Cycle Starter Plans

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Having understood your church a little better with the help of the NCD Church Survey, its now time to start cycling together towards a healthier church. You’ve chosen to start experimenting and learning more about the topic to the left. Now, select one of the cycle starter plans below and write number 1 in its box. Put this sheet on your wall, then, go do it!

Next time you are meeting with others who are also working through a topic, ask each other the questions from the cycle, starting at “do” and finishing at “plan”. After a cycle you may decide the most important thing to do now is to keep going with the same plan, modify it, or choose another option from below. If choosing another from below, just write 2 in its box and so on.

If you’d like more cycle starter options, or to work on another topic highlighted by your NCD Church Survey results, just visit ncdchurchsurvey.org/cycle-starters

Q31

  • Ask two or three people to offer verbal or written feedback on your sermons. As well as their general comments, ask them for specific feedback on how you might improve in explaining biblical principles and how to apply them to daily life.
  • Consider what can be done through a sermon that cannot be done equally well or better through another forum of church life.
  • Discuss with others how your church or small group leaders could help you apply principles from the Bible to your daily life in the most relevant way
  • Draw an organisation chart of your church showing how you think things work (who makes decisions, who reports to whom, roles and responsibilities, communication channels, etc) and ask a key leader to comment on your observations.
  • Find one area of church or small group life where communication is poor and work with the leadership to improve it.
  • Reflect on why the sermons in the worship service are the length that they are. What difference would it make if they were generally shorter or longer, or sometimes much shorter.
  • Work with your church leaders to provide better training and support for your current and potential small group leaders.
  • Ask a leader in your church to tell you how they see your contribution fitting into the overall direction of church life.