Question:
I understand the theory of the key influencer concept in the NCD Survey Workbook. But how are we to apply that when our church has a democratic governance system?
Answer:
The answer to this question lies to some extent in understanding the theoretical function of a democratic church governance system versus the functional reality of such a system.
The intention of a demographic system is to try to ensure that no one person or sub-group of the church has a disproportionate say in church decisions. The theory is that from a group of elected members with equally weighted votes, you are most likely to get to the best decision for the life of the church. Obviously when family strong-holds in the church or other power bases see to it that an unbalanced group is elected, the process generally falls over. In its best expression, assuming a relatively balanced group has been elected, you have the potential to arrive at quite wise Godly decisions. Though there is clearly a big difference between arriving at a good decision and actually seeing it implemented in the life of the church. At this point the functional reality of a demographic governance system really becomes apparent.
As mentioned in the NCD Survey Workbook, every group of people in the world (including a democratic church leadership team) contains within it a scale of influence - those who say 'Jump!' and people will ask 'how high?' and others who can say 'Jump!' and others say to each other 'did you hear something?' While a highly influential person may be outvoted in the formal sense by the rest of the leadership group, during the other 166 hours of the church week, they are free to exert their influence either subconciously or intentionally in such a way that either their goals are achieved, or perhaps just the plans voted on by the leadership are subverted.
Unfortunately in NCD debrief discussions, strong influencers who want to avoid their functional responsibility for the church's results can easily hide behind their democratic equality. In essence saying, "Well I'm just one of many leaders here."
By addressing the principle of influence within a group, the NCD Survey Workbook process sidesteps all questions of governance structure and simply proceeds on the basis of functional reality. In essence, the realisation should be, "Primarily, our church will go where the key influencers grow."
Of course this principles applies to churches with democratic structures, or autocratic structures, and everything in between. In the course of time as a church continues to cycle the NCD process (regardless of its governance starting point), a theocratic structure will emerge by which different levels of human spiritual authority are recognised. The bad spiritual authority will be appropriately dealt with on the basis of Biblical discipline and the good spiritual authority will be appropriately empowered under God as it influences and serves the body.
It is beautiful that governance systems cannot legislate or vote against personal responsibility. Such is the free will given by God.