Continued
The key in each of these quality characteristics is the adjective , which can be considered a summary of the six growth forces as they apply to that characteristic: empowering, gift-based, passionate, effective, etc. Every church has some sort of leadership or worship or structure. Not all emphasize the adjectives at the front of each of these quality characteristics. Here are some brief definitions:
Empowering Leadership – Effective leadership begins with an intimate relationship with God, resulting in Christ-like character and a clear sense of God’s calling for leader’s lives. As this base of spiritual maturity increases, effective pastors and leaders multiply, guide, empower and equip disciples to realize their full potential in Christ and work together
to accomplish God’s vision. Leaders consider it as one of their most important tasks to help Christians develop greater degrees of empowerment. They equip, support, motivate, mentor and coach individuals to become all that God wants them to be.
Gift-based Ministry – The Holy Spirit sovereignly gives to every Christian spiritual gift(s) for the building of God’s kingdom. Church leaders have the responsibility to help believers discover, develop and exercise their gifts in appropriate ministries so that the Body of Christ “grows and builds itself up in love.” The role of church leadership is to help its members identify their gifts and integrate them into ministries that match their gifts. When a person lives according to their spiritual giftedness, they are no longer working in their own strength, but the Holy Spirit works in them. Studies show that most Christians are either not involved in ministry or they function in a ministry that does not match their gifts.
Passionate Spirituality – Effective ministry flows out of a passionate spirituality. Spiritual intimacy leads to a strong conviction that God will act in powerful ways. A godly vision can only be accomplished through an optimistic faith that views obstacles as opportunities and turns defeats into victories. The important issue here is not the way spirituality is expressed, but the fact that faith is actually lived out with commitment, fire and enthusiasm. The methods a church used are really a secondary concern. A church that lives its faith with passionate fervor will experience success with many a method.
Effective Structures– The Church is the living Body of Christ. Like all healthy organisms, it requires numerous systems that work together to fulfill its intended purpose. Each must be evaluated regularly to determine if it is still the best way to accomplish the intended purpose. The most important criterion for forms and structures in the church is if they fulfill their purpose or not. Church structures are never an end in themselves but always only a means to an end.
Inspiring Worship Services – Inspiring worship is a personal and corporate encounter with the living God. Both personal and corporate worship must be infused with the presence of God resulting in times of joyous exultation and times of quiet reverence. Inspiring worship is not driven by a particular style or ministry focus group — but rather the shared experience of God’s awesome presence. Is the worship service an inspiring experience for those who attend? It is not whether our servicestarget Christians or non-Christians, whether they celebrate “in the language of Canaan” or in a more secular language, or whether we worship using a liturgical or a more free-flowing approach.
Holistic Small Groups – Holistic small groups are disciple-making communities which endeavor to reach the unchurched, meet individual needs, develop each person according to their God-given gifts and raise leaders to sustain the growth of the church. Like healthy body cells, holistic small groups are designed to grow and multiply. Growing churches have developed a system of small groups where individual Christians can find intimate community, practical help and intensive spiritual interaction. In the groups, not only is the biblical text discussed, but they apply biblical insights to everyday issues.
Need-oriented Evangelism – Need-oriented evangelism intentionally cultivates relationships with pre-Christian people so they can become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ who are actively participating within the life of the church and community. Using appropriate ministries and authentic relationships, believers can guide others into the family of God. Growing churches are not “pushy” or “manipulative” in they way they share the gospel, rather, their secret is to share the gospel in a way that meets the questions and needs of pre-Christians.
Loving Relationships – Loving relationships are the heart of a healthy, growing church. Jesus said people will know we are his disciples by our love. Practical demonstration of love builds authentic Christian community and brings others into God’s kingdom. Unfeigned, practical love endows a church with a much greater magnetic power than all the marketing efforts of this world. Growing churches manifest a measurably higher “love quotient” than stagnant or declining ones.
No Quality Characteristic Can Be Missing
Three things can be said with a high degree of certainty:
- These are universally valid qualities.
- They can be transferred to our own situation.
- Each of these has a positive relationship with both the quality and the quantitative growth of the church.
No one single factor leads to growth in churches; it is the interplay of the eight elements as they relate to the growth forces.
The “All-by-Itself-Principle”
The secret of growing churches does not consist in pushing or pulling the church in human strength and efforts—but in releasing and developing the potential God himself uses to build his church. Then growth occurs all by itself. This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts, and grows; though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, and then full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come. – Mark 4:26-29
The church is designed by God to grow so growth happens automatically if we remove the obstacles that prevent growth. Growing churches use this growth principle.
The Minimum Factor
Imagine a barrel with eight staves, each representing the eight quality characteristics. The staves in the barrel only reach as high as the score of the characteristic. With this analogy, you can only fill the barrel to the level of the lowest stave. So to increase the capacity of the barrel, we must increase the height of the lowest stave.
Now focusing on the minimum factor does not mean that we don’t pay attention to the other seven areas. As stated before, all eight characteristics are vitally important to healthy growing churches. Focusing on the minimum factors helps us to set timely priorities. Since all eight areas can’t be worked on with the same amount of energy and concentration, we need to find areas that will yield the greatest longrange return on our investments. Remember, minimum factors can change quickly—especially when there is a conscious attempt to improve on this one area.
Growth Force Principles
The principles behind all the quality characteristics are the six growth forces. The survey assesses each of the eight quality characteristics by measuring the degree to which each is lived out. Any plans to improve your minimum factor must take into account these six growth forces.
Interdependence: Individual units are connected to each other in a larger system. Changes in one ministry will affect other ministries in the church and community.
Synonym: Connecting
Multiplication: Healthy organisms do not grow endlessly, but reproduce themselves. Synonym: Reproducing
Energy transformation: Momentum or energy already flowing, whether positive or negative, can be redirected to accomplish God’s purposes. Synonym: Harnessing
Sustainability: Resources used should increase the capacity for on-going growth and development, as well as serve multiple purposes. Synonym: Sustaining
Symbiosis: Different ministries can cultivate cooperative relationships so the mutual benefit is greater than operating separately. Synonym: Cooperating
Fruitfulness: Each ministry needs to produce discernible results in line with its intended purpose. Synonym: Evaluating
The NCD Process
The NCD process is a change process that will help a church address their minimum factor. A coach is beneficial to help a church engage in the NCD process with integrity to see the results maximized.
Step 1 – Prepare – Prepare your church to engage in the total NCD Process. Getting leadership buy-in, mobilizing intercessors and choosing a Church Health Team are all a part of this step.
Step 2 – Diagnose – Analyze the health of your church. This step begins with taking the survey followed by an in-depth analysis of your Minimum Factor. It concludes with identifying 3-5 key issues to address.
Step 3 – Plan – Plan to address your minimum factor. In this step the church health team will develop a strategic plan to address your 3-5 key issues identifies in Step 2.
Step 4 – Implement – Implement the strategic plan developed in Step 3. Staying focused on carrying out the plan and overcoming obstacles along
the way will be the task of the church health team.
Step 5 – Evaluate – Evaluate the process you used and the results of your effort. Use the growth forces to determine increased health in your minimum factor then plan to re-take the survey.
Biblical Promises for Change
Jeremiah 32:27 “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”
Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
Psalm 37:3-5 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen
Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
Philippians 4:3 Yes and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Mark 9:23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
Recommended Resources
Schwarz, Christian. Natural Church Development (Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1996) ISBN 1-889638-00-5
Schwarz, Christian. The ABC’s of Natural Church Development (Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1998) ISBN 1-889638-04-9
Schwarz, Christian A. & Schalk, Christoph. Natural Church Development Survey and Implementation Guide (Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1998) ISBN 1-889638-03-X
Logan, Robert E. & Clegg, Thomas C. Releasing Your Church’s Potential (Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1998) ISBN# n/a
To order NCD products, to become an NCD coach, or to locate an NCD consultant to administer the survey with your church, contact: your NCD publishing partner at www.ncd-international.org or in the USA at:
CHURCHSMART RESOURCES
3830 Ohio Ave. w St. Charles w IL w 60174
Phone: +1.800.253.4276 w Fax: +1-630-443-7929
E-mail: ChurchSmart@CompuServe.com
churchsmart.com
CoachNet Resources
Along the journey of NCD, there are a number of potential obstacles and roadblocks that will threaten to keep you from moving forward. With the proper resourcing and coaching, however, you can turn these obstacles into opportunities. You can increase the health of your church, and reach your goals. How? CoachNet.
CoachNet provides a full database of PDFs and PowerPoint presentations that are customized to meet your NCD needs throughout the journey. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel. We have the tools in place to help you.
CoachNet members can visit our NCD Network to find the resources they need for the journey. If you are not a CoachNet member, more information about NCD, and about purchasing a membership, is available at www.coachnet.org. |
