What is NCD
and how can it help your church?

By Annette Spence

DWIGHT KILBOURNE KNOWS where his church is strong: Holistic small groups. But more importantly, he knows where his church is weak: Passionate spirituality. And with that information, provided by a survey, Burks United Methodist Church is embarking on a long-term process to make the Chattanooga District church a healthy one.

After all, healthy churches are growing churches, church leaders say, and every church benefits from examining their strengths and weaknesses.

"People are suspicious of inventories," says the Rev. Kilbourne. "But even if this survey is not 100 percent correct - and 'passionate spirituality' is not our weakness - for us to work on that one item is still going to make us a healthier church."

Burks UMC is one of the first Holston churches to begin a process known as Natural Church Development (NCD). But within a few months, Bishop James Swanson and his Cabinet expect to have several churches engaged in the revitalization program.

Inspired by evidence from the Florida Conference that NCD can help invigorate churches, Holston Conference is providing training, coaches, and other resources to help churches make commitments to the process.

In the second year after 12 churches in Orlando, Fla., began Natural Church Development, members received by profession of faith increased 90 percent, compared with a district-wide decline of 14 percent.

In those same Florida churches, the number of persons removed by transfer to other United Methodist churches decreased 21 percent, compared with a districtwide increase of 54 percent.

"NCD represents a lot of hope, because it gives congregations of all sizes the tools to go out and win people for Christ," said the Rev. Richard Edwards, Holston director of congregational development. "This is a very vital effort that's going to be a high priority in this conference for a number of years to come."

Bishop Swanson and the Cabinet learned more about NCD after Witness Team members and key conference staff participated in church-development educational events late last year and early this year.

"We came back believing this is a hot commodity: 'Let's do it. Let's do it on a big scale,'" said the Rev. Bill Kilday, former director of congregational development.

Holston district superintendents made commitments to identify 36 clergy and lay members to be trained as NCD "coaches" along with several conference leaders on Oct. 9-10 at Cokesbury Center in Knoxville, Tenn.

On Sunday, Oct. 8, the conference is offering a three-hour orientation at Cokesbury Center for church groups that want to learn more about NCD. The 3:30- 6:30 p.m. training is free, but books cost $50 and may be shared by a group.

Leading the training is Dave Wetzler, Illinoisbased founder and owner of ChurchSmart Resources, the U.S. partner for Natural Church Development (www.churchsmartresources.com).

NCD is based on 4.2 million survey responses from more than 1,000 churches in 32 countries. Through the surveys, conducted in the mid-1990s, researchers identified eight quality characteristics of growing churches. They include 'holistic small groups" and "passionate spirituality" as well as "loving relationships" and "inspiring worship service."

Once churches commit to NCD, a survey will help churches identify strengths and weaknesses within these "eight quality characteristics."

The goal then is for congregations to work on developing the weakest areas of their churches, according to Edwards: "If we can find that weak area and lift that up, then we can strengthen the church as a whole."

Churches will be required to pay $150 for the survey. However, Holston Conference will provide trained coaches, free of charge, except for traveling expenses. The conference wants to have coaches located throughout all 12 districts to minimize travel expenses, according to Anne Travis, director of connectional ministries.

"We don't want to make money on this. Bishop Swanson wants to make this affordable for our churches," said Travis, who is currently serving as a coach for Burks UMC.

"If you do NCD, then you need a coach. They said that over and over," said Kilbourne, who received his training in Florida last year.

Burks has already begun to explore how a congregation can manage to lift up "passionate spirituality."

For that congregation, it means asking, "What can we do to enhance and increase our fire from within?"

"It may be different for every church," Kilbourne says. At Burks, leaders have identified that the congregation needs to (1) be unified from within; (2) enhance the prayer ministry; and (3) begin a capital fundraising campaign.

"We've needed to have a capital campaign for while," said Kilbourne, whose church averages more than 600 in worship attendance. "But we believe the campaign could be a unifying event as people give themselves fully to the Lord. If we do the campaign well, then it can also bring us together around a common goal. I could see this process running for decades."

Holston leaders and others have emphasized that NCD requires a long-term commitment. In the Florida Conference, leaders noted that the greatest transformation after beginning NCD occurred in the third year. Yet, in the second year of NCD, the Orlando churches had already began to see results. Attendance in short-term small groups increased 75 percent, while other churches in the district experienced a 16 percent decline. African-American membership in NCD churches increased 21 percent, while the rest of the churches in the Orlando District increased just 8 percent.

Other United Methodist conferences implementing NCD include Western North Carolina, North Alabama, and Illinois Great Rivers.

"This is not a quick fix," said Edwards. "We're in this for the long haul. But as we get our coaches trained - and if we have broad representation from the churches - then people are going to get excited and see how we can have a broad revitalization."

To download a brochure on the Oct. 8 orientation, visit http://holstonconference.com/evangelism/ or www.holston.org/ncd. The brochure includes a registration form. For more information on NCD or the Oct. 8 training, call the Office of Congregational Development toll-free at (866) 690-4080.

Sign up
NCD Orientation
Sunday, Oct. 8
3:30-6:30 p.m.
Cokesbury Center
Knoxville, Tenn.
ncd.holston.org

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