| Church DevelopmentNatural Church Development
By Dr. Montfort C. Duncan Jr.,
Executive Director, Church Development
 How
does a new congregation grow and make disciples? How does an existing
congregation make a strategic shift in vision, mission and core values
to move in another direction that puts it on track to make disciples?
What are the signs of a healthy congregation?
Christian A. Schwarz conducted an international
study to determine the principles evident in healthy congregations.
This study is documented in his book “Natural Church Development: A
Guide to Eight Essential Qualities of Healthy Churches.” The
research project included 1,000 churches in 32 countries on six
continents.
Schwarz says the “research provides the first
worldwide scientifically verifiable answer to the question, ‘What
church growth principles are true, regardless of culture and
theological persuasion?’ ” and that the purpose was to “find a
valid answer to the question, ‘What should each church and every
Christian do to obey the Great Commission in today’s world?’ ”
This study discovered eight essential qualities
of healthy churches, which are detailed in the book and include the
following: empowering leadership, gift-oriented ministry, passionate
spirituality, functional structures, inspiring worship service,
holistic small groups, need-oriented evangelism and loving
relationships
There are additional learnings from this study
that have powerful implications for local church ministry and
outreach. The study’s goals focus on quality rather than quantity.
It “rejects a merely pragmatic mind-set and replaces it with a
principle-oriented approach,” according to Schwarz.
There are four building blocks of natural church
development—quality characteristics, minimum factor, biotic
principles and a new paradigm. There is also a 10-step plan for
introducing these into the life of a congregation: build spiritual
momentum, determine your minimum factors, set qualitative goals,
identify obstacles, apply biotic principles, exercise your strengths,
utilize reproducible systems “that can be used by lay-people…,”
monitor effectiveness, address your new minimum factors and multiply
your church.
For more information about this study or
assistance making your church a vital congregation, call the New
Church Development office at 1-800-282-8011, extension 146. |
