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

Empowering Leadership

  • Aim for the goal of spending more than 50 percent of your ministry time developing other people to work in your specific area of ministry.
  • Ask the three closest people to you in your church what they need most right now to help them minister in the most fruitful way possible. Consider which of their requests you can assist with and which ones you must ask others to help with. Be sure to act and to give feedback to the three people.
  • Ask three people in your church with whom you have some influence what they would like to do better or how they would like to grow in faith. After a week or two, ask them how they are progressing.
  • Consider what "messages" your church leaders send about their belief in your church's future and speak to them about your observations in an encouraging way.
  • Encourage the key leaders in your church to take turns in meeting up with other church leadership teams to observe what they do and to gain fresh perspectives.
  • Encourage your pastors to share with the church about their own recreation time as part of modeling a balanced life as a leader.
  • Help your congregation understand that inspiring worship services depend upon every person bringing along their unique gift-based offering of worship to bless God and encourage the church. Help individuals to discover what their offering might be and how it could be expressed regularly before, during, or after the formal part of the service.
  • If you have a leadership role in your church find someone willing and able to help you do your role and take the time to train them to the point where they feel equipped to do it effectively.