When
you get sick, many of you go to the doctor to find out what is wrong and
get some treatment. As we get
older, we realize that we should be going to the doctor annually to make
sure that everything is working the way it should be. High blood pressure, heart disease,
increased cholesterol levels (the bad kind), and even cancer are just a
few things that might go unnoticed unless we allow the doctor to examine
us and run a series of tests.
Early detection and treatment can literally mean the difference
between life and death. Regular
checkups keep us "in the zone" as we stay healthy, active, and
productive.
So, with that in mind, Mark Ball, one of our new
Elders, and I traveled to Chicago this last week. No, as far as we know, we are both as
healthy as horses (and a lot better looking, I might add)! Instead we went through some
specialized training for something called Natural Church Development
(NCD). NCD is a
"principle-oriented approach" to measuring the health and
effectiveness of churches. Like
going to your doctor and having a physical, the NCD survey serves as a
battery of tests to see what kind of shape we are in.
By examining eight quality characteristics in the
church, which all growing churches have, we can accurately determine what
is our "minimum factor" (that area that needs attention) as
well as our "maximum factor" (that factor that will help us
work on the areas that need attention).
It is important to note that it is God who will build and grow His
church, "I also say to you
that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the
gates of Hades will not overpower it," Matthew 16:18.
"I (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the
growth," I Corinthians 3:6.
It is evident, in both of those verses that while it is God who
brings about growth, there are things we are supposed to do as well.
Jesus used the illustration of the farmer to help
us see what this partnership looked like between us and God in regards to
building His kingdom. "And He was saying, 'The kingdom
of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at
night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows-how, he himself
does not know. The soil produces
crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in
the head." Mark 4:26-28.
This "all by itself" growth is something that God brings
about but the farmer is still required to do his part- prepare the soil,
plant, water, weed---
Mark and I traveled to Chicago to become better
coaches to help our church be a healthy and vital part of God's kingdom
work He is doing here in Clark County.
Our church has recently completed our second Natural Church
Development Survey and we are excited about the results. We believe that you will be too. Our "minimum factor" was
increased dramatically and our church actually has a higher expectation
of what they want to see happen in and through Laurelwood.
We are back now, speaking to the rest of the
Elders, staff, ministry leaders and developing another NCD team to help
us address our minimum factors.
Curious about our survey results?
I hope so, since that will be the subject of my next couple of
newsletters. But, let me leave you
with a couple questions. First,
"Do you believe God wants you to change?" Second, "Are we willing to allow
God to change us?"
