Time for an Annual Physical?

Natural Church Development

Assessing our Congregation’s Health and Moving Ahead

 

Need an annual physical? Most doctors tell us that we do. They say an annual check-up is essential for ongoing health and there is no substitute to a yearly exam.

 

Well, the same principle holds true for churches and organizations. We are healthier when we take time to assess our health. The Nebraska Synod, ELCA, recently has undertaken to implement Natural Church Development in our Synod and Grace Lutheran has been asked to be one of the first churches to benefit from this exciting program.

 

What is Natural Church Development?
Natural Church Development is a long-term strategic process for progressively improving church health. It is a process of continual assessment of the relative health of the church in eight different areas of church life.

 

Thinking Growth ... Naturally

Scripture invites us to grow. Jesus spoke often of the gift of growth that God has given the Kingdom. In Mark 4:26-29, Jesus says:

This is what the Kingdom of God is like. A farmer scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know why. ALL BY ITSELF the soil produces grain, first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, the farmer puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.

 

NCD helps churches create an ongoing environment that releases the growth potential in their congregation.

 

Why NCD is helpful?

NCD is based on theological principles and the understanding that God brings growth in the church. The principles behind NCD have been shown to have applicability in a large variety of churches. They are based on research done in 33,000 churches around the world. NCD gives churches a concrete process for improving the quality of church life. NCD is built on the understanding that God has given the church everything it needs to grow and be healthy. It is up to us to uncover and utilize those gifts.

 

At the heart of NCD is a sophisticated diagnostic tool, the NCD survey, which accurately provides an up-to-date snapshot of the health of the congregation. The survey will give our congregation a clear picture of which area of our congregation needs our attention most to grow more healthy.

 

How does NCD Work?

To begin with, a Church Health Team (of 4-7 people) is recruited to guide the congregation through the NCD process. Then an NCD Survey is administered. 30 active members are invited to share their observations of the congregation through the survey. The results are tabulated and the results are shared with the congregation. Members are then asked to help the Church Health Team understand the results and come up with ways to improve the health of the congregation in that area. Health improvement and growth ideas for that area are implemented and at the end of the year, the congregation is surveyed again to measure growth. A new Church Health Team is recruited and the congregation begins a new phase working on another area of health within the congregation.

 

A good illustration to understand how NCD works is to look at the Minimum Barrel.

As the relative health of the congregation goes up in the lowest factor, the overall health of the congregation is improved and as that rises, so does growth and vitality. The genius of NCD is that it gives churches a clear, objective tool to look at themselves and set goals to grow.

 

Keep this NCD process and the Health Team in your prayers and especially pray that God would help you reflect on the gifts that you have to offer the Body of Christ at Grace Lutheran. Pray that we will all be open to the Spirit leading and guiding!

Welcome to the Journey

Natural Church Development is a journey toward increased, lasting health in a congregation, health which produces all by itself growth. It is a journey of identifying the unique identity of each congregation, relative strengths and weaknesses, and how those characteristics interact with each other. It a journey of becoming all that God wants us to be.

 

We hope you will join us here at Grace on this exciting journey as together we continue to:

 

Make Christ known through worship, education and service!*

*Grace’s mission statement

Grace Lutheran Church

Passionate Spirituality Action Plan

2007

 

GOALS:

Help our members feel more connected to Grace Lutheran Church and each other.

Help our members feel more connected to the Word.

 

OBJECTIVES:

 

1. Have monthly intergenerational fellowship events with a spiritual component.

Who: Fellowship Team

How:

+Oversee the monthly calendar of congregational events

+Develop plan for how to implement this

When: Monthly events starting after the Action Plan and Fellowship Team plans are in place.

 

2. Develop ongoing visitation/care plan for people with the following needs:

          a. Those missing from Worship

          b. Illness or death

          c. Special hurts

          d. Special needs, i.e. homebound

          e. Visitors to Worship

Who: Sub-group of the Outreach Team with Pastor & the church office staff

How:

+Ideas…meals during life events (i.e. illness, death, birth)

+Contact by phone/post card/visit those missing a number of weekends in worship

+Visits/contacts for special needs/hurts & homebound

+Follow-up visit/contact for new visitors

When: Dictated by needs. Have sub-group and plan in place by May 2007

 

3. a. Develop an assessment with open-ended questions to find out what excites people (or would excite people) about Grace Lutheran Church.

Who: NCD Team with additional helpers to be determined later for follow-up to surveys.

How: A series of several surveys at different times in different ways. Examples/ideas:

+A questionnaire on Sunday as part of the sermon introducing this new phase of NCD and the Action Plan

+Surveys in the mail – 1 to those attending more regularly and 1 to those attending less regularly.

+At a fellowship event

When: Starting after January 1, 2007 (completion possibly by June 2007)

 

3.b. Plan a small group Bible Study with the NCD Health Team leading/convening studies around topics of their group’s choice (short or long term).

Who: Each member of the NCD Team try to start a small group study or studies around a Bible topic or Book Study that would include prayer, learning and fellowship.

How:

+NCD Team will collect a resource list

+Small Groups might have their own ideas for topics.

+NCD Team will talk through the process of how to form groups

+Goals are: enthusiasm, interest, and ongoing (not necessarily large in size)

When: Whenever it works by Feb. 1, 2007

 

5. Intentionally mentor “new” people to assist with altar guild, coffee, ushering, communion, music, etc.

Who: All Mission Teams

How:

+Ideas…Experienced coffee maker inviting a new member to assist them (“Come join me”)

+Each Team needs to develop a plan for how to coordinate the inviting and providing how-to instructions or job descriptions

+NCD Team will offer to help Mission Teams develop their plans

When: Over the year 2007