What Is Natural Church Development?
Last spring I went to the doctor to get my annual physical. I’ve not always been good about doing this, but because I know it’s good to do, and because it’s required for my job I had it done. What did I learn? Mostly what I knew, I’m a pretty healthy for a guy my age, I could benefit from losing a few pounds, and it would be good if I got a little more regular exercise. What does this have to do with Natural Church Development (NCD)? More than you might think.
In the September issue of The Voice, a process known as NCD was introduced, a process that our Church Council asked be undertaken to help us all better understand the state of the health of our church. An NCD team (Gini Woltemath, Ben Larson, Cindy Giles, Roger Coffey, Linda Coffey, and Pastor Bob Kippley) has been formed and plans are being made to begin administering the survey that is much like my annual physical. The survey asks a series of questions about eight important characteristics of church health. Thirty, a number recommended for a congregation of our size, members of the congregation will be asked to participate in this survey that will be given on December 12th. The results of the survey will be compiled by Pastor Jim Hytjan from the Bishop’s staff and shared with the NCD Team. The NCD Team will then share results with the congregation celebrating the health that we have and working with small groups to find ways to “lose a few pounds and get a little regular exercise.”
Knowing where my health stands is important to me and helps me to live and prepare for a full life that I can use to help others experience and understand God’s love for them. I think that the same is true for our church and that’s why I agreed to be part of the NCD Team. We’ll work hard to help you understand this process and the ways our congregation can benefit from it. Please look for information and regular updates in the bulletin, newsletter, and on the church website. If you have questions about NCD please find one of us at church or email the NCD team at ncdt@sothlutheran.com. Ben Larson – SOTH Member
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