Flourishing Church Framework

With flourishing churches being central to the BUV’s vision, it is imperative that we prioritise equipping and resourcing our churches to flourish.

The Flourishing Church Framework, developed by the BUV Support Hub team, is a visual representation of 13 aspects of church life and ministry that we believe contributes to a flourishing church.

The framework is made up of 4 main elements:

  • Spirituality – sits in the centre of the framework to reflect the centrality of God, and the congregational experience and expression of God, in our church’s mission and ministry. In this context, Spirituality covers things such as prayer, worship, discernment / hearing God’s voice, devotion, presence of God, and spiritual practices and rhythms.
  • Church Life – Hospitality, Diversity, Congregational Engagement and Discipleship;
  • Church Character – Leadership, Identity, Structure and Processes and Innovation; and
  • Church Mission – Evangelism, Community Engagement, Justice and Partnerships

The Flourishing Church Survey

Along with the framework, the BUV Support Hub developed an annual tool to assist churches to reflect on their health. The Flourishing Church Survey is designed to be filled in by the Pastor and at least one member of the Church Leadership team and could be a useful basis for discussion on a leaders’ planning retreat or church council meeting.

Church leaders are asked to reflect on the 13 aspects of the flourishing church framework. Each aspect provides some questions that help to define the aspect and ensure universal understanding of the area. Reflecting on these questions help the leaders determine the degree to which their church is flourishing in that aspect of church ministry or operations, arriving at a ranking on a scale from 1 (Floundering) to 10 (Flourishing). 

As church leaders reflect honestly together, the framework assists them to identify areas of strength that can be built upon, but also areas of potential development that may require additional / external resources and assistance.

It also provides the BUV Support Hub with direction as to where to focus resources to support churches in their life and mission. Importantly, it also serves as a tool to assist the BUV Union Council in discerning the state of our union.