Two Factors Leading to Increased Church Health in the Area of Functional Structures at South Tacoma Baptist Church

This pre- and post-test case study was conducted to answer the question: 'Does implementing the purposeful restructuring of ministries and an intentional ministry strategy contribute to increased church health in the area of functional structures at South Tacoma Baptist Church?' South Tacoma Baptist Church (STBC) is a 102-year-old church that has experienced a period of thirteen years of plateaued and declining attendance. Although declining attendance may indicate that problems exist, numerical growth is not the focus of this project. Rather, numerical growth or decline is seen as a by-product of the health of the church. The Natural Church Development process has identified eight primary quality characteristics that contribute to church health. This project focuses on only one of those characteristics, 'functional structures.'
After measuring the health of STBC in December 2000, a plan was initiated to implement an intentional strategy of ministry process and organization designed to accomplish the purposes of the church. When these two steps were taken during the first half of 2001, there was a measurable improvement in the value of 'functional structures' when evaluated using the Natural Church Development Survey as an assessment tool.