4. Congregants Are Content With Being Pew Warmers.
I can generally tell if a church’s culture is unhealthy if its congregants are content with being pew warmers.
What is a pew warmer? A pew warmer is a person who does not get involved in their church; they only attend church on Sundays, and they are content in doing so.
When a church is healthy, people are excited about lending their gifts to the upbuilding of their local church and the Body of Christ as a whole.
However, if the only time a church sees a rise in volunteerism is when the pastor lays a huge guilt trip on his or her congregation, something is wrong. When a church’s environment is a healthy one, you should never have to inflict guilt upon people in order to get them involved.
They will have a heart to serve, not out of guilt but out of desire.
5. Outreach Is Never Planned or Preached.
A church that never plans or even preaches outreach is unhealthy.
When a church feels no need or desire to not only preach helping those outside of the four walls, but never does anything in its surrounding community, it speaks volumes.
Outreach was and is the heart of Jesus. Having worship on Sundays is not church; it’s simply a meeting. The work that is done in the community to show God’s love is church.