For some people a great church is one with very large attendance figures and high quality preaching and music. For others, a great church is one where there is authentic community, or a focus on correct doctrine or holding fast to that which is true. Steve Sjogren, the man who brought the world the idea of servant evangelism, explains his view of what makes a great church in his book Making a Good Church Great: Becoming a Community God Calls His Home.
The book describes 13 characteristics of a great church: it must be simple, engage in transcendent worship, have a strong outward focus, be in tune with the Holy Spirit’s leading, create plenty of fun, provide a safe environment, show acceptance to all types of people and particularly sinners, offer small groups where relationships of trust grow, provide a great atmosphere, foster generosity, have a strong commitment to the faith essentials but a weak commitment to traditions and opinions, co-operate with other churches, and demonstrate bold leadership in God’s mission.
I am not sure that I agree with everything the book says. I am not persuaded that a church of 300 to 500 people is any more likely to be a great church than a church of under 200 people; and I am not convinced that the optimum service length is an hour in all cultures, or that children always need to be separate from their parents. However, church leaders will find it a highly profitable exercise to use this book as a starting point for evaluating their church culture.