Editorial: Churches That Work, AT work

The Christian Chronicle has featured 29 congregations in 24 states in its ongoing Churches That Work series.

We couldn’t help but notice a few holes on our map. Big ones.

Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas — all are states where we have not yet featured a congregation in Churches That Work, our ongoing series that turns 10 years old this month.

That’s where we need your help. What churches in these states exemplify the four traits of Churches That Work?

Biblical: Making Christ-centered Bible instruction central to their mission.

Evangelistic: Reaching the unchurched at home and abroad.

United: Possessing a spirit of internal vitality and unity.

Visible: Known and appreciated for service in their community.

Look at the map. Tell us where else we have holes. What other congregations should we add to the list?

Please don’t misunderstand our intentions. We’re not ranking congregations, nor are we looking for perfect churches. Rather, we seek churches that are healthy, strong role models.

When we launched the series in 2005, our goal was (and still is) to promote vigorous, healthy churches in the U.S.

“We are not trying to suggest that these churches are better than others,” said Bailey McBride, our editor when Churches That Work began. “Ideally, the series will inspire all churches to influence their communities to honor God and seek after him.”

A few months after we launched the series, we began to wonder if “Churches at Work” might be a better name.

Ten years is a long time. Sadly, some congregations that we featured in the past have faced leadership turmoil or internal strife since we reported on them. But that shouldn’t deter us from seeking to identify and highlight congregations that meet the criteria outlined.

In some cases, churches that would have made excellent Churches That Work have been featured in other formats, such as our recent Page 1 story on the Pearl Harbor church that has served thousands of military families.

We are pleased that this series has become one of our most popular features. We want to continue to share what we see when we visit congregations across the nation that practice innovative, effective methods of ministry. We want to highlight churches that make a difference in their neighborhoods.

Email your suggestions for this series.

And watch in the coming months for our 30th Churches That Work feature. 

(Hint: It may not fit on that map.)