NCD Coaching Hint: Maintaining Momentum

Coaching Leaders for Ministry Multiplication

Dear Jeannette,

I got our church interested in NCD. We even pulled together a church health team and took the NCD survey. After we got the survey results back we lost momentum. I’ve had trouble getting our church health team to meet so that we can take the next step. Where did we go wrong? What can we do to get things going again? And how can we keep the momentum going?

Signed, Stymied

Recently I’ve heard of several churches that are in the same place. There was some initial excitement about NCD but that excitement didn’t carry over into continuing with the NCD process. Several issues could contribute to this scenario.

First, initial excitement is not necessarily equal to commitment. I’ve written previously about the importance of gaining commitment (CoachNet members can find this article in the NCD network). You need a strong commitment first from the church decision‐making body and second from the church health team. This needs to be a commitment to engaging the whole process, not just to taking the survey. If that commitment is lacking, it may be time for a “come‐to‐Jesus meeting” to help the church health team re‐commit to the NCD process.

Also, people are used to short‐term concrete projects and are not comfortable working with a long‐term process. So naturally there will be some passive resistance to continue. The church health team training will help them understand the NCD process and roles in the process.

What often happens is that when the results of the NCD survey are received, the team could experience the ‘emotional tollbooth’ (also an article in the NCD network ) and be unable to move past it. Or they could move on and accept the results and then feel like they’ve done NCD and yet not have a sense of urgency to do anything about the minimum factor.

Another issue that can kill momentum is getting buried in the details. Some people feel they need to know all the details before they can even take the first step. NCD is a process and a journey by faith. A helpful question to consider is, “In light of what we know, what’s the next step?” Your coach should be able to help your team determine next steps. Find a date on which most of your team can be present and invite your coach to be there either in person or on a conference call to help you move forward.

Energy transformation is one of the growth forces. This is a key to momentum. Recognize where the energy is and capitalize on that energy. A high point of energy is when the survey results are received. One way to help a

© 2009 CoachNet

church health team maintain momentum is to have the team calendar out the NCD process on their own church calendar (see church health team training for details on how to do this or ask your coach). The church health team can do this before they receive their results or immediately after they receive their results. I suggest doing this planning the same day or even before the team gets their results. Any lag time between getting their results and planning the NCD process on their church calendar will result in a loss of precious energy. Lack of clarity of next steps will also result in loss of momentum.

Finally, as your church continues through the NCD process, an important way to maintain momentum is to celebrate small wins along the way. Don’t wait until the end of the NCD cycle to celebrate. If you see ways the church is experiencing positive change as a result of the NCD process or if you see initial results from your plans, share those with the church and celebrate together. This will encourage people to stay with the process to see what else God will do.

Momentum is critical for any long‐term process. Continually look for ways to encourage the church health team and the church to stay the course and complete the NCD cycle. Celebrations at the end of the cycle will empower the church to begin another cycle toward church health.

For the Kingdom, Jeannette Slater Executive NCD Coach JBSlater@coachnet.org ChurchSmart Resources

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© 2009 CoachNet