Natural Church Development

Question 0

What did NCD researchers require of the survey participants?

Answer 0

At least 30 church members must complete a survey.

Question 1

How many and what kind of churches were surveyed by the Institute for Natural Church Development?

Answer 1

From 1994 to 1996, more than 1000 churches from six continents were surveyed. These churches come from all kinds of churches in all kinds of sociocultural environments.

Question 2

What are the eight quality characteristics of growing churches?

Answer 2

(1) Empowering leadership
(2) Gift-oriented ministry
(3) Passionate spirituality
(4) Functional structures
(5) Inspiring worship service
(6) Holistic small groups
(7) Need-oriented evangelism
(8) Loving relationships

Question 3

What percentage of pastors in low quality and declining churches have graduated from seminary?

Answer 3

85%

Question 4

What percentages of pastors in high quality and growing churches have graduated from seminary?

Answer 4

42%

Question 5

What percentage of pastors in low quality and declining churches say, “I regularly seek counsel from a trusted outside source”?

Answer 5

12%

Question 6

What percentage of pastors in high quality and growing churches say, “I regularly seek counsel from a trusted outside source”?

Answer 6

58%

Question 7

Which one of the eight quality characteristics showed the most positive influence on personal and church life?

Answer 7

Gift-oriented ministry

Question 8

What percentage of pastors in high quality and low churches say, “The volunteer workers of our church receive training for their tasks”?

Answer 8

63%

Question 9

What percentage of church members in high quality and growing churches say, “My personal ministry involvements match my gifts”?

Answer 9

68%

Question 10

What percentage of church members in high quality and growing churches say “Times of prayer are an inspiring experience for me”?

Answer 10

71%

Question 11

What percentage of church members in high quality and growing churches say “I am enthusiastic about my church”?

Answer 11

76%

Question 12

What percentage of church members in low quality and declining churches say “I am enthusiastic about my church”?

Answer 12

33%

Question 13

What percentage of church members in high quality and growing churches say, “I consider our church to be tradition-bound”?

Answer 13

8%

Question 14

What percentage of church members in low quality and declining churches say, “I consider our church to be tradition-bound”?

Answer 14

50%

Question 15

Based on the Institute of NCD’s research, are worship services that primarily target non-Christians statistically impactful on a church’s quality and/or growth?

Answer 15

No.

Question 16

What percentage of church members in high quality and growing churches say, “Attending our worship services is an inspiring experience for me”?

Answer 16

80%

Question 17

If the Institute of NCD had to choose one principle as the most important to church health and growth, what would it be?

Answer 17

The multiplication of small groups

Question 18

What percentage of pastors in high quality and growing churches say, “Our church consciously promotes the multiplication of small groups through cell division”?

Answer 18

78%

Question 19

What percentage of pastors in low quality and declining churches say, “Our church consciously promotes the multiplication of small groups through cell division”?

Answer 19

6%

Question 20

What percentage of pastors in high quality and growing churches say, “I know which members of our church have the gift of evangelism”?

Answer 20

70%

Question 21

What is the average number of non-Christian contacts that a single Christian in a growing or declining church has?

Answer 21

8.5

Question 22

What percentage of church members in high quality and growing churches say, “There is a lot of laughter in our church”?

Answer 22

68%

Question 23

What is the one rule that the Institute for NCD did not find a single exception to in its research?

Answer 23

Every church in which a quality index of 65 or more was reach for each of the eight quality characteristics is a growing church.

Question 24

What is the usefulness of measuring worship attendance?

Answer 24

Increased church attendance is the natural effect of higher quality. If a church experiences no quantitative growth whatsoever over the years, then it has every reason to seek the causes in clearly identifiable qualitative problems.

Question 25

What is the average membership of growing churches? Of declining churches?

Answer 25

297 members vs. 636 members

Question 26

What is the assumption of the NCD “Minimum Strategy”?

Answer 26

The growth of a church is blocked by the quality characteristics that are least developed.

Question 27

What are the six biotic principles of Natural Church Development?

Answer 27

(1) Interdependence
(2) Multiplication
(3) Energy transformation
(4) Multi-usage
(5) Symbiosis
(6) Functionality

Question 28

What percentage of pastors in high quality and growing churches say, “The department heads of our church meet regularly for discussion”?

Answer 28

78%

Question 29

What percentage of church members in high quality and growing churches say, “It is an expressed goal of our small group to multiply by cell division”?

Answer 29

60%

Question 30

What percentage of pastors in high quality and growing churches keep track of worship service attendance compared to those in low quality and declining churches?

Answer 30

61% versus 36%

Question 31

According to NCD, what are four ways to categorize a church’s strengths?

Answer 31

(1) Maximum factors
(2) Spiritual culture
(3) Contextual factors
(4) Spiritual gifts