Mar 2011 - Diocese of the Rio Grande

12
IN THE
EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF THE RIO GRANDE
Natural Church Development:
Growth and Development at St. Andrew’s, Roswell
By Mrs. Lynne Hooper
There are few opportunities for a parish to
completely re-evaluate the community’s life and
ministry. We, parishioners of St. Andrew’s, Roswell,
found that set of circumstances almost two years
ago when the rector and several parishioners chose
to leave. Last year during group meetings, focus
groups, and survey sessions, St. Andrew’s parishioners
expressed concern about our church’s growth and
development. With the endorsement of interim
rectors, the Rev. Steve Caldwell and the Rev. Frank
Wilson, the parish responded to suggestions for reevaluation,
determined to discover just who we are,
where we are going, what actions might affect positive
change and how we discern God’s plan for the family
at St. Andrew’s.
The Vestry adopted an approach called Natural
Church Development (NCD), a program that has helped
many worldwide congregations determine their state
of health, including development and growth in parish
communities. Mr. Christian A. Schwarz, the founder
of NCD, began his study, the largest Christian study of
its kind, by surveying 1000 congregations of different
denominations and worship styles. Through the use
of a sophisticated survey and computer generated
statistical analysis, Schwarz uncovered eight principles
or quality characteristics that promote healthy growth
independent of a church’s denomination, theology,
ministry model, liturgical style or size. NCD is a new
paradigm built upon a worldwide study that attempts
to answer the question: “What are the essential
qualities of a healthy, growing church, regardless of
culture and theological persuasion” The eight quality
characteristics are:
• Empowering leadership: Leaders of healthy, growing
congregations concentrate their energy on the
empowerment of other Christians for ministry.
• Gift-oriented ministry: The role of church leadership
is to assist its members in the identification of
their gifts and to integrate them into appropriate
ministries.
• Effective structures: Structures are never an end in
themselves, but means to an end that clarify roles
among the Rector, Staff, Vestry, and Committee
Chairs.
• Inspiring worship: Whether or not the worship
service is an inspiring experience for the participants
demonstrably separates growing churches from
stagnant and declining ones.
• Passionate spirituality: Are the Christians in this
church “on fire” Do they practice their faith with joy
and enthusiasm Is this a happy place
• Loving relationships: Unfeigned and heartfelt love
endows a church with a much greater magnetic
power than all the marketing efforts of this world.
The “love quotient” is high in healthy churches.
• Need-based evangelism: The secret of healthy
evangelism efforts is the way that persons share the
gospel to meet the needs of the people.
• Holistic small groups: Growing churches have
developed a system of small groups where Christians
can find intimate community, practical help,
enjoyment of one another, and intensive spiritual
interaction. The vision to see these small groups
reproduce, characterizes the healthiest of churches
surveyed.
NCD proposes a cyclical method to examine a
congregation’s quality characteristics with this key
factor in mind: “How can the God-given growth
potential be released in this congregation” NCD’s
long- term strategic process centers on a survey
administered to the clergy (interim rector in our
case) and 29 active parishioners. The results provide
a unique, accurate and up-to-date assessment of
the health of a church in the eight quality areas.
The maximum factors (high scores) are identified,
celebrated and continued by the congregation. If the
parish has a hope and desire to improve its health,
consideration and planning to improve the minimum
factor takes place.
Mr. Schwarz uses the illustration of a barrel with
staves of varying lengths to symbolize the eight quality
characteristics. The barrel (the church community)
can only hold water to the height of the lowest stave
(the weakest factor). Mr. Schwarz argues a particular
church can only grow as far as its “Minimum factor,”
that is the lowest of the eight quality characteristics
in their church. He challenges churches to resist the
temptation to work on improving areas in which they
already excel, for by doing this they do not increase
their minimum factor or their church quality.
A key ingredient of NCD is based on the “Parable of
the Growing Seed.” (Mark 4:26-29) Our role as God’s
people, and our leaders in particular, is similar to the
farmer. We cannot give life and produce growth; only
God can do that. A continual process of identifying
the barriers that impede growth within the life of the
church, and removing them, maximizes the potential
for “all by itself” growth. Our job is to focus on the
watering and planting while letting God take care of
the growth. NCD helps the church determine the
fundamental nature of this watering as expressed
in the eight qualities of healthy, growing churches.
It helps leaders understand what elements exist
and which may be stifling the church from seeing
quantitative and qualitative growth.
After The Rev. Steve Caldwell approved the use of
NCD, the Vestry was provided in-depth information
about the program. An opportunity to address
the congregation was also afforded and slowly the
whole congregation was exposed to the meaning of
the NCD process through parish meetings and the
newsletter, The Word. In 2010, the Vestry approved
an expenditure of a little over $200 to purchase the
NCD survey, and an informal gathering was held at
which time the survey was explained and taken by
the interim rector and 29 leaders in the parish. The
survey forms were sent back for evaluation, and, NCD
returned a very detailed report and profile of our
health in terms of the eight quality characteristics,
including the minimum factor – the characteristic
least developed according to the survey and the factor
that the Church Health Team would address during
the following year. Another survey in a year or so
will reveal growth during the past year and provide
another minimum factor (hopefully not the same one.)
The process engages the whole congregation, and
adds energy. NCD isn’t “another thing to do”; it helps
each congregation find a better way to do what God is
hoping for it to do.
At a meeting intended to explain the results of the
survey, The Rev. Steve Caldwell said, “This could very
well be a defining moment in St. Andrew’s history.
What you decide to do with the information that is
being laid before you tonight may determine what
St.Andrew’s Church will look like for years to come.
You may decide that the parish is exactly as you think
it should remain, or you may be moved to participate
in setting a new course, believing that is possible and
desirable. Neither decision is ‘right.’ But either one
will have lasting effects on the Episcopal Church in
Roswell. So my prayer for you this night – as always, for
that matter – is that you will have the grace and gift of
discernment for the good of the entire parish and the
advance of the Kingdom of God.”
The parish responded positively to the revelation
of the minimum factor during a meeting of over 100
persons. Several volunteered to form the Church
Health Team. A key to the success of the NCD process
is the presence of a coach, someone who helps the
congregation prepare for the process and for the
congregation’s work on the minimum factor. To St.
Andrew’s great fortune, one parishioner, Ms. Sally
Wistrand, had past experience coaching a similar
program before recently moving to Roswell. She
agreed to serve as coach. Several others volunteered
to form the first Church Health Team. Ms. Dawn
Tschabrun will lead the Church Health Team, which
began its work in late August. She also presented the
proposed action plan to the Vestry in December.
The Rev. Frank Wilson wrote in The Word after
the NCD Church Health Team explained the survey
to a large gathering, “I was impressed with the
presentation of the essentials in such a straightforward
manner. I also reviewed the survey and the
profile. They provide important information that can
help us identify where we need to concentrate if we
are to continue to engage the development process.
Now we must prayerfully consider whether we can
commit to carrying through with that process, and
if so, begin to pray how and when and who. Honest
self-evaluation is never easy. Even with the proper
tools, it is not easy. Having taken that step, it is even
more difficult to apply to our community that which
we have learned. Pray that we may be empowered and
strengthened to move forward in faith, and learn and
grow together.”