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

Q53

  • Analyze how much of what you sing in church actually focuses your attention on God, teaching or reminding you about His nature and purposes.
  • Ask a number of leaders in your church what they think about the volume and sound clarity of the music in the worship service.
  • Ask the music team if they enjoy the music in the worship service and also what music most helps them encounter God and why.
  • Consider the meaning of the word "contemporary" when it comes to the music used in worship services. If you only see contemporary relating to a particular style of music, think about the many different kinds of music enjoyed by the people in and around your church who are your "contemporaries".
  • Consider what visual messages the musicians and singers leading the worship service are sending to the congregation.
  • Create a survey for your congregation to discover the top 20 most inspiring worship songs, hymns or pieces of music. For a time during worship services, invite respondants to share why a piece of music inspires them and then feature it.
  • For those in your congregation who may sometimes find lyrics distracting or unnecessary for encountering God in worship, try making use of a little more instrumental music of various musical styles as part of your worship.