Twelve Characteristics of A Vital Congregation

TMJ derives their list from Kennon Callahan's Planning for Growth and Vitality Weekend Workshops. The following twelve points are TMJ's, from Callahan's work.

Pertaining to a church's connections to and among people, a vital congregation

1. has specific concrete mission-oriented objectives
2. connects with and cares for its people
3. engages in holistic, cooperative, warm and energetic worship
4. consciously and intentionally nurtures significant relational groups so that members may find safe niches that support them as individuals
5. trains its lay leaders to prioritize relational attitudes towards and caring for the larger community (meaning, I assume, both the church and the community it's nested within)
6. has a streamlined organizational structure and uses democratic processes in decision-making

and pertaining to functional traits, a vital congregation

7. has two to three fully competent programs that serve, rather than use, people
8. is physically accessible to the community and exudes a sense of welcoming on Sunday mornings
9. has 'high visibility'in terms of both geographic and 'grapevine' visibility with both churched and unchurched people in the community
10. has adequate parking, land and landscaping
11. has adequate space & facilities
12. has solid financial resources and educates members about different ways of giving

There is no "chicken & egg" controversy for the writers of this list: for them, all good things come to those who have a clearly defined mission and have set reasonable and definite goals.

The list does not specifically address communications, which is interesting...communications may be read into several of the functional characteristics, but I'm not seeing "vital churches communicate well within themselves and with their communities" as being a definite point.

Those who are curious, turn to pages 13 and 14 of TMJ and tell me what you think. Can a church without a mission thrive? Furthermore, how can a church with only two or three clearly defined goals satisfy enough people to keep the tushes in the pews? Is a puzzlement, to be sure.