Flourishing at Renewal

Signs of Flourishing

1. Spiritual Friendship and Fellowship

Signs of growing love and belonging. We recognize flourishing when:

• People are known and loved, with friendships growing beyond Sunday gatherings.

• Lives become interconnected, as people share joys, struggles, responsibilities, and everyday life.

• There is room for weakness, where people can be honest, receive care, and experience forgiveness.

• Joy and gratitude are growing, even through difficult seasons.

2. Catechesis and Preaching

Signs of growing knowledge and love of God

We recognize flourishing when:

• Faith becomes deeply personal and devotional, shaping how people pray, worship, and relate to God.

• People are rooted in Scripture, increasingly understanding God's story and living within it.

• Faith shapes the whole person, influencing character, relationships, decisions, and daily life.

• People learn from the wider Church, appreciating the wisdom and witness of Christians across history, cultures, and traditions.

3. Presence and Meeting Needs

Signs of growing generosity and care

We recognize flourishing when:

• Hospitality and generosity are freely offered, making room for others and sharing what God has given.

• People are ready to do good, noticing needs and responding with practical care.

• Our public witness reflects Christ, through integrity, courage, mercy, and faithfulness.

• The common good matters, as people contribute to the flourishing of their neighbours, workplaces, communities, and city.

4. Worship, Reconciliation and Beauty

Signs of growing awareness of God and His reconciling work

We recognize flourishing when:

• People make room for prayer and contemplation, learning to listen and attend to God's presence.

• Relationships are being restored, as people build bridges across differences and divisions.

• Forgiveness and peacemaking take root, even in difficult relationships.

• People recognize God's goodness and beauty, responding with wonder, gratitude, creativity, and worship in everyday life.

Discerning Our Flourishing Together

Telling the Story of Grace at Renewal

God is at work in Renewal, and our shared life is part of His greater story of renewing all creation in Jesus Christ.

That story becomes visible in the lives of people: in encounters with God, growing friendships, acts of kindness, answered prayers, and lives transformed. It unfolds through joy and gratitude, but also through grief, hardship, and faithful perseverance. Every person's story matters because every person matters to God.

We seek to recognize and tell these stories of grace, giving thanks for what God is doing among us.

Numbers can also help us tell this story. Baptisms, participation, relationships, acts of service, and the use of our resources can offer glimpses into our shared life. Yet no measure tells the whole story, and what we choose to measure shapes what we learn to value.

Our four signs of flourishing help us pay attention to what matters: growing friendship and fellowship, deeper knowledge and love of God, generous care for others, and lives shaped by worship, reconciliation, and beauty.

Together, stories and meaningful measures help us celebrate God's goodness, recognize where growth is taking place, and attend honestly to what needs care.

As we reflect on our life together, we ask:

• • What is flourishing? Where do we see God's grace bearing fruit in people's lives?

  • What is praiseworthy? What stories can we share, celebrate, and give thanks for?

  • What needs care? Where do we notice struggles, unmet needs, or opportunities for growth?

  • What are we learning? What do our stories and observations reveal about our shared life?

  • How might we respond? How is God inviting us to participate in what He is already doing?

These signs are not standards of perfection or measures of our worth. They are ways of remaining attentive to God's grace, encouraging one another, and discerning how we might grow together into maturity in Christ.

Our desire is not simply to measure the health of our church, but to recognize and faithfully tell the story of God's grace among us.

On Flourishing at Renewal

Last reviewed in February 2024. Curated by the Stewardship Collective. For updates, questions or shared discernment, contact connect@renewalchurch.ca