As part of a study into ‘HOW’ healthy churches become and stay vibrant, we interviewed flourishing churches, identified as strong from their 2016 National Church Life Survey results.

We sought to dig deeper into the journey of healthy churches and hear their process of building and maintaining vitality. We asked these church leaders to tell us their story, to share the approaches they took to enliven their ministry and church life.

The stories are shared below in four broad categories. We hope the ideas, inspiration and strategies used to grow vitality in these churches will encourage your church and community in your own unique journey and context.


Being Faith-filled and Collaborative

Faith Foundations, Collective Identity and Collaborative Leadership: Churches that were interviewed as part of the Enliven Churches Project were observed to be faith-filled and collaborative in culture, particularly in the way they would nurture strong faith foundations, collective identity and collaborative leadership. An intentional focus on discipleship was found in these healthy churches, including pathways…

Being Intentional and Aligned

Vision, Intention, Strategy and Innovation: Churches that were interviewed in the Enliven Churches Project were seen to be intentional and aligned in their actions, particularly in the way they would envision, strategise and innovate. There was a clear and owned vision in these flourishing churches. Often there were clear processes from initial welcome to involvement…

Being Inclusive and Empowering

Focusing Beyond, Hospitality, Inclusion and Empowerment: Churches that were interviewed in the Enliven Churches Project were noted to be inclusive and empowering in their actions, particularly in the way they would focus beyond their church into the wider community, being hospitable, inclusive and empowering people to contribute. These healthy churches built relationships with their surrounding…

Being a Learning Community

Lifelong Learning and Sustainability: Churches that were interviewed as part of the Enliven Churches Project were observed to be lifelong learners and sustainable in their approach to ministry. Learning from others, reflecting and adapting over time, were common attributes of these vibrant churches. They actively sought wisdom and learnt from the experience of other leaders….