The Great Eight

Eight Quality CharacteristicsResearch that Natural Church Development (NCD) has conducted into churches that experience long-term sustainable growth has revealed that there are eight factors that have to be in balance to be a transforming-healthy church.  Our experience visiting churches across CBOQ has only further confirmed the validity of these factors:

  1. Leadership leads and empowers others for the growth of more leaders – it is neither autocratic nor passive
  2. Ministry is developed in response to the individually identified Spiritual gifts given to, and used by the congregation; and programming evolves out of the identified gifts, not just from tradition or from modeling after other churches;
  3. People connect with God in meaningful and recognizable ways that produce passion in their lives, and give them purpose
  4. The structures and governance fulfill the church’s purpose and fit the goals, size and history of the church
  5. Worship services inspire people, they don’t just entertain, and they give people forward motion out into the world
  6. Community forms from God – given energies used for the building up of the Body – people do not use their energies for their own gain.  They study God’s life-principles and work out, and live out, their faith in practical ways
  7. We’ve been given all the gifts we need to be the church we’re called to be

    People share the Gospel message authentically and naturally, and by reaching out to meet identified needs in response to God’s love

  8. People love one another, they care for one another, and share personal aspects of their spiritual and other parts of their life together.  Healthy churches are frequently characterized by joy & laughter.

The first step in the NCD process is to a survey, determine the current condition and health of the church and plan your next steps. Learn more

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