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit:

  1. Gather together for regular Worship:
    “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.”
  2. Meet together for Fellowship:
    “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.”
  3. Grow in maturity through Discipleship:
    “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
  4. Serve one another in Ministry:
    “Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”
  5. Bring in others to the church through Evangelism:
    “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

To learn more about the Revitalization Process and resources available to congregations in distress, contact Canon Mark Eldredge.