4-R Report On Natural Church Development
A short research-based insight-packed interesting book “Natural church development: A guide to eight essential qualities of a healthy church” (8th edition) by Christian A. Swartz, is written in five main parts with colorful statistical data analytical line graphs, histograms, helix & bar diagrams, data tables, and paradigmic models. This is one of the most powerful books I have read in 2021.
Christian draws statistically provocative and stimulating conclusions about the significant factors that lead to church growth. He writes an introduction where he urges a doing away with technocratic human made success program-led, marketing based, manipulative mindset of church growth (using Christian’s words, “Instead of using God’s means, we try to do things in our own strength—with much pulling & pushing), and transiting to what he calls God’s growth automatisms. Swartz discusses the eight qualities of natural church development presented by the author are as follows:
1. Empowering Leadership
Christian’s study data demonstrated, that leaders of growing churches concentrate on empowering other Christians for ministry. They do not use lay workers as “helpers” in attaining their own goals and fulfilling their own visions. Rather, they invert the pyramid of authority so that the leader assists lay Christians to attain the spiritual potential God has for them.
2. Gift Oriented Ministry
Their data demonstrated a highly significant relationship between “gift-orientation” and “joy in living. None of the eight quality characteristics showed nearly as much influence on both personal and church life as “gift-oriented ministry.
3. Passionate spirituality
Swartz’s research indicated clearly that a church, in which members do not learn to live their faith with contagious enthusiasm and to share it with others may not be a growing church. The quality characteristic “passionate spirituality” demonstrates empirically the theological core of the matter in church growth: the life of faith as a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.
4. Functional structures
One of the 15 sub-principles comprising the quality characteristic “functional structures” is the “department head principle” (see diagram below left. Leaders are not simply to lead, but also to develop other leaders. In God’s creation the living and nonliving, the biotic and abiotic are formed from identical material substances and are distinguished only by their structure.
5. Inspiring worship service
Whenever the Holy Spirit is truly at work (and His presence is not merely presumed), He will have a concrete effect upon the way a worship service is conducted including the entire atmosphere of a gathering. People attending truly “inspired” services typically indicate that “going to church is fun.”
6. Holistic Small Groups
Christian’s research in growing and declining churches all over the world has shown that continuous multiplication of small groups is a universal church growth principle. These small groups must be holistic groups which go beyond just discussing Bible passages to applying its message to daily life. In these groups, members are able to bring up those issues and questions that are immediate personal concerns. Holistic small groups are the natural place for Christians to learn to serve others – both in and outside the group – with their spiritual gifts. The meaning of the term “discipleship” becomes practical in the context of holistic small groups.
7. Need-oriented evangelism
Christian’s research disproves a thesis commonly held in evangelistically active groups: that “every Christian is an evangelist.” There is a kernel of (empirically demonstrable) truth in this saying. It is indeed the responsibility of every Christian to use his on her own specific gifts in fulfilling the Great Commission. The key to church growth is for the local congregation to focus its evangelistic efforts on the questions and needs of non-Christians.
8. Loving relationships
Our research indicates that there is a highly significant relationship between the ability of a church to demonstrate love and its long-term growth potential. Growing churches possess on the average a measurably higher “love quotient” than stagnant or declining ones.
In 250 words share a personal life story that this book triggered in your memory. Tell this in first person, “I”. Be specific. By making a personal connection to the book you increase the likelihood of its contents being remembered.
- A personal life episode, parable, case study, or confession.
- Content based on the main points (not peripheral or tangential ideas – draw on the summary)
I do personally relate to all eight of his research findings (Loving relationships, Holistic small groups, Need-based evangelism, Inspiring worship service, passionate spirituality, Functional structures, Gift oriented leadership and Empowering leadership seem all too familiar from a practical standpoint in the ICOC family of churches globally. For me, reading Christian’s book brought back cherished testimonial memories of how I was met and studied with, and introduced to a small group that held weekly Bible talks and lived out the visible and infectious loving relationships. Everyone in the small group reached out to each other, and to me with genuine “others-focused” love. It was a great joy for the group to hear about my baptism into Christ. Some even wrote cards to me with congratulatory messages. My first church service was mind-blowing as everyone sang songs with enthusiasm and joy. This people now my community of faith were overjoyed to come together to worship Jesus. Someone held me accountable in translating teachings in
church and small group to life application. Every new member was encouraged to not only be in a maturing relationship, but was in classroom type “guard-the-gospel” training. The practical aspect was involvement in new Bible studies with intending disciples who were eager to be taught the ways of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20). This training coupled with the practice helped experienced leaders identify individual gifts and match gifts with leadership and ministry involvement. These functional structures were informal but consistently practiced in the entire congregation. The one-on-one accountability empowered people (men and women) to develop passionate love for Christ and his words of wisdom that lavishes grace on recipients. The leaders’ roles included reproducing themselves through close involvement in the lives of all his mentees. This is what Dr. Marunzsky calls healthy church that is blessed by God.
This period of my life was glorious and this has continued in the ICOC congregations to date though to a lesser extent. This whole life reminds me of Acts 2: 42-47 which Dr. Marunzsky refers to as a paradigmatic verse about a healthy church.
REFLECT: In 250 words share what questions came to mind as you read the book. What bothered you about the book? If you could ask the author a question what would it be? In essence critique the text. See Reflection comments in grading rubric. Questions, criticism, etc.
- Positives and negatives about the book.
- Concise critique of the strengths and weaknesses.
- Reflection based on the main ideas of the book, not tangential issues
I love the eight essential qualities of healthy churches identified through Christian’s research, namely; (a) passionate spirituality, (b) empowering leadership, (c) loving relationships, (d) gift-based ministry, (e) functional structures, (f) holistic small groups, (g) inspiring worship services, (h) need based evangelism. Without embarking on any research, I believe a congregation whose leaders are focused on genuine followership of Jesus’s commands and life and the apostles’ doctrine will build one that looks like the congregation in Acts 2. If leaders steer their congregation to devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42), if they believe that essential for every member is a dynamic, growing, personal relationship with God, if their prayer life is/becomes honest and real as they seek to trust God with their lives, If the word of God must speak to them in a practical manner, then people will develop spirituality levels that seek to passionately engage and seek the God of the Scripture. The scripture will empower them to live spiritually. They will develop the mind of Christ. The Scripture will equip them to overcome temptation, and train them to be like Jesus as they obey his teaching and imitate his example.
The author in writing about their research writes that the “concept of spiritual passion and the widespread notion of the walk of faith as “performing one’s duty” seem to be mutually exclusive.” Christian writes that they “noticed that in churches which tend towards “legalism” (where being a Christian means having the right doctrine, moral code, church membership, etc. I do not identify with this definition of legalism though), spiritual passion is usually below average. This databased observation appear to be at variance with my experience in the ICOC family of churches.
In 200 words tell me what you are going to do with this information? This is a two-part response: First what changes will you make in your personal life as a result of the information from this text and second, based on this text what will you say to a client?
Impact on my counseling: I am going to assume that I am counseling some congregational leaders here. I will determine with them and with a few congregational members what their current situation is, with regards to faithfulness to the Jesus’s teaching (John 8:31-32 and the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42).
I will teach them through studying systematic doctrine of Jesus’s teaching and the apostles’ teaching on several key areas, and then ask them to work out the gaps between their current situation and the Biblical situation.
I will help them develop countermeasures in terms of Biblical interventions, namely; developing salvation status based on correct teachings of Christ and his apostles.
To be passionate spiritually we need to dwell in the word of God. The scripture will empower us to live spiritually. We will develop the mind of Christ. Scripture equips us to overcome temptation. Scripture trains us to be like Jesus as we obey his teaching and imitate his example. How disciplined are your quiet times? Passionate spirituality is maintained through daily seeking God. How can your personal walk with God become more passionate?
To become empowering leaders, they need to be in front setting an example for others to follow in living out the teachings of the apostles. They will need to start training and equipping others in the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13). They need live like there is no clergy/laity mentality. Everyone needs to be taught that each person is a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). They will need to train reliable disciples to teach others (2 Timothy 2;2). Loving Relationships: Teachings on developing new relationships will be recommended since dysfunctional groups and unhealthy families bond by quarreling and arguing but the church is to bond in healthy ways (nurture and play). Therefore the new relationships should be characterized by fun (play), food (nurture), and fellowship (nurture), without any fighting to produce lasting spiritual fruit. They will need to understand that they are called to give their hearts to one another to develop deep, loving, spiritual relationships. Christian love is agape love.
My recommendations will extend to identifying gifts and having people serve in the ministries where they are most gifted, developing functional structures for home based bible talks in small groups where sermon assignments could be lived out with the establishment of small group activities (prayer times, meeting one another needs, support for life’s trials and tribulations, evangelism, community reach outs etc, that build bond through quality time necessary for relationships. Large groups are not conducive for sharing and discussion.
