What are the marks of a successful church?

My latest post for the UCC: What Data Do We Study Now In This COVID-19 World?

I was interested in thinking about what sorts of data the church needs to consider in this new time? Or, said more poetically, what are the stones on which we build the church?

Traditionally, the church looks at things like baptisms, buildings, and church budgets to determine how the church is impacting the world. I argue that this approach is no longer sufficient. 

I posted this a month ago, when the virus death toll was 50k people and today is over 100k.

I am more convinced that it is the right time to reconsider our assumptions about church and faith.

Looking ahead, I plan on reconsidering my theological and church ideas in the light of this new world.
 

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