Because it majors on the majors!
When church leaders examine the results of the NCD church survey they will always find change of some sort is advocated; but those leaders, if they read the result correctly, will never be allowed to forget the essentials.
So often church leaders are aware their church needs to change if it is to meet the needs of a 21st century disciple. What is not so easy to discern is the answer to the question: Exactly what needs to change?
In many instances leaders have managed to make their churches even more toxic by ignoring, or even omitting, one or more of the essentials. Or perhaps they have given attention to an essential, but it is the wrong essential for their church at this point in its history.
When the NCD church survey result is taken seriously it will not allow church leaders to make that mistake. The eight Quality Characteristics of a church are like the vital organs of a human being. You cannot leave them out. You may not ignore them.
There are leaders who are tired of ‘business as usual’ in their church, and rightfully so. They want to start something new and radical and effective. Natural Church Development says, ‘Be as radical as you and your people want; but do not ignore the essentials; make sure you major on the majors; do not overlook any one of the eight!’
Uncategorized
Natural Church Development Health and Children
When the data from more 1000 Australian churches from 25 denominations and movements is analysed, there is a definite correlation between the numbers of children in the church, and NCD church health.
Does a healthy church attract more children? Does a flourishing children’s ministry make a church healthier? The experts say it would not be wise or accurate to say that one causes the other. All we can say is there is a definite relationship between healthy churches and effective children’s ministry.
The graph informs us that very healthy churches (right on diagram) have a larger number of children (and are adding to the number of children at a higher rate). Very unhealthy congregations (left on diagram) have a smaller percentage of children (and are losing those they have).
While this is the findings from 1000 Australian churches, when the data from 70,000 churches around the world is added, the graph hardly changes.
Natural Church Development and Growth Force Principles: Interdependence
What happened when the wolves went back to Yellowstone Park; an amazing story.
If Yellowstone Park represents your church, what one thing (represented by the wolves) might you give attention to in your church that would have the effect of major improvement in church health?
Perhaps the Minimum Factor of your church health survey may give you some ideas about this!
Natural Church Development Principles and the Bible
Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? 2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. 3 “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.” Psalms 2:1-3 (NLT)
When the people who rule the world, the most influential people on the planet irrespective of the position they hold, want to ‘break their chains’ and ‘free ourselves from slavery to God,’ what are they talking about?
It seems to me they want to turn their backs on the great unchanging and unchangeable principles that God has woven through every atom and molecule and cell of His creation, and they want to establish their own way of doing things that will result in disaster. Perhaps it is not only that they want to get rid of God as a Person and the great Creator; they also want to find their way around principles, like sowing and reaping, and multiplication. In part this may be seen in the so-called sexual revolution and freedom from the restraints as imposed by the seventh commandment, with subsequent STDs that have developed and spread (principles: sowing and reaping, and multiplication, working against us).
It can also be observed in the development of plants that will not reproduce, even the suggestion that it may become law that individuals are not permitted to grow crops from seed they have carefully gathered for that purpose. Those principles are like the iron rod that will break these decision-makers and leaders of earth (v.9).
It may appear to us that these unfortunate people are being punished for their sins after they have committed them, and that is true enough; but it is equally true to say that the ‘punishment’ was written into the matter from which God formed the earth, and even deeper than that, it was written into the very character of God Himself!. There is no way of escape from God’s great principles.
We may as well respond to the invitation of Jesus and ‘learn the unforced rhythms of grace.’
Natural Church Development Principles and the Bible
Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers; don’t take the land of defenseless orphans. For their Redeemer is strong; he himself will bring their charges against you. (Proverbs 23:10-11)
If we are in a position of power we must not take advantage of that position for personal gain, or even so that some other party may gain. People with power are to ensure than justice prevails, whatever form that may take. And justice (don’t cheat your neighbor) must be guided by truth (the ancient boundary markers) and grace (defenseless orphans). These three qualities together in balance equate to love.
As if the Preacher’s directive is not sufficient in itself, he continues with another strong deterrent for such action:
Their Redeemer is always on the side of the oppressed and disadvantaged. If we do not love them, He does, and in the great accounting day – if not in this life – we will discover ourselves to be in the dock. We will discover that it all belonged to Him anyway and we were but stewards; we will have nothing with which to pay for our ‘crimes.’
Sometimes in these days, when change is the only constant, some people are always wanting to change things, to make them more relevant and appealing to the unchurched. In many cases they are changing cosmetics things, making changes that irritate others, changing things that do not really need to be changed. Ancient boundary markers – like the eight quality characteristics of Natural Church Development – cannot and should not be changed. Perhaps in a church, the only changes that should be made at the commencement of the NCD process, are those changes that will facilitate improvements in church health; such changes will give members sufficient to grapple with, without making them all angry by changing a few cosmetic things and sending church health plummeting!
Natural Church Development Principles and the Bible
Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it. (Proverbs 8:10, 11)
My father often used to say to me, “Money does not grow on trees, you know!” It sounded reasonable at the time; but now I’m not so sure.
The Preacher has said we should choose his instruction over silver and gold and rubies. I suppose whenever we buy a book or pay for a course we are more or less doing just that; ‘more or less’ because not all books or all courses would be in the ‘wisdom’ category.
If it comes to a choice between wealth and wisdom, the Preacher says it’s a no brainer; we must choose wisdom.
Now he is making the reason for that clear (Proverbs 8:17-21): Wealth – silver, gold, rubies and other such treasure – is the fruit of wisdom. In other words, if we make worldly wealth our goal, there is no guarantee we will get it; but if we stake our life on finding wisdom we will succeed at finding it, and get wealth thrown in!
By going after money we are pursuing the fruit without nurturing the ‘tree’ that produces the money; that tree is the wisdom the Preacher is talking about.
This whole scenario is very much the way some Christians and churches set up for evangelism; they go after the fruit – converts – without bothering to nurture the plant – their local church – that produces and matures the fruit.
How Natural Church Development can help your Church: What will you do?
When we do the survey, control over the quality of our church is placed in our own hands.
God is showing us, through his people and by His Spirit where we should make adjustments so that He can better display His power through our church. Not only does the survey result enlighten us as to where God is doing His best work in our church, but where we should now focus in order that He is empowered to do what He has always wanted to do in and through our community of faith.
The Preacher says, “God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law.” (Proverbs 28:9) The law here is not the ceremonial law, but the moral law, those great principles that God has woven through His whole creation. Sometimes our conscious prayers are contradicted by our unconscious prayers. If God were to answer some of our prayers it would be the end of creation.
I am serious about that. It would be impossible for God to answer because we are not in the right space, and if God were to respond to our prayers in the way we want Him to, He would be denying Himself.
Sometimes we pray God will act in our church when He is waiting for us to act; to address the issues uncovered by the survey result.
Natural Church Development Principles and the Bible
A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace. (Proverbs 10:5)
This is a simple example of our interdependence with God’s natural world. We do not have any control over the seasons; God has established them and we have to co-operate with, and take advantage of, the way God’s creation works. This very basic principle can be connected to every different world – politics, family, health care, finance, church – to life in general. Natural seasons are easy to see; that is why it is a disgrace if a person sleeps during the summer harvest. Seasons in other worlds are not always easy to discern; that is why we need the advice of others with the appropriate gifts and understanding. Like those soldiers who joined David’s army: “From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.” (I Chronicles 12:32) In every church it is likely there is – or was – someone like these leaders from Issachar. The question is: Are they heard? Do they have a voice?
Natural Church Development Principles and the Bible
My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course. Do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags. Proverbs 23:19-21 (NLT)
What is the Preacher saying here? He is saying, ‘Keep your heart on the right course.’ He has already indicated earlier: Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (Proverbs 4:23). He is suggesting that if we get the heart right, everything else will fall into place.
Let’s take this to the local church. The early church leaders showed little concern for issues that were external to the church. Their chief concern was for problems within the church. Internal problems could do serious damage to the church; problems in the world would have little effect – unless church members opened the door to them. So the Preacher’s advice to his son is equally apt for the church. Let’s keep the heart of the church on the right course. Let’s guard the heart of the church above all else because that determines the course of the church.
What is the heart of the church?
It has to be the leadership team, the main influencers in the church. By surveying the thirty main influencers, we get a picture of the health of the whole church.
If we need to improve the health of our church we do not have to ‘lift’ the total congregation. The focus of our strategy should be, must be, the heart of our church, the leaders, the main influencers; where they go, the rest of the church will follow. What they are, the rest of the church is in the process of becoming.
How Natural Church Development can help your Church: Hearing from God
When we accept the survey result as a snapshot of our church’s current reality (where we are now), we are listening deeply and genuinely to the Holy Spirit of God.
Those who have participated in the survey are the main influencers in the church. Where they go, the church goes. What they model, the church does.
Of all the people in the church, we would expect these people to be influenced by the Spirit of God. Therefore it must follow that the survey result is God’s word for us at this time in our history; just as a doctor’s accurate diagnosis of our health is God’s word for us on that matter.
I once heard a pastor ask if it might be possible for the survey result and the Holy Spirit to be in disagreement with each other. The answer given was informative: “If the Holy Spirit and the survey result do not agree, all I can say is your people are inveterate liars.”
NCD Healthy Churches 