Waynesboro Church Of Christ

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MORE THAN “SOUND”—HEALTHY

Many times in conversations my brethren will ask if a certain congregation is “sound.” From my experience, this question dealing with the “soundness” of the congregation is concerning doctrinal faithfulness. The individual wants to know if the congregation is practicing worship in accordance with the Biblical pattern found in the New Testament. Also, this question of “soundness” can be an inquiry into the identity of the local body, whether they fall under the Liberal or Conservative title.

Though the question concerning the faithfulness of a local body is momentous, the query one should be asking of a congregation is whether the localized church of Christ is healthy. “Soundness” would be a characteristic of health but not the entirety of health. Unfortunately, being “sound” does not dictate a healthy congregation. The term “healthy” would describe the total atmosphere of the congregation’s life.

The reason we should begin to ask for healthy congregations is that some congregations maybe “sound” but they are definitely not healthy. In a local sound congregation there maybe power-struggles, in-fighting, bickering and complaining, harsh judging, and grudge holding. This ungodly behavior would not connote a healthy congregation. The church should ask for a higher standard than mere “soundness.” The members of the church should desire spiritual health of a local body.

A Biblical illustration of a congregation being sound but not healthy is discovered in the book of Revelation. The members would consider their church at Ephesus “sound” but Christ would not view the congregation as healthy (Rev. 2:1-7). From the text the congregation seems to be doctrinally pure, but still lacking in the spiritual duty of love (Rev. 2:4). The Ephesus church was “sound” but not entirely healthy. Therefore, since health should be the ideal over “soundness,” here are three features of a healthy congregation.

The feature of doctrinal health.Although, “soundness” is not the highest ideal for a congregation, nevertheless, Christ is extremely concerned over the purity of His doctrine in the church. The church must be teaching sound doctrine to the members (Titus 2:1). This doctrine must be healthy. Literally, the word “sound” in Titus 2:1 means, “to be healthy.” The preaching of the Gospel should develop a healthy congregation. If the preaching causes excessive division and mean spiritedness, this preaching is not “sound” but blemished.

Sound or healthy Biblical preaching is balanced. There is a season for every form of preaching. The Bible commands to “…reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (II Tim. 4:2). A healthy congregation will focus on a balanced approach to the presentation of the Gospel. This means an over emphasis on issues, condemnation, and problems will lead to unhealthy attitudes in the congregation. Though, times may come when the teaching maybe issue oriented.

Sound doctrine includes that which is true to the word of God. Doctrinal health comes from binding where the Bible binds and loosening where the Bible loosens. The restoration slogan by Rupert Meldinius, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity” is still conducive today for building a healthy congregation.

The feature of spiritual health. Along with having doctrinal health, a congregation needs to exhibit spiritual health. Sometimes members of the church begin to only experience God through the routine of Christianity. They start to lose their relationship with Christ. A healthy congregation is a group that is striving for a more intimate walk with Christ. When the focus is taken off of Christ and placed on people, unhealthy behaviors can occur (Heb. 12:1-3). By developing ourselves after the image of Christ, we gain the needed humility in interacting with one another (Matt. 4:48). Through the individual pursuit of holiness we acquire the ability to create a healthy community.

The means of securing a deeper relationship is through the spiritual disciplines of Christianity. When people practice meditation, prayer, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, and service, they are contributing to the overall health of their faith (Eph. 2:10). A balanced approach to these disciplines will secure the transformation of the self (Rom. 12:1-2).

When the individual Christians are spiritually healthy, this will lend itself to the corporate health of the congregation. When the members interact, the relationships will be healthier. Therefore, the discipline of confession to one another will become a healing practice instead of a fearful duty, and spiritual guidance will be offered and received in the proper atmosphere of love (James 5:16; Matt.18:15-17). A spiritually healthy congregation will have positive growing relationships among the members.

The feature of emotional health. Just as important as doctrinal and spiritual health is emotional health. Surrounding an emotionally unhealthy congregation is anxiety. Anxiety leads to an atmosphere of distrusting and manipulation. People become suspicious of one another. To counteract the environment of anxiety, a congregation must have a high level of trust. A trusting climate in a church deters secret meetings, malicious gossip, and power hungry alliances. Instead of operating in the shadows, problems and concerns can be addressed in an open dialogue. In a healthy congregation trust will be a foundation for all of the relationships. Without trust a healthy church will not appear.

Working in conjunction with trust is love. A healthy congregation will definitely be a loving congregation. Love will pervade all of the human interactions within the congregation. A person will find it difficult to slander, gossip about, and disparage a brother or sister in Christ when love is at the forefront of his life. The Bible plainly says, to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39). Paul states that the ethical law is “fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Gal. 5:14; Rom 13:8-10). All of man’s dealings with each other are filtered through love. The healthy congregation continuously asks, “Is this the loving thing to do?”

Though knowing if a congregation is “sound” is extremely important, it should not replace the higher standard of knowing if a congregation is healthy. Today members of the church should desire more than mere “soundness” but should crave healthiness in the local congregation. This healthy congregation will manifest doctrinal, spiritual, and emotional health.