Seven Key Ways Leaders and Members Can Help Their Church Get Healthy

Church health doesn’t begin with better branding, sharper programming, or bigger budgets. It begins in the hearts of ordinary people who are willing to faithfully love Jesus and His church over the long haul. Healthy churches are rarely built quickly. They are cultivated, slowly, patiently, prayerfully, by leaders and members who show up, stay humble, and keep saying yes to the small, unseen acts of faithfulness that God loves to use.

Here are seven key ways leaders and members can help their church grow healthier, no matter the size, season, or context of the congregation.

#1. Pray Faithfully for the Church

“Pray without ceasing.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Every healthy church is quietly undergirded by prayer. Not flashy prayers. Not performative prayers. But faithful, persistent, often unseen prayers offered week after week. Prayer is like the roots of a tree. You don’t see them, but they determine everything. When roots go deep, the tree can withstand storms. When prayer is neglected, even the most impressive ministry eventually withers.

Pray for your pastors and leaders…for wisdom when decisions are complex, protection when criticism comes, and endurance when the work feels heavy. Pray for unity in the church, echoing Jesus’ own prayer that His people would be one so the world might believe (John 17:20–21). Pray that God would keep your church outward-facing, focused on reaching the lost and making disciples.

Remember, churches don’t drift into health. They are prayed there.

Reflection Questions:

• When was the last time you intentionally prayed for your pastors by name?

• How might God be inviting you to deepen your prayer life for your church right now?

• What would change if prayer became your first response rather than your last resort?

#2. Passionately Pursue Your Own Spiritual Growth

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”  - 2 Peter 3:18

Healthy churches are made up of spiritually growing people. There’s no shortcut around that truth. Church health doesn’t happen when “someone else” grows, it happens when “we” grow. When leaders and members take personal responsibility for their walk with Christ, the entire body benefits.

Spiritual growth looks like daily dependence on Christ and a growing sensitivity to the Spirit’s work in our lives (Galatians 5:22–25). It looks like humility instead of defensiveness, repentance instead of blame-shifting, and faith instead of cynicism.

Your growth matters more than you think. It is key to building up the faith and spiritual growth of your brothers and sisters in Christ. And this is essential for a church to experience true health.

Reflection Questions:

• Where have you noticed spiritual drift or complacency in your own life?

• What habits help you consistently pursue Christ?

• How might your personal growth strengthen the overall health of your church?

  
  

#3. Commit to Gathering Regularly

“Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some…” - Hebrews 10:25

Faith is personal, but it is never meant to be private. Regular gathering is one of the simplest and most powerful ways we strengthen the church. When you gather consistently, you remind others that they’re not alone. Your presence matters more than you realize.

Sunday worship and smaller gatherings are spaces where encouragement flows, burdens are shared, and joy multiplies. It’s where faith is strengthened in the middle of hardship and hope is restored when life feels heavy.

I always think of a fire pit. Logs that stay close together burn longer and brighter. Logs that drift away grow cold quickly. We are just like those logs. We need one another desperately to strengthen one another’s passion and fire for the Lord.

Reflection Questions:

• What priorities most often compete with regular gathering in your life?

• How has someone else’s presence encouraged you during a difficult season?

• Who might be strengthened simply because you choose to show up?

#4. Be a Relentless Encourager

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up…” - Ephesians 4:29

Every church has critics. Healthy churches also have encouragers…and lots of them! They make a huge difference in creating a culture of warmth, grace, trust, and joy.

Encouragers are oxygen to the soul of a congregation. They speak life when discouragement creeps in. They notice faithfulness when others only see flaws. They give grace generously and refuse to weaponize their words.

Encouragement doesn’t ignore reality, it points to hope in the middle of it. God regularly uses encouragers to restore joy, protect unity, and keep weary saints pressing forward. Never underestimate the power of a well-timed, Spirit-filled word. Seek to be a relentlessly encouraging church!

Reflection Questions:

• Are your words more often building up or tearing down?

• Who in your church might need encouragement this week?

• What would change if encouragement became a spiritual discipline for you?

  
  

#5. Serve with Joy and Humility

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another…”  - 1 Peter 4:10

Healthy churches are filled with people who ask, “Where am I needed?” instead of “What do I prefer?” Serving with joy often happens in places no one applauds…setting up chairs, cleaning bathrooms, greeting guests, stacking equipment, or caring for children. These unseen acts are seen by God and He is deeply pleased by them.

Serving is also about multiplication. Healthy servants don’t just do the work, they invite others into it, train them up, and gladly pass the baton. The church doesn’t need more consumers. It needs more servants who love Jesus and love His people.

Reflection Questions:

• Where are you currently serving in your church?

• Are there unseen needs God may be inviting you to step into?

• Who could you help equip or encourage to serve alongside you?

#6. Give Generously

“God loves a cheerful giver.” - 2 Corinthians 9:7

Generosity fuels the mission of God. When people give joyfully and consistently, the church is freed to focus on ministry rather than survival. Generosity creates momentum, builds trust, and reflects the heart of a generous God.

Remember: Giving isn’t about equal amounts, it’s about equal sacrifice and willing hearts. A culture of generosity shapes a church that is outward-focused, grateful, and mission-minded. Where our treasure goes, our hearts follow.

Reflection Questions:

• How does your giving reflect your trust in God?

• What fears or hesitations shape your generosity?

• How might God use your faithfulness to advance His mission through your church?

#7. Live on Mission

“Go and make disciples of all nations…” - Matthew 28:19

The church doesn’t have a mission. God’s mission has a church. Living on mission means seeing your everyday life as a mission field. It’s sharing how Jesus has changed you. It’s inviting neighbors, coworkers, and friends into gospel community. It’s encouraging one another to live sent.

When a church lives on mission, faith stays vibrant and outward-facing. The gospel remains central and the lost are saved! Disciples are made! This is what Jesus has ultimately called us to be about. Living on mission reminds us why the church exists in the first place.

Reflection Questions:

• Who has God placed in your life that needs the hope of the gospel?

• How comfortable are you sharing your story of grace?

• How could you encourage others in your church to live more missionally?

At the end of the day, church health comes as a result of slow, faithful, steady trust in the Lord and His Word. When leaders and members pray, grow, gather, encourage, serve, give, and live on mission, over time, God does what only He can do. He brings renewal. He restores joy. He strengthens His church for the long haul. So, stay faithful. Stay humble. Stay hopeful. God is not finished with His church and He often works through ordinary people who simply refuse to quit.