Natural Church Development
Coaching
Natural Church Development (NCD) is a church health process that has been used effectively in more than 325 congregations in every region of the RCA.
To learn more about NCD or to start the process for your church, contact The Classis’ Church Health Team.
NCD operates with the conviction that everything we need to help our congregations become more faithful and more fruitful has already been provided by God. God is the one who produces transformation and fruitfulness in congregations. The role of congregational leaders is to help create the environment in which God's power is released to do what only God can do.
NCD measures a congregation in the eight areas below. These areas affect the life, effectiveness, and growth of congregations. Through an instrument called the NCD survey, a congregation measures itself in relationship with other congregations in the United States (or in Canada, if the congregation is Canadian). After Taking the Survey, a trained NCD coach will guide the congregations through the NCD process.
Eight Quality Characteristics of Natural Church Development
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Empowering Leadership
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Gift-Oriented Ministry
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Passionate Spirituality
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Functional Structures
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Inspiring Worship
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Holistic Small Groups
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Need-Oriented Evangelism
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Loving Relationships
Coached Revitalizing Networks
The purpose of the networks is to strengthen pastors’ personal walks as disciples of Jesus and focus their calling and priorities to lead their congregations in mission.
Steps to Starting a Coached Revitalizing Network
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Network members identify the type of coached revitalizing network desired or needed (Affinity, NCD, or other type of network).
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Network members identify a network facilitator. The office of the coordinator of revitalization will link this person with a lead coach who will train and support the facilitator.
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Network members agree to meet the basic criteria of a coached revitalizing network--a place for covenantal accountability, collegial support, and transformational learning.
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If not every member of the network has a personal calling statement, all agree to make completing that step their highest priority.
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Network members establish learning goals and work toward them with accountability to the lead coach, through the network facilitator.
Contact the Classis’ Church Health Team about eligibility for a Lilly grant for a Coached Revitalizing Network.
Coaching is the process of coming alongside a person to help her or him discover God’s agenda for her or his life and ministry, while seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance to see that agenda become reality. Coaching helps a person listen to God about where change is needed and then equips and empowers a person to make the necessary changes.
The coaching relationship is a crucible—a strong, resilient, safe, non-toxic, dependable vessel—in which profound change can safely take place for the person being coached, for people with whom they have relationships, for the congregations they lead, and for the coach.
A coach is not a problem solver, teacher, advisor, instructor, or expert. A coach is a listener, sounding board, and awareness-raiser. A coach helps the person being coached explore and discover the truth. A coach helps that person discern and fulfill her or his God-given calling.
Why Enter into a Coaching Relationship?
People will be far more likely to realize their full God-given redemptive potential if they are in a coaching relationship. The increased awareness and accountability that comes along with coaching will help them be more faithful as we participate in and witness to the realm of God. By God’s grace, and through the Holy Spirit’s power, the outcome will be more fruitful ministry.
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Coaching is focused on the present. A coach will help someone understand her or his present situation in order to discover and implement meaningful actions to address that situation.
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Coaching helps people discover their own answers. Coaching assumes that the person closest to the issue typically has the best answers, but that she or he will discover those answers with the help of someone skilled in asking the right questions. This is different from the process used by mentors, guides, or consultants, whom people typically look to for help or advice.
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Coaching leads to intentional action. It is easy for even the best leaders to get sidetracked into less productive endeavors. Coaches help people take inventory of their values and desires by listening to them, asking questions, and speaking the truth. Coaching then helps a person take intentional steps toward more faithful action in the future. This does not always mean adding new activities to her or his life; it can often mean removing the clutter that has distracted someone.
Find a Coach
Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning is the process of defining and implementing the direction of an organization, and in our case a church. It involves;
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understanding the outside and inside forces within a congregation
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discovering the congregations God-given mission and vision
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What do we do?
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For whom do we do it?
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How do we excel?
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developing approaches to achieve that mission and vision in light of the outside and inside forces.
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aligning organizational structures and resources to ensure Biblical success in that mission and vision
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setting high-level goals to inspire progress
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evaluating progress and making mid-course corrections.
Contact the Classis’ Church Health Team about experts who can walk alongside a congregation in developing a strategic plan.