AboutTerraAltaPresbyterian - Terra Alta Presbyterian Church

A VISION OF A HEALTHY SMALL CHURCH

A small membership congregation is healthy
when it has a sense of adventure and curiosity,
and a desire to mature spiritually;
when it measures the effectiveness of its life
by its vision,
and its witness to the Gospel,
and when the worship of God becomes its daily life.

A small church is healthy
when it listens and responds to the will of God revealed in scripture
and guided by the Holy Spirit:
when it celebrates its unique qualities
as well as its connection with people
people everywhere;
when its ministry comes from Christ our Sovereign and Savior,
to help people discover their power
strengthen their commitment
and practice an all-inclusive love.

A healthy small church
can celebrate its unique identity
and face honestly its struggles for survival;
it benefits from presbytery affirmation
and pursues cooperative relationships,
both denominational and ecumenical,.

A small church is healthy
when it encourages the spiritual growth
and draws on the diverse gifts of its members,
trains its leaders
encourages stewardship
and accepts responsibility for its own particular mission.

A small membership congregation is healthy
when it fosters hospitality
reaches out to those who are hurting
when it is open to a variety of models
of pastoral leadership and care
and is willing to make changes
in ways that help it meet the needs of the people
in worship,
education
nurture
fellowship
evangelism and
mission.

Borrowed from the PCUSA Small Church Network