My good friend, Tim, asked me how I determine the spiritual vitality of a church. There are many important questions to ask, but the two below have always cut through the fog for me. They have never failed in giving me a good idea of a church’s true health.

*What does your church’s ministry of prayer look like? How does the weekly schedule show its priority? How many attend? What is prayed about? Is there a godly desperation manifest in the prayers?

*Is there an emphasis on comprehensive discipleship/Christian formation? Does it address a full-orbed list of areas like aging and apologetics, theology of work and missions, etc.?