This article evaluates the action paper in developing leadership and spiritual growth among the Heard My Cry Christian Fellowship Church of Houston, Texas (HHMCF). The action paper presents different findings from the congregation, some of which are qualitative, while others are quantitative. The action paper had ten steps that were followed to achieve the desired outcome. This evaluation follows the same format, one step after the other, to determine the data found in each step, and integrates the findings to create meaning in the entire action paper. The Natural Growth Development Plan (NCD) was used to achieve each step’s goals as it sets the fundamental principles that help any church grow from within its structures. The NCD approach provides that each Church is unique in its ways and relying on individuals to discover and develop their talents to build the body of Christ, unlike trying to force people to act in specific ways to conform to norms of the Christian life.
The HMCF congregants were asked to fill the NDC church questionnaire, which was meant to determine the minimum factor score to define the growth process’s starting point. The survey used twelve members to collect the information needed in each of the ten steps. The survey produced the following results, as shown in figure 1 below.
The survey from the action paper revealed eight characteristics of a healthy church. These features include empowering leadership, gift-oriented ministry, passionate spirituality, effective structures, inspiring worship service, small holistic groups, need-oriented evangelism, and loving relationships. The needed threshold measure required each characteristic to yield a value of more than 65 percent for it to be considered a stable factor. As the graph indicates, Holistic Small Group characteristic scored the lowest point at 64%, and Effective Structures was slightly above the threshold at 66%. Holistic Small Group’s low score was concomitant to the small congregational size. Thus, the future did not build any significant concern for its low score. The researcher opted to work on Effective Structures for the beneficial reasons linked to the church structural improvement. NCD suggested ten critical steps to help the congregation improve on Effective Structures. Members were first informed on the correct understanding of structures to develop a conceptualization of the forms and regulations involved in the research.
Findings
Step One. Developing a stronger awareness that the question of structures has spiritual relevance
The developed information on members’ knowledge inclination on effective structures helped form a basis for integrating new ideas on structures’ spiritual significance. The results showed that HHMCF was inclined to technocratic understanding, including a static approach to structures, traditionalism, and morphological fundamentalism. The congregants’ static stand on the existing church structures conformed to morphological fundamentalism reality that church structures are sacred and thus unchangeable and unalterable. In that regard, members intuitively assumed the traditional sacredness of the church structures, and thus any suggestion to change the church structures at this point was to trigger congregational resistance. This inclination may have created previous stagnation on schemas to change the church structures, resulting in a low score on the Formal Structure characteristic.
Nevertheless, the inclination showed that members’ general understanding of effective structures was measurable to the traditional sacredness of church structures from where spiritual significance emanates. They noted that increasingly developing church structures were objective to meeting or maintaining the sacredness in an effective structure’s standards. Even so, according to members, any alteration to new conformations was not required to alter the necessary structural effectiveness that met Christian standards. NCD information showed that members’ change of perceptions was subject to openness to current aspects to ensure an increasingly effective structure. Thus, the subsequent NCD steps tried to build on a reasonable understanding to ensure an improved view on improving the effective structure.
Step Two: Taking full responsibility for the structures that currently can be found in your Church
In this step, the responses showed a consensual perception of the church member taking responsibility in ensuring the effective application of the existing HHMCF structures. As hardly noted in other areas where responsibility on the current structures are shoved on “others,” HHMCF leaders did not identify with the struggle to practically develop or exercise their full responsibility in the current HHMCF structure. The problem among the member was on the proper communication of the structure to the new church plant He Heard My Cry that insisted on the structure’s purpose. There was not identified any alarming concern about innovatively and creatively improving the current structure. However, the ranking on “Effective structure” identified this issue as critical, and the inexistence of an issue on the exercise of responsibility of the Church was unfavourably insensible.
Thoughtfully, member perception may have sprouted from their technocrat understanding. But this was yet to be determined, noting that members were more concerned with the communication of the current structure to the member to regard its inviolability. According to the members, the leaders’ responsibility was subject to actual and systematic implementation, which was not literarily altering or changing its composition. In other words, no leader was to claim to have contributed to the genesis of the current church structures, and the new leaders had the responsibility to ensure the exercise and implementation of the structures was sacredly built from its traditional, static, and unchangeable formation. This new perceived understanding provided a window that would have opened up to improved Effective structure.
Step Three: Defining the church mission statement in writing.
NCD data showed new individual ideas on their God-given responsibility and how they form up in the definition of church mission. Based on NCD information, the search for individual God-given responsibility created a collective member’s responsibility to exercise and implement the church structure. NCD data showed members’ perception that God- given responsibility of each member should be in line with church missions. In this case, each member’s cumulative spiritual role formed the mission statement that defined the Church’s uniqueness and the church structures. The member desired to explore different options that involved the regular exercise of the church’s responsibility as defined with the existing church structure in line with the demands of God’s Word.
The options shared by members on the true definition of the church mission, according to God’s word, involved ‘Seeking, Saving, and Serving”, “Shining God’s Light in n a Dark World,” and becoming a place “where God’s Love is practiced.” Thus members had an understanding that the mission was an inscription of God’s demand to the Church inscribed in His Word. The communication of this mission was equally critical. Whereas, other members who had a conceptualization of the Church’s need based on God’s Word had reservations on the mission’s need. Other members were concerned with the length and the alliteration that make a mission difficult to memorize. Essentially, members developed a conceptual view that the mission was definitive of the church structure subjects to the dictates in God’s Word.
Step Four: Preparing a church Mission statement
Identifying enhancing and hindering structures
NCD information indicated that 12 key institutions and regulations named by members served the Church’s growth. Some of the named institutions and ministries included worship service, Baptizing, the Lord’s Supper, Children’s’ Church, Christina Education Ministry, Usher and greeter Ministry, Deacon Ministry, Trustee Ministry, Media Mistry, and Outreach Ministry. According to the member’s responses, HHMCF was a new church, and there was not identified and form or structure/regulations that needed an evaluation in using church growth effectiveness criterion. However, NCD data information showed worship service, baptizing. The Lord’s Supper, Christian Education Ministry, and outreach ministries as unchangeable forms/ institutions and regulation. The conceptualization of the institutions, form, and regulation showed that members had begun developing a better understanding of the church structures and their spiritual significance to the Church.
Step Five: Developing a set of measurable goals for the handling of church structures
At this level, NCD results showed several developed structures by members aligned to the mission statement. Members improved their knowledge in this perceptive, and they provided the following structures and the connection to the scripture set.
- Worship Service-, Psalm 100, Romans 10:17, Hebrews 10:25, 12:28 13:15
- Feeding the Flock the Word of God
- Baptizing- Matthew 28:19, Luke 22:19-20, Acts 10:47-48, Romans 6:4, Acts 8:26-39. Following the word of God
- The Lord’s Supper-1 Corinthians 11:23-28, John 4:23-24/- Following the word of God.
- Children’s Church-Matthew 19:14, Proverbs 22:6- Feeding the Flock the Word of God/Family Friendly
- Christian Education Ministry-Proverbs 16:16, Acts 2:42, Proverbs 12:11, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, Ephesians 4:28. – Following the word of God / Feeding the Flock the Word of God
- Usher and Greeter Ministry-Matthew 10:40, Hebrews 13:2, Romans 12:10/ Family Friendly
- Deacon Ministry- Acts 6:1-7, 1 Timothy 3:8-13 Following the word of God
- Trustee Ministry-Matthew 25:14-28/ Feeding the Flock the Word of God
- Music Ministry-2 Chronicles 5: 13-14, Psalms 98:4, Ephesians 5:19, Acts 16:25-Feeding the Flock the Word of God/ Following the word of God.
- Media Ministry-Luke 18:11, Romans 10:14-15, 1 Corinthians 12:21 Fellowshipping with the believers
- Outreach Ministry- Matthew 25:31- 46/ Following the word of God/ Fellowshipping with the believers
- New Member Intake Ministry-Ephesians 3:14-21/ Feeding the Flock the Word of God/ Fellowshipping with the believers
Step Six: Evaluation of structures According to the potential for Manipulation
At this level, HHMCF leaders, using the NCD six principles named worship service, Children’s Church, New Member Intake, outreach Ministry, Media service, and Baptizing as the structures that needed modification to fit the criteria of multiplication. However, their suggestion was dependent on the variability of structure infrastructure in different settings, implying that the suggestion was only applicable to HHMCF. According to leader suggestions, Worship Service “kind of change” needed Pastor as the sole speaker to add voices. The Children’s Church “Kind of change” required children above age 10 to have a separate group; the outreach group offered evangelism opportunities instead of only giving ways. The Media service includes church bulletins with more content and baptizing to be unlimited to only First Sunday. Their knowledge of these ministries, based on their suggestion, showed a critical improvement in structural understanding and improved their knowledge to a common understanding of adjustment on HHMCF that will ensure improved/ effective structures.
Step Seven: Applying existing gifts of your members more consistently to the Spiritual Gifts less developed quality characteristics of your Church
In this category, the NCD approach applied a longitudinal approach study approach that included 12 members. Each member was required to identify his/her gift. Overall, the NCD result showed that HHMCF had members with essential gifts that effectively improved the Church’s spiritual characteristics. Note that, for HHMCF to have an effective structure, all Gifts that God had given to the Church should be utilized to develop the Church to maximize the spiritual harvests. The NCD study’s findings showed that, among the 12 members, six members had gifts that were beneficial to the spiritual growth of the Church. The NCD identification process opened to new findings on ministries/tasks that helped improve the church quality characteristics, which were significantly essential in improving the church structure. The ministries/ tasks identified involved the introduction of “Small Group beyond Bible study” and training on small group concepts. These aspects implied members increased openness to new ideas to improve the measure of “effective structure.” The implementation of the ideas was essential in this category in ensuring effective church structure development
Step Eight: Cut as many programs and activities as possible which do not contribute to the Development of the Church
NCD information showed that the Church did not need to subtract structures but only focus on defining the existing. NCD’s approach was to focus on the church programs that were to result in overall church growth. Following down each NCD critical process of developing an effective church structure, there were no programs or activities on their contribution to the overall church growth. The focus on the essential church program was to ensure that the church structure, as suggested by the alteration in other stages, was effective at all levels. Noting that there was still church structure that was named as inessential, the NCD result showed a critical issue with the implementation, definition, and communication of the existing structure as the issue that resulted in the 66% ranking of the church structure. At this level, members were open to insisting on the thorough implementation of the structure identified in NCD stage 2.
Step Nine: Develop and communicate an organizational chart which clearly shows the Responsibilities within the Church
At this level, a new chart was developed that involved revised structures to ensure improved communication efficiency. The new chart showed member incorporation of new ideas in the church structure. Note that, in ensuring full awareness of the new structure, the NCD approach involved communication with all members in a zoom meeting on a revised organizational chart to help deal with communication and effective structure implementation. The NCD focus solved the problem noted in stage 8 and stage 2. However, the strategic application of the new organization chart’s changes solved the static concern on the alterations of the church structures, allowing a new perception of the changes needed to ensure an effective structure in the Church. The effects of these changes were more likely to improve the “effective structure” characteristic score.
Step Ten: Monitor the effectiveness of your steps
NCD approach involved conducting a new church profile after six months. The approach is continuous. It helps ensure that the steps suggested in prior approaches are implemented to ensure continuous, innovative, and innovative application of new changes in the Church’s “effective structure.”
The 3- Colours of Love
Based on the measure of member performance on the fruits of the spirit, the sequential approach’s overall impacts on NCD involved the spread of responsibilities. Member response on a common understanding of the church process’s functioning and the need for improvement increased. From Jethro’s Lesson in week one (Exodus 18), a positive move on the NCD application resulted in members taking a common responsibility of performing spiritual leadership roles in line with the bible guidance. Nonetheless, the dictates of performing these spiritual roles were spelled with the application of spiritual fruits. The new knowledge, based on the Word of God and specifically from Jethro advice in Exodus’s book, involved the exercise of justices. As Jethro Guide Moses, “everyone must know first-hand right from wrong.” These lessons, among many, were well related to the church structure. Members improved their keenness on responsibility performance and duty delegation and learned from the Jethro lesson that emanated the structure process to involve patience, goodness, and peace above all Justice.
Consequently, the application of the spiritual gifts was identified in line with Paul is teaching (1st Timothy 2) on pastoral ministry on the noble tasks of ministers that requires truthfulness, among other virtues. The issue of trustfulness was tasked with member ways of ensuring they build trust, and in that regard, Paul taught of peace, faithfulness, and self-control. The spiritual relevance build in the effective involved a lesson of Joy in spreading the word of God. This was measured church member definition of the church mission, which was taught, from the practical example of church responsibility in the community, to include gentleness, Kindness, and patient. These aspects were identified to involve improved fruits of each church member’s spirit as dictated in ensuring an effective church structure.
Personal Ministry
The NCD impact was characterized by a member’s demonstration of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. In general, the process’s effect was marked with member implementation of the fists of the Holy Spirit. Member showed a great improvement, and the general assumption was the continual expression of the fruits of the spirit in the reapplication of the NCD process. This act will identify a continual high score of an “effective structure” as one of the Church’s key characteristics. The factors are identified to involve the Holy Trinity’s working in church leadership roles and in church structural implementations that involve setting up a culture to deal with different church spiritual needs and linking the church missions to the demands of God’s Word. Member evaluation after the NCD process shows a great improvement on personal spiritual levels, which marked a better foundation and the Holy Spirit’s work in ensuring the improved effective structure of the Church.
Bibliography
Crabb, Larry, and Lawrence J. Crabb. Becoming a true spiritual community: A profound vision of what the Church can be. (Thomas Nelson Inc, 2007).
Larry Crabb, Becoming a True Spiritual Community: A Profound Vision of What the Church Can Be (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1999).
Peter Enns, Exodus, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000).