Facts & Figures
NCD Internationally
(Australian figures below)
Summary
Churches Surveyed: 47 164
Countries: 70
Denominations: 100+
Results
Churches that have done three NCD profiles, have seen the following
measurable changes between the first and third profiles:
1. The Quality increased by an average of 6 points
Translated into practical terms this means: deeper prayer, livelier small groups, more loving relationships, more energizing worship, more satisfied commitment, greater engagement with one’s culture, greater attractiveness among the unchurched, etc.
2. The Growth Rate increased by 51% on average
As a direct consequence of the NCD process, 1.3 million additional people have joined the participating churches. That is significant since the process itself isn’t characterized by an evangelistic focus, i.e. the additional growth was exclusively a natural side effect of focusing on church health.
3. The percentage of Conversion Growth increased
At the outset, churches participating in the NCD process have the same starting point as any other church: If they are already experiencing growth, the percentage of transfer growth is usually too high and the percentage of conversion growth is too low. Within the NCD process this ratio changes quickly in favor of conversion growth.
4. The Workload of congregation members decreased
Of the 170 items tested, this is the result with the second strongest change. The positive response to the statement, “Despite my church activities, I have sufficient time for my hobbies” grew by 9.3% within the 31 months between the first and the third profiles. This corresponds to a measurably higher level of satisfaction in the church and among those who are personally involved in it.
(see Color Your World with Natural Church Development)
NCD Australia
Summary
Churches Surveyed: 1077
- 181 new NCD churches during 2006
- A 5 year trend shows an average of 13% more new churches engaging with NCD than each previous year
- 2006 saw 44% more 1st-time churches than during 2005
Total Surveys: 1711 (eg. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.)
1st-2nd Survey Repeat Rate: progressively increasing from 31% in 2003 to 50% in 2006 (2nd-3rd, 3rd-4th, etc. repeat rates are consistently higher than 1st-2nd)
Denominations and movements represented: 25
NCD ‘Davids’ in Australia: 20
Results
Churches that have done three NCD profiles, have seen the following
measurable changes between the first and third profiles:
1. The Quality increased by an average of 9 points
2. The Growth Rate increased on average by in excess of 100%
That is, on average if a church was previously growing by 2 people per year it is now be growing by 4 people per year. And if a church was growing by 50 people per year, it is now growing by 100 people per year.
3. The percentage of Conversion Growth increased
4. The Workload of Pastors decreased