ST. CROSS CHURCH
  • Home
  • Services
    • Watch online
    • Little Stars Sunday School
    • Worship for Everyone
    • Baptisms
    • Weddings
    • Funerals
  • What's on
  • Get involved
    • Volunteering
    • The Beacon Centre
    • Saturday cafe
  • Giving
  • About
    • Our team
    • History of St. Cross
    • Room Hire
    • Photo gallery
    • Safeguarding
    • Data Privacy Policy
    • Contacts
Picture


MAP

Stage 1:

Review

Part 6
​Template 7

Picture
Template 7 [For use during the SWOT Team/Health Check Meeting outlined in Part 6.]

[A printable copy of this Template is available to download below and paper copies will be made available.]

​
Church Health Check
 
Working with a partner, score each of the bulleted points out of 5 (5 = we do this very well, 1 = we do not do this at all).  Try to identify evidence.
 
1. Energized by faith
-rather than just keeping things going or trying to survive

Score  /5

Evidence to support score:

  • worship and sacramental life: moves people to experience God’s love
  • motivation: energy comes from a desire to serve God and one another
  • engaging with Scripture: in creative ways which connect with life
  • nurtures faith in Christ: helping people to grow in, and share their faith.


 2. Outward-looking focus
-with a ‘whole life’ rather than a ‘church life’ concern

Score /5

Evidence to support score:

  • deeply rooted in the local community, working in partnership with other denominations, faiths, secular groups and networks
  • passionate and prophetic about justice and peace, locally and globally 
  • makes connections between faith and daily living
  • responds to human need by loving service  
 

3. Seeks to find out what God wants
-discerning the Spirit’s leaning rather than trying to please everyone
 
Score /5

Evidence to support score:

  • vocation: seeks to explore what God wants it to be and do
  • vision: develops and communicates a shared sense of where it is going
  • mission priorities: consciously sets both immediate and long-term goals
  • able to call for, and make, sacrifices, personal and corporate, in bringing about the above and living out the faith.  
 

4. Faces the cost of change and growth
-rather than resisting change and avoiding failure
 
Score /5

Evidence to support score:

  • while embracing the past, it dares to take on new ways of doing things
  • takes risks: and admits when things are not working, and learns from experience
  • crises: responds creatively to challenges that face the church and community
  • positive experiences of change: however small, are affirmed and built on.  
 

5. Operates as a community
-rather than functioning as a club or religious organisation
 
Score /5

Evidence to support score:

  • relationships: are nurtured, often in small groups, so people feel accepted and are helped to grow in faith and service
  • leadership: lay and ordained work as a team to develop locally appropriate expressions of all seven marks of a healthy church
  • lay ministry: the different gifts, experiences and faith journeys of all are valued and given expression in and beyond the life of the church.  
 

6. Makes room for all
-being inclusive rather than exclusive.
 
Score /5

Evidence to support score

  • welcome: works to include newcomers into the life of the church
  • children and young people: are helped to belong, contribute and be nurtured in their faith
  • enquirers are encouraged to explore and experience faith in Christ
  • diversities: different social and ethnic backgrounds, mental and physical abilities, and ages, are seen as a strength.  
 

7. Does a few things and do them well
-focused rather than frenetic
 
Score /5

Evidence to support score:

  • does the basics well: especially public worship, pastoral care, stewardship and administration
  • occasional offices: make sense of life and communicate faith
  • being good news as a church in its attitudes and ways of working
  • enjoys what it does and is relaxed about what is not being done 
 

Now sort the evidence into the three areas.  This will give you a clearer picture of where your church is strong and where it might need to strengthen its mission.
  1. Growing new disciples in missionary church communities which are younger, more diverse, active and spiritually engaged
  2. Nurturing increasing vocations, nurturing new and existing disciples, increasing financial giving  
  3. Serving present for all, speaking and acting prophetically for justice, supporting pastorally especially the vulnerable, deprived and excluded
 
template_7.pdf
File Size: 529 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Home
Services
What's on
Get involved
Giving
​About
St Cross Church
611 Ashton New Rd
Clayton
Manchester
​M11 4RX

Contact us
Picture
© COPYRIGHT ST. CROSS PARISH CHURCH, CLAYTON, MANCHESTER 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Services
    • Watch online
    • Little Stars Sunday School
    • Worship for Everyone
    • Baptisms
    • Weddings
    • Funerals
  • What's on
  • Get involved
    • Volunteering
    • The Beacon Centre
    • Saturday cafe
  • Giving
  • About
    • Our team
    • History of St. Cross
    • Room Hire
    • Photo gallery
    • Safeguarding
    • Data Privacy Policy
    • Contacts