Question:
I've always understood and emphasised to others how important it is to get deep into the root issues behind our NCD results. So why doesn't the new NCD Survey Workbook approach seem to pay much attention to that at all?
Answer:
In short, the process outlined within the NCD Survey Workbook will lead a church into a very deep and transformative understanding of its minimum factor issues. However, this will perhaps happen differently to how you expect.
Consider this. The maximum factor areas of your church score highly on your survey simply because you either like them, understand them well, provide more time for them, or all three. On the flipside, your minimum factor areas are low either because you don't like them, don't understand them well, give them minimal time, or again, all three.
Put in cyclical development terms, an area is a minimum factor in your church because...
- it is not well understood
- is not planned for
- poorly done
- scarcely experienced
- hazily perceived, and
- rarely tested
So when you come to the understand stage of the survey cycle, it is highly optimistic to expect that, through enough discussion or brainstorming, you will arrive at the root issues behind your minimum factor at a particularly deep level. You might end up with a long list of possible causes that will at best contain some clues about the root issues. But at worst, a lot of talk could simply turn into a sharing of ignorance that, in many cases, ends up forming the basis of a comprehensive plan to which the church will dutifully adhere.
Let's take the 'Raising the challenge for those in ministry' example mentioned in the NCD Survey Workbook. With the help of 'Profile Plus' this church has identified that the tasks that most individuals do in the church are not challenging enough to stretch their faith. This has become a tested understanding at some basic level. Prior to making plans to change that situation, it is highly unlikely that the very people whose everyday habits and lack of understanding created that issue will be able to answer all the important questions like...
- what does challenging ministry look like?
- how do you 'raise the bar' for people?
- how would people respond to greater challenges?
- how does more challenging ministry change the way the people are supported?
- what will happen if we challenge people to a greater extent?
In light of the realities of natural cyclical growth, you will always only start with a certain level of understanding about your minimum factor issues. Some discussion may sharpen it slightly, but moving to a higher level of understanding will always require some planning, doing, experiencing, perceiving and testing. This is where the mini-cycle concept in the survey workbook comes in.
If the key influencers in your church are encouraged to take the results at face value (which in light of the proven accuracy of the survey is strongly recommended), there will be some kind of elementary response that emerges in line with their starting level of understanding. They should be allowed to start their growth journey by placing a simple action statement in the middle of a mini-cycle and embark on the first mini plan step that comes to mind.
Even one mini-cycle carried out over the course of a week or two will likely take their understanding to a considerably higher level. The most significant point of increased understanding is often just whether the key influencers are committed enough to the issue to see through a single mini-cycle. That will shape your understanding of the issue considerably! With a clearer planned, done, experienced, perceived and tested understanding of the issue in their mind, they should then continue cycling it (with each other stage being better fulfilled with each revolution).
Of course, all of this does require a continuous process view of church development. However, given that the church is meant to be a natural part of God's creation subject to cycles of growth like every other living thing, you have little choice if you want to see serious progress. It is simply the way God works... and not surprisingly, simpler, more natural and more fruitful.
For further reflection on this topic, revisit the section 'The 3 Color Life Cycle' in the NCD Survey Workbook and particularly consider the reference to Romans 12:2.ÂÂ