8 Signs of a Healthy Ecclesia – Part 3
May 29, 2005
Dear Friends:
Sign #5 – Raising Godly Children: “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord.” (Ps. 127:3) As have discussed previously, it is important for us to understand that we are raising God’s children. Children are gifts from God entrusted to us to raise to God’s honor and glory. Parents should be acutely aware of this responsibility, but the ecclesia also shares this responsibility with the parents. The ecclesia should be an oasis from the world for our children. They should feel love and security in the presence of all members. Our services should be inclusive of them. Parents should be given proper training and instruction on raising godly children. The parents should also be given support by those who have already raised children and those who have no children of their own.
A healthy ecclesia will have an active and organized youth group. The young people will be comfortable with their Bibles and their Bible stories. They will have a sense of community among themselves and will hold each other accountable to the moral standard they have been taught.
There is no doubt that children are little hypocrisy detectors. Every member of the ecclesia should be attuned to the fact that they are being watched. When and if they see us acting inappropriately, there is always a chance they will us this as a justification for their own poor behavior. More than a few of our children have left the sanctuary of the ecclesia because they have witnessed more than their share of poor behavior on the part of the members. We need to take the warning against such an offense very seriously. “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Mt. 18:6)
Sign #6 – Growth: There are a lot of reasons ecclesias shrink or grow so this indicator might now always be a surefire sign of ecclesial health. However, the growth (or lack thereof) is something that needs to be considered. Again, a healthy preaching program can be an excellent catalyst for growth. I had the pleasure to visit an ecclesia recently that had more than doubled in the last five years as a result of God blessing their preaching effort.
Converts are only one aspect of growth. Retention of our young people is another important aspect of growth. Entire generations of young people have been lost to the world in some ecclesias and as a result they now are facing the prospect of closing the doors as the last remaining members die off.
Another aspect of ecclesial growth is the tone and demeanor of an ecclesia. Ecclesias that are warm and welcoming tend to grow while those that are cold and standoffish tend to shrink. Yet another reason ecclesias shrink is schism. Schism is condemned in the strongest possible terms in the Scripture. Too many times a city or region is shattered like glass in a schism resulting in small, fragmented ecclesias and even “family ecclesias” (ecclesias where all the members are from one family). Many of these are “single issue” ecclesias. They have taken a strong stance on one issue which has become their banner issue. Unfortunately for too many of these ecclesias, they stand for one thing and fall for the rest. Far too often they lack the balance to make a sustained lightstand for our Lord. All of these things are manageable if we follow the commands of Scripture. Unfortunately, like the failing body of a chronically sick person, one ailment tends to bring on another. A person who has body is weak from one disease often succumb to another.
Next week, God willing, we will address our last two signs of a healthy ecclesia.
Have a great week!
