Proverbs 27:12 (NIV)
12 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
Improving the health of a church requires that leaders be prudent.
Perhaps some of the following paraphrases expressed by pastors approaching NCD may resonate with you:
"I haven't thought about my expectations. NCD has some good ideas in it and I'm going to give it a go."
I am rational, and focusing on my own style for 28 days... I am thinking about what the book says on pg 97 (rational style), only when explanations are sufficient, does faith have a solid ground. Last week I started reading Matthew for the first time with a small group that has also read 3 Colors. Matthew starts out very rationally and it is helping me with my quest to "know" Jesus. I need to know the details and facts for it all to make sense in my mind...
Die Test-Phase steht im Zentrum der Vergangenheits-Dimension des Kreislaufs. An dieser Stelle schauen Sie zurück, um nüchtern Ihren bisherigen Wachstumsprozess zu überprüfen. Testen erfordert naturgemäß klare Maßstäbe, die sich außerhalb ihrer subjektiven Wahrnehmungen, Erfahrungen, Aktionen, Pläne oder Theorien befinden. Aus diesem Grunde können Sie in dieser Phase eigentlich nur mit Hilfe einer zweiten Person arbeiten – einem Wachstums-Partner, der bereit ist, Ihnen harte und bisweilen auch unbequeme Fragen zu stellen.
The Test stage is located in the very center of the past dimension of the cycle. At this point you look back in time to soberly assess your growth process so far. Necessarily, testing requires the use of a benchmark that sits outside of your own perceptions, experiences, actions, plans, and understanding. This is why you can really only work through this stage effectively with at least one other person who is prepared to ask you the tough questions.
Please see below some downloadable images relating to the 3 Color Life Cycle (click to download or right click and 'save target as' depending on your web browser).
Click here to download most of them in PowerPoint format. Although, depending on your version of PowerPoint, it may or may not render correctly.
I've always understood that the NCD Survey cycle was ideally a 1-year process. Why doesn't the workbook specifically emphasise this.
There is no really good principle-oriented reason why an annual cycle is necessarily ideal for churches. For some churches, a 1-year cycle may fit well into an annual planning calendar. However, in many cases, waiting a year before repeating the survey will not be the best rhythm for growth.
Questions to ask before you introduce a new song to your church Our Campaign worship cycle team met last Sunday and as a result of us testing our perceptions with one another, we realised that one of the greatest barriers to music helping people to worship God, was the 'singability' of the song. I chose a worship song that Sunday which had great lyrics and a fantastic melody, it was just too high - the key needed to be changed.
A couple of weeks ago I completed the 3 Colors of Ministry Test and the results came up as Evangelism as top manifest and Suffering as top latent. Proceeding this I read 2 Timothy 4:5 which related very much to these results and to other aspects in my life.
It said: "...you should keep a clear mind in every situation..." This is something I never do well, being emotional frequently often means that I do not always make the best decisions.
"The worship service has finished and the congregation has been sent out to minister in the world. While you are packing up your worship notes, you are approached by a lady you've seen around the chuch but never met. She introduces herself as Mary and tells you how much she enjoyed the service. In the course of discussion, Mary mentions that she used to sing every week in her previous church. Seeing Mary's obvious love for God and based on her apparent experience, you sense that she just may be the answer to your prayers.