The Church Growth Department of the South England Conference (SEC) has produced a series of short explanatory videos for assessing the strengths and growth areas of your local church. The first in the series, by Pastor Wayne Erasmus (SEC Church Growth Director), gives a helpful summary of Natural Church Development (NCD) and what you might expect as you engage in the process.
Erasmus says, "we use terms like 'healthy' churches or 'struggling' churches as descriptions for the ability of any local congregation to operate as a welcoming and worshipping community of believers actively engaged in the mission of God in their geographical area. The specifics of what constitutes a 'healthy' or 'struggling' church are often more dependent on the person using the term than on agreed-upon metrics. What would it mean for a 'struggling' church to become a 'healthy' church? How would we know that the change had happened? Are there ways to take steps toward healthier expressions of being church? Or is this all entirely in the eye of the beholder?"
Natural Church Development (NCD) comes alongside our desire to grow in spiritual, relational and organisational well-being by providing a framework comprised of eight quality characteristics. Every church can assess these characteristics as relative strengths and growth areas using a congregational survey.
Keep an eye out for subsequent videos that will offer descriptions of the quality characteristics!
We urge you and your local church to prayerfully consider if NCD might be a way for your local congregation to explore its relative strengths and growth areas as a welcoming and worshipping community on its mission for God where you are.
You can view the video here: https://youtu.be/w0_qEywTras?list=PLCJwMkH9QCA9C6YxTeLWq_iQBYuGBkd5u