What is it?

Natural Church Development (NCD) is a research based system of understanding congregational life that correlates healthy congregational life with congregational growth. Originating in Germany and developed as a global model, NCD has now become well accepted by many within the United States with over 20,000 congregations from various denominations now having used the tool.

NCD studied congregations around the world in a variety of contexts. The goal was to discern common areas of congregational life that crossed all racial, ethnic and contextual lines. In addition, the hope was that how congregations functioned in these areas could be correlated to effective outreach and congregational growth patterns.

Eight Quality Characteristics

The results of the research identified 8 common areas of congregational life. These 8 “quality characteristics” are in all settings in every congregation:

1. Empowering leadership

2. Gifts Oriented Ministry

3. Passionate spirituality

4. Effective (functional) Structures

5. Inspiring Worship

6. Need-oriented (contextual) Evangelism

7. Holistic small groups

8. Loving relationships

The key to these quality characteristics is the adjective (in italics in the list above). The noun identifies the arena of ministry but the adjective describes that aspect which makes the characteristic function in life-giving and capacity increasing ways.

Life Giving Principles: An Organic Model

The underlying paradigm within NCD is that the church is an organic entity and functions with a foundation of life giving and sustaining principles (referred to in NCD literature as “biotic” or “life-giving” principles). These principles are:

1. Sustainability (previously called “multi-usage”) – the best ministry can be used multiple times and multiple ways to foster future cycles

2. Interdependence – a change in one part of the system will affect other parts

3. Multiplication – healthy ministry reproduces itself

4. Energy transformation – energy must be moved in a system to where it is most helpful

5. Symbiosis – the best solutions reinforce and support other things in the ministry

6. Functionality – everything has a function and is accountable to doing it

Using these life-giving practices allows the church body to function better and provide for increased ministry capacity.

The Survey

Using an assessment tool that surveys the pastor and 30 key leaders and active members from the congregation, a profile is generated for each ministry being assessed. This profile is then compared with a profile curve that helps generate assessment scores for the congregation. Congregations’ worship attendance can be correlated to improving the health of the 8 quality characteristics. Although not a magic bullet, improving the lowest score (the “minimum factor”) increases the capacity of the system to do ministry, and frequently helps a congregation to also grow. The result: healthier congregations are more likely to grow!

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