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Overview of Natural Church Development

Overview of Natural Church Development. What does the research have to say?. North American Church Growth Stats. 85% are stagnant or declining Leith Anderson, Dying For Change 12.8% are growing by transfer growth 2.2% of churches are growing by conversion growth Chuck Colson, The Body.

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Overview of Natural Church Development

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  1. Overview of Natural Church Development

  2. What does the research have to say?

  3. North American Church Growth Stats • 85% are stagnant or declining Leith Anderson, Dying For Change • 12.8% are growing by transfer growth • 2.2% of churches are growing by conversion growthChuck Colson, The Body

  4. What’s the Problem? Erwin McManus, the author of, “An Unstoppable Force”, uses the same illustration as Christian Schwarz when he comments “…much of the friction that we have been experiencing is due to the fact that we’ve been driving on square tires. It’s time to turn friction into traction and gain momentum”.

  5. What’s the Problem? Question A - What are those square wheels? Question B - How do we get rid of them?

  6. Christian Schwarz’s addresses the problem by beginning with these questions… “What church growth principles are true, regardless of culture and theological persuasion?” “What is the difference between growing and declining churches?” “What causes a church to grow?”

  7. Three ways to pursue the answer… • Studying Scripture • Observing Nature • Empirical Research

  8. 1. Studying Scripture And he was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the ground; and goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts up and grows – how, he himself does not know. The earth produces crops allby itself; first the blade, then the head, and then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29

  9. 1. Studying ScriptureConclusions; • That we have a role to play is clearly demonstrated by the farmer’s work at seed time and harvest. • God has a role to play as seen in the seemingly “all-by-itself” growth.

  10. 2. Observing Nature Matthew 6:26 “See the lilies of the field, how they grow”. The word see in the text is the Greek katamathete… learn, observe, study, research.

  11. 2. Observing Nature Sunlight Moisture Conclusion: Every organism in the universe has all-by-itself growth potential or growth automatisms. They will grow, thrive and multiply when the environmental factors are suitable. Nutrients Pollination Genetics Carbon Dioxide

  12. 3. Empirical ResearchThe International Research Project • 1000 churches • 32 Countries • 6 Continents Today • 32,000 Churches • 58 Countries

  13. 3. Empirical ResearchConclusions -The best possible conditions for growth is quality in eight areas. Empowering Gift-oriented Passionate Functional Inspiring Holistic Need-oriented Loving Leadership Ministry Spirituality Structures Worship Small Groups Evangelism Relationships The Adjective is the Key

  14. Let’s go back to our problem. Question A - What are those square wheels? Question B - How do we get rid of them?

  15. The ConclusionWhat are those square wheels? • Possibly a wrong paradigm about who does the work. • Possibly existing environmental inhibitors.

  16. The Conclusion How do we get rid of the square wheels? Release the (all-by-itself) growth potential by which God Himself grows His church. While it is clear that growth can not be ‘made’ or forced. it is important to keep the environmental resistance to a minimum in order to create the best possible conditions for growth.

  17. 1. What should we do? Develop 8 quality characteristicsContents 4. Why should we do it? The theological paradigmFoundation 2. Where do we start? The minimum factor strategyTiming 3. How should we do it? The six natural principlesMethod 5. What steps should we take?The NCD Cycle1. Prepare 2. Conduct 3. Analyze 4. Plan 5. Implement 6. Re-cycleEvaluation.. Action Planning.. Re-evaluation The Building Blocks of NCD

  18. Q1. What should we do to reduce environmental resistance? Develop quality with regular church evaluations

  19. The results are very accurate according to accepted scientific standards. The scales of the church profile have a reliability between r = 0.75 and r = 0.89 depending on the specific scale. For a test with an organizational diagnostic purpose, these are very high values.

  20. 1. What should we do? Develop 8 quality characteristicsContents 4. Why should we do it? The theological paradigmFoundation 2. Where do we start? The minimum factor strategyTiming 3. How should we do it? The six natural principlesMethod 5. What steps should we take?The NCD Cycle1. Prepare 2. Conduct 3. Analyze 4. Plan 5. Implement 6. Re-cycleEvaluation.. Action Planning.. Re-evaluation The Building Blocks of NCD

  21. The Minimum Factor Strategy Q2. Where do we start?

  22. The Minimum Factor Strategy Q2. Where do we start?

  23. 1. What should we do? Develop 8 quality characteristicsContents 4. Why should we do it? The theological paradigmFoundation 2. Where do we start? The minimum factor strategyTiming 3. How should we do it? The six natural principlesMethod 5. What steps should we take?The NCD Cycle1. Prepare 2. Conduct 3. Analyze 4. Plan 5. Implement 6. Re-cycleEvaluation.. Action Planning.. Re-evaluation The Building Blocks of NCD

  24. Interdependence Connecting Functionality Evaluating MultiplicationReproducing Symbiosis Cooperating Energy TransformationHarnessing Multi-usage Sustaining

  25. Multiplication Reproducing Survey Question Churches that promote the multiplication of their small groups have greater health.

  26. 1. What should we do? Develop 8 quality characteristicsContents 4. Why should we do it? The theological paradigmFoundation 2. Where do we start? The minimum factor strategyTiming 3. How should we do it? The six natural principlesMethod 5. What steps should we take?The Prevailing Church Cycle 1. Prepare 2. Conduct 3. Analyze 4. Plan 5. Implement 6. Re-cycleEvaluation.. Action Planning.. Re-evaluation The Building Blocks of NCD

  27. Q4. Why do we develop the eight quality characteristics? Dangers to the Left Dangers to the Right Produces TechnocraticParadigm The significance of institutions, programs, methods, etc. is overestimated.The church can be manufactured Dynamic Poleorganicgrowfreedom“all by itself” Static Poletechnicalbuildorder“man-made” SpiritualisticParadigm The significance of institutions, programs, methods, etc. is underestimated.The church can not be manufactured Doctrine Biblical Canon Ethics Sacraments Tradition Cooperation Offices Order Proclamation Faith Word of God Love Fellowship Change Multiplication Spiritual gifts Social services Evangelism Stimulates We do our part, partnering with God as He does His!

  28. Q4.Why do we develop the quality characteristics? Produces The creative relationship between the two poles is the secret of Natural Church Development; ensuring that the institutional side of church life (static pole) is in harmony with God’s principles so that the dynamic pole can develop unhindered and healthy. Dynamic Poleorganicgrowfreedom“all by itself” Static Poletechnicalbuildorder“man-made” Stimulates

  29. What’s the Difference • NCD rejects merely pragmatic and a-theological approaches (“the end justifies the means”) and replaces them with a principle-oriented point of departure. • NCD has no quantitative approach (“How to get more people to attend services?), but looks at the quality of church life as the key to church development. • NCD does not attempt to “make” church growth, but to release the growth automatisms, with which God Himself builds the church.

  30. When we attempt to “make the church grow” When we tend to the environmental factors and allow the “God designed” growth automatisms to grow the church…. The Discovery

  31. 1. What should we do? Develop 8 quality characteristicsContents 4. Why should we do it? The theological paradigmFoundation 2. Where do we start? The minimum factor strategyTiming 3. How should we do it? The six natural principlesMethod 5. What steps should we take?The NCD Cycle1. Prepare 2. Conduct 3. Analyze 4. Plan 5. Implement 6. Re-cycleEvaluation.. Action Planning.. Re-evaluation The Building Blocks of NCD

  32. Q5. What steps do we take to develop the eight quality characteristics? The NCD Cycle The NCD Cycle is a strategic process that provides a framework for action. It could be thought of as the “Functional Structures”of NCD

  33. The NCD Cycle Phase 6: Review the Cycle Phase 1: Prepare for the Evaluation Phase 5: Implement Your Action Plan Phase 2: Conduct the Evaluation Phase 4: Develop an Action Plan Evaluation… Action Planning… Re-evaluation Phase 3: Analyze the Evaluation

  34. 1. What should we do? Develop 8 quality characteristicsContents 4. Why should we do it? The theological paradigmFoundation 2. Where do we start? The minimum factor strategyTiming 3. How should we do it? The six natural principlesMethod 5. What steps should we take?The NCD Cycle1. Prepare 2. Conduct 3. Analyze 4. Plan 5. Implement 6. Re-cycleEvaluation.. Action Planning.. Re-evaluation The Building Blocks of NCD

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