Natural Church Development: A Summary

Based on Natural Church Development by Christian Schwarz

Natural Church D evelopment is a “principle-oriented” approach. “Models” are concepts

that one or sometimes many churches in some part of the world have experienced
positively. But imitating these experiences may not be the right answer for churches in other
situations. On the other hand, “principles” are those elements that have been proven to
apply to growing churches around the globe.

Who was studied?

• 1000 different churches on five continents

• 32 countries
• 18 languages
• 4.2 million pieces of data
• large and small
• growing and declining
• churches persecuted by the state and churches financially supported by the state
• well-known churches and totally unknown churches
• churches from areas currently experiencing great spiritual revivals, as well as from
regions which appear to be more spiritually developing

The result: These eight Quality Characteristics are used by God to build his church!

• Empowering Leadership
• Gift-oriented Ministry
• Passionate Spirituality
• Functional Structures
• Inspiring Worship Services
• Holistic Small Groups
• Need-oriented Evangelism
• Loving Relationships

The key in each of these Quality Characteristics is the adjective, which can be considered
a summary of the six Biotic Principles (see page 5) as they apply to that characteristic:
empowering, gift-oriented, passionate, functional, etc. Every church has some sort of
leadership or worship or structure. Not all emphasize the adjectives at the front of each of
these Quality Characteristics. Here are some brief definitions:

Empowering Leadership – Effective leadership begins with an intimate relationship with

God, resulting in Christ-like character and a clear sense of God’s calling for leader’s lives.
As this base of spiritual maturity increases, effective pastors and leaders multiply, guide,
empower and equip disciples to realize their full potential in Christ and work together to
accomplish God’s vision.

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 Natural Church Development: A Summary

Leaders consider it as one of their most important tasks to help Christians develop greater
degrees of empowerment. They equip, support, motivate, mentor and coach individuals to
become all that God wants them to be.

Gift-oriented Ministry – The Holy Spirit sovereignly gives to every Christian spiritual gift(s)
for the building of God’s kingdom. Church leaders have the responsibility to help believers
discover, develop and exercise their gifts in appropriate ministries so that the Body of
Christ “grows and builds itself up in love.”

The role of church leadership is to help its members identify their gifts and integrate them
into ministries that match their gifts. When a person lives according to their spiritual
giftedness, they are not longer working in their own strength, but the Holy Spirit works in
them. Studies show that most Christians are either not involved in ministry or they function
in a ministry that does not match their gifts.

Passionate Spirituality – Effective ministry flows out of a passionate spirituality. Spiritual

intimacy leads to a strong conviction that God will act in powerful ways. A godly vision can
only be accomplished through an optimistic faith that views obstacles as opportunities and
turns defeats into victories.

The important issue here is not the way spirituality is expressed, but the fact that faith is
actually lived out with commitment, fire and enthusiasm. The methods a church used are
really a secondary concern. A church that lives its faith with passionate fervor will
experience success with many a method.

Functional Structures – The Church is the living Body of Christ. Like all healthy
organisms, it requires numerous systems that work together to fulfill its intended purpose.
Each must be evaluated regularly to determine if it is still the best way to accomplish the
intended purpose.

The most important criterion for forms and structures in the church is if they fulfill their purpose
or not. Church structures are never an end in themselves but always only a means to an end.

Inspiring Worship – Inspiring worship is a personal and corporate encounter with the
living God. Both personal and corporate worship must be infused with the presence of God
resulting in times of joyous exultation and times of quiet reverence. Inspiring worship is not
driven by a particular style or ministry focus group — but rather the shared experience of
God’s awesome presence.

Is the worship service an inspiring experience for those who attend? It is not whether our
services target Christians or non-Christians, whether they celebrate “in the language of
Canaan” or in a more secular language, or whether we worship using a liturgical or a more
free-flowing approach. Inspiring worship services are often described as “fun.”

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 Natural Church Development: A Summary

Holistic Small Groups – Holistic small groups are disciple-making communities which
endeavor to reach the unchurched, meet individual needs, develop each person according
to their God-given gifts and raise leaders to sustain the growth of the church. Like healthy
body cells, holistic small groups are designed to grow and multiply.

Growing churches have developed a system of small groups where individual Christians
can find intimate community, practical help and intensive spiritual interaction. In the groups,
not only is the biblical text discussed, but they apply biblical insights to everyday issues.

Need-oriented Evangelism – Need-oriented evangelism intentionally cultivates

relationships with pre-Christian people so they can become fully devoted followers of Jesus
Christ who are actively participating within the life of the church and community. Using
appropriate ministries and authentic relationships, believers can guide others into the
family of God.

Growing churches are not “pushy” or “manipulative” in they way they share the gospel,
rather, their secret is to the share gospel in a way that meets the questions and needs of
pre-Christians.

Loving Relationships – Loving relationships are the heart of a healthy, growing church.
Jesus said people will know we are his disciples by our love. Practical demonstration of
love builds authentic Christian community and brings others into God’s kingdom.

Unfeigned, practical love endows a church with a much greater magnetic power than all the
marketing efforts of this world. Growing churches manifest a measurably higher “love
quotient” than stagnant or declining ones.

No Quality Characteristic Can Be Missing

Three things can be said with a high degree of certainty:

1. These are universally valid qualities

2. They can be transferred to our own situation
3. Each of these has a positive relationship with both the quality and the quantitative
growth of the church

No one single factor leads to growth in churches; it is the interplay of the eight elements as
they relate to the Biotic Principles.

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 Natural Church Development: A Summary

The “All-by-Itself-Principle”

The secret of growing churches does not consist in pushing or pulling the church in human
strength and efforts—but in releasing and developing the potential God himself uses to
build his church. Then growth occurs all by itself!

This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night
and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts, and grows; though he
does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the
head, and then full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sicle
to it, because the harvest has come. – Mark 4:26-29

The church is designed by God to grow so growth happens automatically if we remove the
obstacles that prevent growth. Growing churches use this growth principle.

The Minimum Factor

Imagine a barrel with eight staves, each representing the eight Quality Characteristics. The
staves in the barrel only reach as high as the score of the characteristic. With this analogy,
you can only fill the barrel to the level of the lowest stave. So to increase the capacity of the
barrel, we must increase the height of the lowest stave.

Now focusing on the Minimum Factor does not mean that we don’t pay attention to the
other seven areas. As stated before, all eight characteristics are vitally important to healthy
growing churches. Focusing on the Minimum Factors helps us to set timely priorities. Since
all eight areas can’t be worked on with the same amount of energy and concentration, we
need to find areas, which will yield the greatest long-range return on our investments.
Remember, Minimum Factors can change quickly—especially when there is a conscious
attempt to improve on this one area.

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 Natural Church Development: A Summary

Biotic Principles

The principles behind all the Quality Characteristics are the six Biotic Principles. The
survey assesses each of the eight Quality Characteristics by measuring the degree to
which each is lived out in a ‘biotic’ way. Any plans to improve your Minimum Factor must
take into account these six Biotic Principles.

Interdependence
Individual units are connected to each other in a larger system. Changes in one ministry
will affect other ministries in the church and community.

Synonym: Connecting

Multiplication
Healthy organisms do not grow endlessly, but reproduce themselves.

Synonym: Reproducing

Energy transformation
Momentum or energy already flowing, whether positive or negative, can be redirected to
accomplish God’s purposes.

Synonym: Harnessing

Multi-usage
Resources used should increase the capacity for on-going growth and development, as
well as serve multiple purposes.

Synonym: Sustaining

Symbiosis
Different ministries can cultivate cooperative relationships so the mutual benefit is
greater than operating separately.

Synonym: Cooperating

Functionality
Each ministry needs to produce discernible results in line with its intended purpose.

Synonym: Evaluating

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 Natural Church Development: A Summary

The NCD Process

The NCD Process is a change process that will help a church address their Minimum
Factor. A coach is beneficial to help a church engage in the NCD Process with integrity to
see the results maximized.

Step 1 – Prepare – Prepare your church to engage in the total NCD Process. Getting
leadership buy-in, mobilizing intercessors and choosing a Church Health Team are all a
part of this step.

Step 2 – Diagnose– Analyze the health of your church. This step begins with taking the
survey followed by an in-depth analysis of your Minimum Factor. It concludes with
identifying 3-5 key issues to address.

Step 3 – Plan – Plan to address your Minimum Factor. In this step the Church Health Team
will develop a strategic plan to address your 3-5 key issues identifies in Step 2.

Step 4 – Implement – Implement the strategic plan developed in Step 3. Staying focused
on carrying out the plan and overcoming obstacles along the way will be the task of the
Church Health Team.

Step 5 – Evaluate – Evaluate the process you used and the results of your effort. Use the
Biotic Principles to determine increased health in you Minimum Factor then plan to re-take
the survey

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 Natural Church Development: A Summary

Biblical Promises for Change

Jeremiah 32:27 “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for
me?”

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will
make your paths straight.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will
succeed.

Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will
counsel you and watch over you.

Psalm 37:3-5 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe
pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the
desires of your heart.

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we
ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within
us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout
all generations, for ever and ever! Amen

Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord
Almighty.”

Philippians 4:3 Yes and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who
have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along
with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names
are in the book of life.

Mark 9:23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who
believes.”

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 Natural Church Development: A Summary

Recommended Resources

Schwarz, Christian. Natural Church Development

(Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1996) ISBN 1-889638-00-5

Schwarz, Christian. The ABC’s of Natural Church Development

(Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1998) ISBN 1-889638-04-9

Schwarz, Christian A. & Schalk, Christoph. Natural Church Development Survey and
Implementation Guide
(Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1998) ISBN 1-889638-03-X

Logan, Robert E. & Clegg, Thomas C. Releasing Your Church’s Potential

(Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1998) ISBN# n/a

To order NCD products, to become an NCD coach, or to locate an NCD Consultant to

administer the survey with your church, contact: your NCD publishing partner at
www.ncd-international.org or in the USA:

CHURCHSMART RESOURCES
3830 Ohio Ave. w St. Charles w IL w 60174
Phone: +1.800.253.4276 w Fax: +1-630-443-7929
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.ChurchSmart.com

©2004 CoachNet, Inc. Page 8