The NCD Australia 'Davids'
| Name | Location | Surveys | Denomination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Bragger | NSW, Wollongong | 5 | Anglican |
| Alan Little | NSW, Sydney | 6 | Anglican |
| Clif McDonnell | NSW, Sydney | 5 | Anglican |
| Geoff Deutscher | NSW, Ulladulla | 4 | Anglican |
| Steve White | NSW, Kingscliff | 4 | Christian City Church |
| Terry Davidson | NSW, Sydney | 4 | Christian & Missionary Alliance |
| Craig Farmer | NSW, Sydney | 4 | Church of Christ |
| Phil Staines | NSW, Sydney | 8 | The Salvation Army |
| Lynden Spicer | NSW, Sydney | 5 | The Salvation Army |
| Ralph Bowles | Qld, Brisbane | 8 | Anglican |
| Liam Glover | Qld, Brisbane | 10 | The Salvation Army |
| Peter Staines | Qld, Brisbane | 8 | The Salvation Army |
| Dan O'Farrell | Qld, Caloundra | 4 | Christian Outreach Centre |
| Jason Smith | Qld, Morayfield | 5 | Christian Outreach Centre |
| Brian Vaatstra | Tas, Kingston | 4 | Christian Reformed |
| Craig Anderson | Vic, Plenty Valley | 5 | Christian Outreach Centre |
| Bram Cassidy | Vic, Melbourne | 8 | The Salvation Army |
| Karen Castley | Vic, Melbourne | 4 | The Salvation Army |
| Peter Smit | WA, Perth | 7 | Christian Reformed |
Alan Little
| 'David' Qualification | 22 point increase in average & 5 profiles |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | October 2000 |
| Church | St Mark’s Anglican South Hurstville |
| Approximate size |
105 |
| Location | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Passionate Spirituality, Functional Structures, Need-oriented Evangelism, Loving Relationships |
Most improved Quality Characteristic:
Gift-based Ministry +40 points
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
Passionate Spirituality
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Gift-based Ministry
Email:
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Clif McDonnell
| 'David' Qualification | 16 point increase in average & 5 profiles |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | November 1998 |
| Church | All Saints’ Anglican Balgowlah |
| Approximate size |
140 |
| Location | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Gift-based Ministry, Passionate Spirituality, Functional Structures, Loving Relationships |
Most improved Quality Characteristic:
Empowering Leadership/Inspiring Worship Service +40 points
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
Gift-based Ministry
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Holistic Small Groups/Need-oriented Evangelism
Email:
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Steve White
| 'David' Qualification | 25 point increase & 4 Profiles |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | 2001 |
| Church | Christian City Church Kingsliff |
| Approximate size |
270 |
| Location | Kingscliffe, NSW |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Gift-based Ministry, Holistic Small Groups, Loving Relationships, Empowering Leadership |
Most improved Quality Characteristic:
Gift oriented Ministry - 53 point increase
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
Holistic Small Groups
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Passionate Spirituality
Email:
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Phil Staines
| 'David' Qualification | 12 & 15 point increase in average & 5 & 2 profiles (across 2 different churches) |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | October 1999 |
| Church | (currently) The Salvation Army Narellan |
| Approximate size |
140 |
| Location | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Gift-based Ministry, Passionate Spirituality, Functional Structures, Holistic Small Groups, Loving Relationships |
Most improved Quality Characteristic:
Gift-based Ministry +30 points
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
Passionate Spirituality
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Empowering Leadership
Email:
narellan.corps@aue.salvationarmy.org
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Lynden Spicer
| 'David' Qualification | 24 point increase in average & 5 profiles |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | September 1998 |
| Church | The Salvation Army Ryde |
| Approximate size |
92 |
| Location | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Gift-based Ministry, Inspiring Worship Service, Holistic Small Groups |
Most improved Quality Characteristic:
Empowering Leadership +32 points
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
Gift-oriented Ministry / Inspiring Worship Service
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Need-oriented Evangelism / Loving Relationships
Email:
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Ralph Bowles
| 'David' Qualification | 16 point increase in average & 7 profiles |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | July 1998 |
| Church | St. Stephen's Anglican Church, Coorparoo, Brisbane, Australia |
| Approximate size |
170 |
| Location | Suburban metropolitan, middle class |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Gift-oriented Ministry, Inspiring Worship Services, Need-oriented Evangelism |
Most improved Quality Characteristic:
Gift-oriented Ministry & Inspiring Worship Service +21 points
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
Inspiring Worship Service—I have come to the view that worship is so much the result of the other factors, that it may be for us the test of how underlying church health is proceeding. Do weaknesses in other QC's routinely show up in Worship?
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Holistic Small Groups—We were strong in this area at the start of our NCD journey, and have used the Small Groups as key influencers in our implementation process.
Greatest joys of our NCD journey
The sense of progress and ability to address underlying factors in our church "culture" has been the most encouraging aspect for me. Despite problems in church life, the NCD process has provided hope and insight that has borne fruit in positive change. The annual Profile has forced us to keep our eyes open and look at what is really happening in our church.
Greatest challenges of our NCD journey
Keeping focussed and maintaining momentum has been hard at times, and not all the leadership have understood the NCD paradigm.
What I think of NCD
I am enthusiastic about NCD. It is not too much of an exaggeration to say that God has used NCD to keep me in parish ministry and give me hope. I am convinced that the Trinitarian paradigm behind the NCD process is sound and offers a basis for church effectiveness based on spiritual health and balance.
Advice for Leaders beginning with NCD
Make a commitment to do NCD for a least 4 years. Be prepared for the need to change personally and profoundly. Seek help from the consultants and others involved in NCD.
About Ralph Bowles
I have been ordained since 1980 in the Anglican Church of Australia. I was trained as a conservative Evangelical in the Diocese of Sydney, and have served in Sydney and since 1990 in the Diocese of Brisbane. My passion has always been the health and growth of the local church, which is why NCD immediately interested me. If there is one QC that interests me most, due to my awareness of lack in the area and conviction of its importance to church health, it is Empowering Leadership.
Church Web Site:
www.ststephenscoorparoo.org.au
Email:
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Liam Glover
| 'David' Qualification | - 15 point increase in average & 8 profiles - Over 65 in all areas for 4 profiles NOTE |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | September 2000 |
| Church | The Salvation Army Lake Community Church |
| Approximate size |
62 Adults - 38 Children |
| Location | Master planned community. Including periphery development, total new population base will be around 45,000 |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Gift-oriented Ministry, Passionate Spirituality, Functional Structures, Need-oriented Evangelism, Loving Relationships |
Most improved Quality Characteristic
Gift-oriented Ministry +35 points—GOM was our first minimum factor. Our team has sought to develop a culture of gift oriented ministry over the last four years, the success of which is reflected in our current QC score. "The 3 Colours of Ministry" was and continues to be highly probative, greatly enhancing our capacity to respond to giftedness of the people God continued to send us.
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
Passionate Spirituality—We (key influencers in the church) continue to work on developing a culture of PS, which is once again our MF. Our church recently completed the construction of a community centre, which consumed vast amounts of volunteer energy. This left insufficient energy / passion to invest in our corporate and personal expression of spirituality. Along with questions surrounding need orientation, the majority of questions in our “Current Lowest 10” (see Profile Plus chart) focus on Passionate Spirituality.
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Empowering Leadership—Inherently I lead within an empowering paradigm. I see that the function of empowerment throughout the the life of the church is entirely Biblical. Our leadership team is also established with this in mind, called the "Empowering Team". (The Empowering Team is made up of coaches who are primarily responsible for the development of members of the community of faith, by identifying their personal minimum factor and assisting them in removing those growth barriers. Coaches have a specific focus on the quality characteristics.)
Greatest joys of our NCD journey
One of the greatest joys continues to be hanging around people who embrace a developmental culture, whereby they appreciate their need and capacity to grow in the likeness of Christ, and they appreciate their ability to influence others in that journey towards fullness of life. This has been best effected by utilising a coaching structure, whereby members of the Empowering Team seek to develop a culture of the quality charactertistics within the community of faith.
Greatest challenges of our NCD journey
Perhaps not surprisingly, the greatest challenge I find is walking alongside people who seem unwilling or unable to recognise their position on the developmental continuim towards the likeness of Christ. In this regard I need to rely heavily on one of the manifestations of the fruit of the spirit in my life, patience.
What I think of NCD
Principles are inherently applicable to all contexts and cultures. I like NCD because those churches and participators in churches who are committed to growth in health can share the journey regardless of the their size, style or location because the same language is being shared. Gen 11 talks of the power of humanity speaking the same language. Imagine the kingdom impact where the church world wide is committed to increased health and shares the same language.
Profile Plus provides specific details as to particular expressions of the community of faith which are preventing the church from being increasingly healthy. By deliberately focussing on the lowest 10, along with the minimum factor, we are able to be strategic about the allocation of our resources - time, financial, gifts etc.
Advice for Leaders beginning with NCD
Most pastors (church leaders, etc) with whom I interact have a strong desire to be part of seeing God’s kingdom come in their community. To this end, they are, with varying degrees, wanting their church to be healthier so more people are saved. NCD provides a fantastic framework upon which they can be strategic about applying their limited personal and corporate resources to see the kingdom come. Be committed to the process – be willing to walk the journey with your leaders and your church for a period of time. I firmly believe that the deeper one engages with NCD, the more there is to discover and apply in the “everyday” of life, such that “all by itself” the fruit grows.
About Liam Glover
I really enjoy playing touch football. I love hanging out with my three boys (Zach 6, Noah 4 and Jonah 3) and my gorgeous (can I say this here?!) wife Rachel. I'm looking forward to finishing off my study. Living life to the max is the way I live my life. I very much enjoy good coffee. My church "office" is strategically located about 3 metres from the expresso machine at Room 19, our community centre cafe.
I'm proactive in being transformed into the image of Christ. To this end, I meet weekly with other men in an accountability group (called "Life Transformation Group"), where we discuss how the Bible speaks into our everyday lives, we challenge each other, we pray for each other and we encourage one another as we see "those things which so easily entangle" falling away.
Email:
Another great way to get a sense of the progress in a 'David' church is to study their progressive NCD results. Click here to download Lake Community Church's most recent Profile Plus Report.
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Peter Staines
| 'David' Qualification | 2 & 15 point increase in average & 3 & 4 profiles (across 2 different churches) |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | August 1998 |
| Church | (currently) The Salvation Army North Brisbane |
| Approximate size |
210 |
| Location | Taigum, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Empowering Leadership, Gift-based Ministry, Holistic Small Groups, Need-oriented Evangelism, Loving Relationships |
Most improved Quality Characteristic:
Gift-based Ministry +50 points
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
None more than others
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Gift-oriented Ministry
Email:
North_Brisbane_Corps@AUE.salvationarmy.org
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Dan O'Farrell
| 'David' Qualification | 17 point increase in average 4 profiles |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | November 2001 |
| Church | Caloundra Christian Outreach Centre |
| Approximate size |
250 |
| Location | Caloundra, Queensland |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Gift-based Ministry, Inspiring Worship Service |
Most improved Quality Characteristic:
Gift-based Ministry +30 points
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
Gift-based Ministry
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Loving Relationships
Email:
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Bram Cassidy
| 'David' Qualification | 27 point increase in average & 7 & 1 profiles (across 2 different churches) |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | February 1999 |
| Church | (Currently) The Salvation Army Waverley |
| Approximate size |
470 |
| Location | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Gift-based Ministry, Passionate Spirituality, Functional Structures, Inspiring Worship Service, Holistic Small Groups, Loving Relationships |
Most improved Quality Characteristic:
Inspiring Worship Service +38 points
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
Inspiring Worship Service
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Need-oriented Evangelism
Email:
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Karen Castley
| 'David' Qualification | 20 point increase in average & 5 profiles (in previous church) |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | March 2000 |
| Church | (Currently) The Salvation Army Mooroolbark |
| Approximate size |
55 |
| Location | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Empowering Leadership, Gift-based Ministry, Functional Structures, Inspiring Worship Service, Loving Relationships |
Most improved Quality Characteristic:
Need-oriented Evangelism +39 points
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
Loving Relationships
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Need-oriented Evangelism
Email:
corpsofficer.mooroolbark@aus.salvationarmy.org
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Peter Smit
| 'David' Qualification | 22 point increase in average & 6 profiles |
|---|---|
| Commenced NCD process | November 1999 |
| Church | Gateway Community Church (Christian Reformed Churches of Australia) |
| Approximate size |
120 |
| Location | We are located South of Perth in Jandakot, adjacent to a growing regional centre. This regional centre will one day service a projected population of 250 000. We are near the Kwinana freeway which is the main arterial road down the southern corridor of Perth. Residential and suburban development is flourishing. Many people are discovering it’s a nice place to live. |
| Minimum Factors encountered | Functional Structures, Gift-oriented Ministry, Inspiring Worship Service, Passionate Spirituality, Loving Relationships, Empowering Leadership |
Most improved Quality Characteristic:
Functional Structures +30 points—Prior to doing NCD our small church community functioned as a big family. As we were a new church plant we focused primarily on building relationships. We had little structure and no concept of department heads and ministry development. In addressing this area, we developed an organisational structure with clear roles and responsibilities for ministry leaders and teams. In 2001 we prayerfully developed a strategic plan with big dreams and visions which the Lord is wonderfully bringing to reality.
Most frequent Minimum Factor:
Passionate Spirituality—While PS has been consistently lower in our surveys, since our initial survey in 1999 this quality characteristic has, by God’s grace, climbed some 21 points. We still have much more to do in this area. One of the reasons there has been some growth can be attributed to the development of Life Transformation groups, in which 3 people come together for spiritual accountability and commitment to reading scripture. Along with our regular home groups, this has been a great blessing to those who have participated and deepened our spiritual life with Christ.
Most frequent Maximum Factor:
Gift-based Ministry—Our second profile identified this as our minimum factor and since that time we have run the Network (Willow Creek) Gifts discovery course annually. Those who have completed the course have their gifts placed in our churches database and we continually refer to that to ensure that when new ministry opportunities are needed that we direct people to appropriate areas of service. This consistent and intentional approach means that we are seeking to build the church and the Kingdom on the basis of the gifts God has given us. That has blessed those who serve and us who receive.
Greatest joys of our NCD journey
The greatest joy has been the discovery of a different paradigm to see and assess our ministry. Prior to doing NCD I thought church ministry was just about preaching and teaching. While this is central, effective kingdom ministry is much more diverse. NCD has helped me and our church to work on all the areas of ministry. One of the wonderful joys we have experienced of late is having people come to our church community and say, “we love coming to this church, we feel loved and welcomed, God’s doing something special in this place.” God is continuing to bring people to us. It’s the 'all by itself' thing happening. When we pay attention to the health of the church and ask the Lord of the church to guide us and bless our work, He will build His church. That is the greatest joy.
Greatest challenges of our NCD journey
Has doing NCD always been easy? No way. Sometimes the results expose weak areas in my ministry or the life of our church. That’s not always very easy to accept, particularly if you think you’ve been doing OK in that area. Doing NCD then requires a great deal of humility and openness to reassess and review what you do.
The other challenge that NCD has placed before me has been the recognition that the principles of church health must be worked out uniquely for each church. The challenge then is not to compare yourself with other “successful” churches. The way that our church expresses its “inspired worship” will be different from another church. And that’s OK. The diversity in the body of Christ is something our heavenly father wants us to celebrate and enjoy.
What I think of NCD
NCD is a great tool to review and assess ministry. But like any tool, it needs to be used well to receive the maximum benefit. It’s strength lies in the Biblical principles upon which it is based. It cuts through the fog of our limited perception of church life and objectively identifies the areas of strength and those that need work. Without a doubt the NCD (biblical) paradigm has had a huge impact in the life of our church. I thank God for the continual encouragement and challenge it brings. I love the truth of the Mark 4:28. When there is a healthy balance in the soil of the ministry… 28 All by itself the soil produces grain.
Advice for Leaders beginning with NCD
When we did our first NCD profile the results were not very exciting. The results ranged from 31 to 48 with most in the low thirties. When it comes to church health, we were not well. But over the last seven years we’ve just kept chipping away. Some years we didn’t even do the implementation well, or at all. But by God’s grace, with the NCD paradigm in the back of our minds, we’ve seen wonderful growth in our health. And it really is all by God’s amazing grace.
So my advice is, get started. Do a survey. Pull an implementation team together. Get an NCD coach to help you journey through. And finally keep at it.
We’ve had growth. We’ve had ups and downs. But like you, we’ve got more to do. And I’m praying that we steward and develop our gifts and God’s church well. NCD is a tool to help all of us do, just that.
About Peter Smit
After graduating from the Reformed Theological College in Geelong in 1995 I served for one year in Canberra as an apprentice minister. Having a passion for evangelism and church planting I received a call to come to Western Australia and have served in my current church since 1996. In 2001 we developed a strategic plan for our church, which included being in a church building in 2004. By God’s grace in 2004 we purchased a factory building, and are now developing it into a ministry centre.
I’ve been married to my wonderful wife Suzanne for twenty years. We have been blessed with four wonderful children. I love playing my Maton guitar and worshipping our great God.
Another great way to get a sense of the progress in a 'David' church is to study their progressive NCD results. Click here to download Gateway Community Church's most recent results.
Email:
Back to the NCD Australia 'David' list