A Church That's Stuck Doesn't Have to Stay Stuck

13 minutes ago

1 min read

When my family and I came to Family Worship Center in Watertown, South Dakota, attendance hovered between 90 and 100. There was church hurt, no clear vision, and hope for the future was low.

We didn't start with a program. We started with an honest look: a Natural Church Development assessment of the 8 quality characteristics of church health. Then we listened. We made room for people to share their stories, good and painful, and we affirmed what they had been through.

We addressed the culture of the church:

Head: do people understand where we're going and why?

Heart: do they feel cared for, heard and valued?

Hands: are they equipped and released to serve?

Underneath it all was trust. Trust builds credibility. Credibility is the currency that buys influence. Influence brings change.

God did remarkable things:

• Our NCD average rose from 20 to 77

• Attendance grew from about 100 to more than 300

• 128 people were water baptized in 36 months

• Our staff grew from 1 to 8