Traits Of An Effective Church Series

Introduction

When you think of an effective church, what comes to mind?

What are the traits of an effective church?

I typed the following statement into my Google search bar: “Traits of an effective church.”

Some of the responses included the following: “Nine habits of highly effective churches,” “Ten Characteristics of a Healthy Church,” “10 signs of a thriving church,” “12 Characteristics of a Healthy Church,” and so on.

Many of these traits, habits, or characteristics are helpful.

Today, however, I want us to examine an effective church in the Bible and learn about some traits of an effective church.

Scripture

Let’s read Acts 13:1-12:

1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Lesson

There is much truth in the humorous adage that some people make things happen, others watch things happen, and others wonder what happened.

What is true of individuals is also true of churches.

Some churches are dynamic, aggressively reaching out with the gospel to make an impact on the world.

Some know God is moving in other churches and wonder why they aren’t experiencing that impact in their church.

Still others barely exist, languishing while the spiritual weeds grow.

Acts 11 introduces a church that impacted the world: the Antioch church, the first beachhead of Christianity in the pagan world.

That church had an impressive beginning. Acts 11:21 records that “a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord” under the ministry of Grecian Jews who fled Jerusalem following Stephen’s martyrdom (11:19-20).

The Antioch church grew dramatically under the capable leadership of Barnabas and Saul (11:26).

Today, Acts 13:1-12 shows us some traits of an effective church.

I. An Effective Church Has Spiritual Leaders (13:1)

First, an effective church has spiritual leaders.

Effective churches always have strong, godly, spiritual leaders, and the church at Antioch was no exception.

Luke tells us that there were five resident prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch.

He doesn’t explain how he understood the distinction between the two ministries.

Nor does he tell us whether all five men exercised both ministries or (as some have suggested) that the first three were prophets and the last two teachers.

What he does tell us is their names.

The first was Barnabas, whom he had described as “a Levite from Cyprus” (4:36).

Second, there was Simeon who was called Niger. The word Niger means “black,” and Simeon was probably a black African.

The third leader, Lucius of Cyrene, definitely came from North Africa.

Fourth, there was Manaen, a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch. He had been raised in Herod the Great's household and was possibly Herod Antipas’ foster brother. Since Manaen had been raised with Herod the tetrarch, he was likely Luke’s informant regarding Herod’s court and family.

And finally, there was Saul, who, of course, came from Tarsus in Cilicia.

These five men were the spiritual leaders of the church at Antioch.

It was through their preaching and teaching ministry that the church at Antioch was built.