Natural church development rejects merely pragmatic and a-theological approaches.
Natural church development has no quantitative approach, but looks at the quality of church life as the key to church development.
Natural church development does not attempt to "make" church growth, but to release the growth automatisms, with which God Himself builds the church.
It means leaving behind human-made prescriptions for success and moving on to growth principles, which are given by God Himself to all of His creation.
Technocratic paradigm: The significance of institutions, programs, methods, etc. is overestimated.
Spiritualistic paradigm: The significance of institutions, programs, methods, etc. is underestimated
Biotic paradigm: The theological approach underlying natural church development.
CHAPTER ONE: EIGHT QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS
Past discussions have made too little distinction between "models" (=concepts, with which some church in some part of the world has had a positive experience) and "principles" (=that which applies to every church everywhere).
The principle-oriented approach is different-it also assumes that model churches have much to teach us. Yet rather than limiting itself to one extraordinary model, hundreds of model churches-both large and small-are researched to discover which elements turn out to be universal principles that are relevant for all churches.
Natural church development is a principle-orientated approach.
1. Empowering leadership
The key distinction is probably best expressed by the word "empowerment." 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
These pastors equip, support, motivate, and mentor individuals, enabling them to become all that God wants them to be.
Leaders who realize their own empowerment by empowering others experience how the "all-by-itself" principle contributes to growth. Rather than handling the bulk of church responsibilities on their own, they invest the majority of their time in discipleship, delegation, and multiplication. Thus, the energy they expend can be multiplied indefinitely. This is how spiritual "self-organization" occurs. God's energy, not human effort and pressure, is released to set the church in motion.
2. Gift-oriented ministry
"When Christians serve in their area of giftedness, they generally function less in their own strength and more in the power of the Holy Spirit."
The gift-oriented approach reflects the conviction that God sovereignly determines which Christians should best assume which ministries. The role of church leadership is to help its members to identify their gifts and to integrate them into appropriate ministries.
Data demonstrated a highly significant relationship between "gift-orientation" ("My personal ministry involvement's match my gifts") and "joy in living" ("I consider myself to be a happy, contented person").
3. Passionate spirituality
While the amount of time (quantity) a Christian spends in prayer plays only a minor role with regard to the quality and growth of a church, whether prayer is viewed as an "inspiring experience" or not had significant relationship to the quality and quantity of the church.
On the other hand, "pure doctrine" alone, as countless examples illustrate, does not induce growth. A church, regardless of how orthodox its dogma and view of Scripture, can hardly expect to experience growth, as long as its members do not learn to live their faith with a contagious enthusiasm and to share it with others.
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
"Wherever God breathes His Spirit into formless clay, both life and form spring forth."
Interestingly enough, "functional structures" proved to be by far the most controversial of the eight quality characteristics.
The development of structures which promote an ongoing multiplication of the ministry. Leaders are not simply to lead, but also to develop other leaders.
On of the biggest barriers to recognizing the significance of structures for church development is the widespread view that "structure" and "life" are opposites.
A comparative creative act occurs whenever God pours out His Spirit within the church today-and thus giving it structure and form.
5. Inspiring worship service
There is probably no area of church life in which the important distinction between "models" and "principles" is so frequently ignored. (Diagram pg. 16-17)
While the question whether a church service targets primarily non-Christians has no apparent relationship to church growth, there is indeed a strong correlation between an "inspiring worship experience" and a church's quality and quantity.
It is to be understood in the literal sense of inspiration and means an inspiredness, which comes from the Spirit of God. Whenever the Holy Spirit is truly at work 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."
Knowing this, the likely source of opposition to this quality characteristic becomes evident: Christians who go to church to fulfill their Christian duty. These people do not attend church because it is a joyous and inspiring experience, but to do the pastor or God a favor.
They have failed to comprehend the divine growth automatisms which are particularly evident in worship services. When worship is inspiring, it draws people to the services "all by itself." The spiritualistic paradigm has a negative effect on worship services, too. Spiritualism suggests that "real spirituality" occurs exclusively in the "inner person."
6. Holistic small groups
"If we were to identify any one principle as the 'most important', then without a doubt it would be the multiplication of small groups."
Our research in growing and declining churches all over the world has shown that continuous multiplication of small groups is a universal church growth principle.
They must be holistic groups which go beyond just discussing Bible passages to applying its message to daily life.
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 planned multiplication of small groups is made possible through continual development of leaders as a by-product of normal group-life. The meaning of the term "discipleship" becomes practical in the context of holistic small groups: the transfer of life, not rote learning of abstract concepts.
Nonetheless, it allows us to infer the level of importance given to small groups in growing churches: they are not a supplement, like a nice but dispensable hobby. No, much of the essence of true church life is worked out in small groups. Our research confirms that the larger a church becomes, the more decisive the small group principle will be with respect to her further growth.
If we were to identify any one principle as the "most important"-even though our research shows that the interplay of all basic elements is important-then without a doubt it would be the multiplication of small groups.
7. Need-oriented evangelism
It is the task of each Christian to use his or her gifts to serve non-Christians with whom one has a personal relationship, to see to it that they hear the gospel, and to encourage contact with the local church. The key to church growth is for the local congregation to focus its evangelistic efforts on the questions and needs of non-Christians. This "need-oriented" approach is different from "manipulative programs" where pressure on non-Christians must compensate for the lack of need-orientation.
The point is rather to use already existing relationships as contacts for evangelism.
8. Loving relationships
Research indicates that there is a highly significant relationship between the ability of a church to demonstrate love and its long-term growth potential.
It can be demonstrated that there is a significant connection between "laughter in the church" and that church's qualitative and numerical growth.
Practical love has a divinely generated magnetic power far more effective than evangelistic programs which depend almost entirely on verbal communication. People do not want to hear us talk about love; they want to experience how Christian love really works.
The spiritualistic paradigm is just as detrimental in its effect on a church's love potential. In contrast to the biblical definition of love-as fruit, action, or deed-these churches espouse a rather secular concept of love. Love is viewed as a feeling which overwhelms you (if you're lucky) and then disappears just as mysteriously.
No quality characteristic may be missing
"No church wanting to grow qualitatively can afford to overlook any one of these eight characteristics."
Our research tells us there is no one single factor which leads to growth in churches; it is the interplay of all eight elements.
For example, the widespread claim that "church growth is exclusively a matter of prayer" is simply not true. Such a statement absolutizes one element of the quality characteristic "passionate spirituality" at the expense of all the others. If this claim were true, it would mean that church development is possible without cultivating love, without making use of spiritual gifts, and without evangelism. This viewpoint is not only empirically untenable, but it is also contrary to Scripture-a false teaching. Much prayer but little love, few gifts, and no evangelism? That would be strange indeed! Examples like this demonstrate once again the inherent contradictions of the "spiritual paradigm."
The key is found in the harmonious interplay of all eight elements.
There is one rule, however, for which we did not find a single exception among the 1000 churches surveyed. Every church, in which a quality index of 65 or more was reached for each of the eight quality characteristics, is a growing church.
There is a qualitative difference between growing and declining churches: The survey of over 1000 churches on all five continents indicates that on average, growing churches have a higher quality index in all eight areas than declining ones.