Transcript Natural Church Development

Natural Church Development
 An introduction to a natural way to
realise growth in your church
 Drawn from Christian A. Schwarz,
Natural Church Development
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The research…

Statistically validated
 SDA Church included in international research
( 32 countries involved)
 SDA Church is one of the highest utilisers of
the NCD process

Outcome: 8 universal, natural
principles—elements a church must
have in order to be healthy and
growing
NCD-A different way of thinking
about growth
Natural Church Development (NCD) is a
paradigm – a way of thinking about
church growth.
Growth should be about quality (health)
and not just quantity (numbers).
NCD-A different way of thinking
about growth
At the heart of the paradigm is the
Scriptural picture of the church as a
living organism, not just an organization
(albeit a spiritual one).
The growth of organisms focuses on
their health, their capacity to reproduce,
and how the individual 'body' parts
interact. They are grown, not built. They
are nurtured, not assembled.
Why church leaders find NCD
helpful
Natural Church Development liberates
leaders wrestling with growth issues:
It reminds them that God brings the
growth and their role is to partner with
Him, not try to generate the growth
themselves.
It offers universal growth principles
that apply in all churches at all times.
Why church leaders find NCD
helpful
It provides regular accurate
"snapshots" of a church's health,
keeping the leadership focused on the
most important issues to achieve long
term sustainable growth.
It outlines a process of continuous
improvement through the NCD Cycle.
Why church leaders find NCD
helpful
It helps leaders focus on essential
growth values.
It provides concrete input for
developing or refining vision.
Why church leaders find NCD
helpful
It helps maximize the effective use of
limited time, energy and resources.
It confirms long-held beliefs. The
following comment is common:
"Christian Schwarz affirms through the
international research what I have
been thinking for a long time, but until
now nobody has done the research
The 5 Basic Components of
Natural Church Development
1. The 8 Quality Characteristics
Empowering
leadership
2. Gift-oriented
ministry
3. Passionate
spirituality
4. Effective
structures
1.
Inspiring worship
service
6. Whole-life small
group ministry
7. Need-oriented
evangelism
8. Loving
relationships
5.
Note: The secret is in the adjectives…
2. The 6 Growth Forces
"Human growth principles can bring about
results: success in business, economic
improvement, even church growth. However, the
problem with many of these human concepts is
that there is no inherent sustainable power
behind them. They depend on great amounts of
outside energy, and once that energy is reduced,
everything collapses. What a contrast to the
dynamics that we observe in God's creation,
where the following principles are at work’ CYW
p81
6 Growth Forces
Interdependence
Individual units
are connected to
each other in a
larger system.
Changes in one
will affect others
in the church and
community.
Long Term Effects
I Corinthians 12:4-7
4 God's various gifts are handed out
everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit.
5 God's various ministries are carried out
everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit.
6 God's various expressions of power are in
action everywhere; but God himself is behind it
all.
7 Each person is given something to do that
shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it,
everyone benefits.
Interdependence
What are the short and long-term
effects of this action?
“connecting”
Multiplication
Healthy organisms do not grow endlessly
but reproduce themselves.
Multiplication
True fruit of apple tree is not an
apple, but another tree.
True fruit of small group is not a new
Christian, but a new group.
True fruit of a church is not a new
group, but a new church.
The Power of Multiplication
Would you choose the addition to your account
of £10,000 per day for 31 days or 1 pence
doubled/multiplied on day one and the balance
doubled each day for 31 days?
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•
•
•
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£70,000 – 7 days
£140,000 – 14 days
£210,000 – 21 days
£280,000 – 28 days
£310,000 – 31 days
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•
•
•
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£1.28 – 7 days
£163.84 - 14 days
£20,971 – 21 days
£2,684,354 – 28 days
£21,474,836 – 31 days
Genesis 1:28-Be fruitful and multiply
Matthew 28:19,20-The Great Commission
Multiplication
How does this contribute to multiplication,
not just addition?
“reproducing”
Energy Transformation
Momentum or energy already flowing,
whether positive, potential or negative, can
be redirected to accomplish God's purposes.
Energy Transformation
• Paul - Acts 17: Paul‘s mission development
strategy
• Persecution - Acts 8: Through suffering, the
church grows
• Crucifixion of Jesus: Through ultimate
sacrifice, life is restored to all
Energy Transformation
How can we utilize positive and
negative resources to fulfill God's
purpose?
“leveraging”
Sustainability
Resources used
should increase
the capacity for
on-going growth
and development,
as well as serve
multiple purposes.
Sustainability
EXAMPLE
Raising up
apprentice leaders.
(No one serves alone.
Each one, teach
one.)
I Corinthians 3:6 Paul planted, Apollos
watered
II Timothy 2:2 What you have heard
from me, entrust to faithful people
Sustainability
How do these actions contribute to
future ministry cycles?
“recycling”
Symbiosis
Different ministries can
cultivate cooperative
relationships so the
mutual benefit is
greater than
operating separately.
Symbiosis
• Cooperation
• Mutual benefit
• Greater results
Acts 13:2 Setting apart Barnabas and
Saul (together they were better)
Acts 15:36-40 Dynamic Duo breaks up
but they don’t go it alone.
Symbiosis
How can we work together to
enhance ministry effectiveness?
“cooperating/teamwork”
Fruitfulness
Each ministry
needs to produce
discernible results
in line with its
intended purpose.
Fruitfulness
Every good tree bears good fruit; you will
know them by their fruits (Matthew 7)
Measuring results (John 15)
- Removing
- Pruning
- Cultivating
Matthew 7:17-20-Every good tree bears
good fruit
John 15:1-4-Cutting off the unfruitful,
pruning for greater production
Fruitfulness
How can we maximize the
fruitfulness of this ministry?
“evaluating”
Growth Forces
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Interdependence = connecting
Multiplication = reproducing
Energy transformation = harnessing
Sustainability = recycling
Symbiosis = cooperating
Fruitfulness = evaluating
3. Trinitarian Compass
Natural Church Development have
developed the Trinitarian Compass.
The Trinitarian Compass is about
helping Christians have a holistic
worldview, to theology, church growth,
expression of mission, etc.
4. Minimum Factor
This part of Natural Church Development
relates to the 8 quality characteristics
previously mentioned. When a NCD
survey is completed, the survey reveals
the results on a bar graph. The lowest of
these 8 characteristics, is called the
'minimum factor'.
The “Minimum Factor”
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Finding: Whenever a church works
on one of the eight quality
characteristics, the point value
improves not only for that area, but
for all other areas as well
Question: Which of the eight
characteristics do you think are the
most elemental, the most critical?
A healthy church: 8 characteristics
Empowering
leadership
2. Gift-based
ministry
3. Passionate
spirituality
4. Effective
structures
1.
Inspiring worship
service
6. Whole-life small
group ministry ✔
7. Need-oriented
evangelism
8. Loving
relationships
5.
✔
Note: The secret is in the adjectives…
5. The NCD tools
For NCD tools, you can check out the
NCD International Page. Additional tools
and helpful resources for growing healthy
churches, can be found by searching for
NCD national partners, for example, NCD
UK, NCD Australia, NCD New Zealand and
NCD USA to simply name a few.
The Natural Church Development
Cycle-Putting NCD to work in your
church
Natural Church Development is not a
survey. The survey is just one tool. Natural
Church Development is a long-term
process for strengthening the health and
effectiveness of your church. The survey is
a powerful diagnostic tool that identifies
strengths and weaknesses, but a diagnosis
is of little use unless it leads to action that
improves health.
The Natural Church Development
Cycle-Putting NCD to work in your
church
The NCD process can be viewed as a cycle:
The “all by itself” principle…
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Mark 4:26–29: “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 corn—first the stalk,
then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the
sickle to it, because the harvest has
come.”
Our “improvement” on this plan…
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“This is what the business of church growth is
like. After looking around the world for the
best experts, we draw up a plan and refine it.
Then we refine it again. Night and day,
whether we’re supposed to be sleeping or
not, we refine and work the plan as best we
can. Finally, exhausted and discouraged, we
accept a transfer. By then the harvest is over,
the summer is passed; and as far as we can
tell, few have been saved.”
Oops! Let’s go back to Plan A…
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Mark 4:26–29: “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 corn—first the stalk,
then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the
sickle to it, because the harvest has
come.”
The “all by itself” principle…

1 Cor. 3:6, 7: “I planted the seed, Apollos
watered it, but God made it grow. So
neither he who plants nor he who waters
is anything, but only God, who makes
things grow.”
The “all by itself” principle…

God’s invitation is to for us to allow the
Holy Spirit to build the church through
Heaven’s own growth mechanisms—
much better than having pastors, elders,
etc. “push and shove” a congregation in
their own strength!
Question: What do you make of this picture?
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Question:
Would this be
a little better?
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Two kinds of growth…
Growth in numbers (quantity)
 Growth in spirituality (quality)
 Question: How would you describe
these two? Which is more important?
What is their relationship?

The question of goals
Question: Are numerical goals
critical for church growth?
7 out of 10 fast-growing churches do not
have numerical growth goals
Quality goals are more important
These goals work best when they are
precise, challenging, time-bound,
measurable & verifiable
A healthy church: 8 characteristics
1.
Empowering leadership
 Leaders in the congregation are
empowered to minister
 The pastor leads primarily by
relationships, discipleship & delegation
 Leadership is not by personal authority
or the power of theological training
A healthy church: 8 characteristics
2.
Gift-based ministry
 Ministry is based on the individual gifts
and calling in the congregation
 The ministry plan is not a “prescription”
from leadership, with a call for
“volunteers”
 The ministry plan is developed directly
from the giftedness and interests of
members
 A key: “the priesthood of all believers”
A healthy church: 8 characteristics
3.
Passionate spirituality
 Christians in the congregation are “on
fire”
 They are gripped by devotion to Jesus
… prayerful … enthusiastic … joyful
 The congregation’s focus is not on
behaviours, obligations, qualifications
for membership, or doctrinal correctness
A healthy church: 8 characteristics
4.
Effective structures
 The organisational structures of the church
are dynamic, rather than fixed; they are
continually renewed for maximum
effectiveness in service
 Members are eager for positive change
 The polar opposite: a tradition-bound
organisation—which destroys motivation,
discourages initiative, perpetuates
inconvenience, and prevents growth
A healthy church: 8 characteristics
5.
Inspiring worship service
 Regardless of the style of service
(traditional or contemporary, liturgical or
free), the worship service is Spirit-filled
 People come to the service not out of
duty or as a favour for God or the
pastor, but because the experience is
enjoyable, well-planned and meaningful
A healthy church: 8 characteristics
6.
Whole-life (“holistic”) small group ministry
 The congregation builds an effective smallgroup ministry—with a “holistic,” practical
focus on immediate personal concerns and
service to others
 The small group becomes the natural place
for practical discipleship (not for abstract
study)
 The larger the church, the more important
this critical component
A healthy church: 8 characteristics
7.
Need-oriented evangelism
 The pastor knows the gifts of service in
the congregation, especially evangelism
(perhaps 10% of the congregation)
 The pastor directs the evangelists into
appropriate ministries for non-Christians
 Most members actively share Christ in
their daily contacts
 All evangelism is directed to people’s
needs—not manipulation and pressure
A healthy church: 8 characteristics
8.
Loving relationships
 The congregation is characterized by
lively, positive relationships between
members, inside and outside the church
 There are frequent acts of practical love,
and laughter is easy to spot
 While faith is crucial, it is not the highest
value for a church—love holds this
honour
By the way—an aside for SDAs…
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Monte Sahlin, Ministry, Nov. 2004: “What makes
churches grow? What recent Adventist research
reveals”
“The strongest item in the cluster of church
growth indicators is how well the congregation
does in helping members deepen their
relationship with God. This is strong evidence
that spirituality is key to church growth.…
“Congregations that place an emphasis on
teaching spiritual disciplines are more likely to be
growing churches.… >
By the way—an aside for SDAs…

“Spirituality cannot be ignored when
church leaders seek expanding
congregations. Any church growth
strategy that is not bathed in prayer
and does not emerge with the guidance
of the Holy Spirit cannot be expected
to attain authentic, lasting growth.”
A healthy church
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Schwarz’s description:
“This is a church in which the leadership is
committed heart and soul to church growth; in
which nearly every Christian is using his or
her gifts to edify the church; in which most
members are living out the faith with power
and contagious enthusiasm; in which church
structures are evaluated on whether they
serve the growth of the church or not;
A healthy church

Schwarz’s description continued:
“…in which worship services are a high point
of the week for the majority of the
congregation; in which the loving and healing
power of Christian fellowship can be
experienced in small groups; in which nearly
all Christians, according to their gifts, help to
fulfill the Great Commission; in which the love
of Christ permeates almost all church
activities.”
A healthy church

Schwarz’s description concluded:
“…Is it even conceivable that such a
church could stagnate or decline?”
The “Quality Index”
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Researchers established a “Quality Index”
(QI) as an evaluative tool. The median score
(“average”) was set at 50.
Congregations scoring a QI of >65 were
always healthy and growing.
Congregations that scored low in one or two
characteristics, but high in all the others,
were generally not healthy or growing.
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The “Quality Index”
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Realising all 8 characteristics at a
high level is not a “quick-fix”
method, but “a difficult path” that
can, nevertheless, be taken
successfully
Remember: “God gives the growth”
The “all by itself” principle is given
by Christ—and it really works
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The “Minimum Factor”


An approach… We cannot do
everything at once—but we can
choose one thing to do first, and
then do it!
Schwarz recommends choosing the
“minimum factor”
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The “Minimum Factor”
The “minimum factor” is that
characteristic, identified by valid research,
that is lowest on the church’s Quality
Index.
 This is the aspect that appears to have the
greatest need—combined with significant
opportunity and potential for impact on
the ministries of the congregation as a
whole.
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The “Minimum Factor”
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
How do we find out how a church is
presently doing? How do we
discover “the minimum factor,” so
we can go forward with the
challenge?
A tested and proven questionnaire:
for completion by up to 30 active
church members and the pastor.
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The “Minimum Factor”

The questionnaire consists of 91
straightforward statements for your
graded response
E.g. “I often tell other Christians when I have
experienced something from God”

Data from the church is then compared
with a database of millions of responses
worldwide
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The “Minimum Factor”
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From this data, a “church profile” is
created and given to the
congregation
The profile shows the Quality Index
for each of the 8 characteristics
It also identifies the “minimum
factor”—the recommended area for
focus initially
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The “Minimum Factor”

The ideal dynamic is to use current
strengths to improve the weaker points
 This is not a focus on weakness, but a focus
on how a strength can lift up a weakness
E.g. A church strong in “gift-oriented ministry”
might use people with particular gifts to
strengthen an area like small group ministry or
evangelism
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The “Minimum Factor”


Finding: Whenever a church works
on one of the eight quality
characteristics, the point value
improves not only for that area, but
for all other areas as well
Finding: The QI for the eight
characteristics can change over time,
so follow-up surveys are important
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Resources…
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The ABC’s of Natural Church Development, by
Christian A. Schwarz. Key concepts in an easy
reading style. A 32-page booklet.
Implementation Guide to Natural Church
Development. 235 pages.
Natural Church Development Survey. After
processing, the church receives a report with a
“Church Profile” and the identity of the “minimum
factor”.
CD: Releasing Your Church’s Potential.
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