Discussion around finances can be challenging in some church environments. Like many things in church life, finances are sometimes spiritualised ("It's all up to God!) and sometimes treated as almost the most important part of church life ("We may not measure our church's health, but we are very careful in counting the offering!"). In many cases, churches are not always good at appreciating the financial value of things.

So there is sometimes value in directly addressing the topic of NCD as a sound financial investment. The downloadable chart below may be of use in such a discussion. It looks at the percentage of ministering, small group and worship service attending church members who give 10% or more of their gross income in tithes and offerings for church support, missions, etc. As you can see, the percentage of such people increases considerably the higher the health of a church. In addition, because the growth rate of a church also increases with higher levels of health, the number of people these higher giving percentages relate to is also increasing. On top of all of this, by definition, healthier churches use those resources more fruitfully.

So, even if a church were to purely think about the financial implications of the NCD process and how it might be helpful in increasing the giving in their church, it would be a good financial investment to commit to the process. Of course, there are many many other (even more important) benefits of the NCD process. But this chart indicates that we should not shy away from directly engaging in the financial discussion.

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