Get in touch
(419)289-1708
Twenty Ideas for Grandparents
Twenty Ideas for Grandparents
FYI Favorites from Grandparents and Research
“We can’t out-teach what you teach at home. We’re not that good.”
This warning from student ministry pastor Dr. David Fraze to the parents of his congregation during a recent sermon captures the impact parents have on their children’s faith formation. As a Sticky Faith Cohort church, Fraze is highlighting for his congregation what research consistently indicates: teenagers’ faith tends to mirror the faith of their parents.
And their grandparents.
In the midst of our Sticky Faith research and resources, we at FYI are becoming more and more interested in understanding and maximizing grandparents’ impact on teenagers. Part of that is because of how many grandparents show up at our Sticky Faith events, just as eager for ideas to help build faith in kids as parents
More Involved than Ever
But even more important is some recent research highlighting the enormous impact of grandparents on this generation of young people. Consider the following data from Dr. Vern Bengtson from the University of Southern California:
- Senior adults’ health is improving and their life expectancy is increasing.
- Grandparents have new ways to connect with their grandchildren through technology like Skype, Facebook, and texts.
- As more and more parents (including mothers) are working outside of the home, grandparents are providing more after-school care.
As a result of these and other cultural factors, Bengtson and his team conclude that “Gen Xers and Millenials will have greater involvement with their grandparents…than any previous generation of grandchildren in American history.” 1
Involvement = Influence
That involvement translates into religious influence. According to Bengtson, grandparents can take one of three paths in their religious influence:
- Grandparents can reinforce the parents’ religious influence,
- Grandparents can substitute for the parents’ influence, or finally
- Grandparents can subvert the parents’ influence.
As the second and third paths indicate, sometimes the faith of grandparents actually “skips” a generation as grandchildren end up following in their faith footsteps despite parents’ choices to walk away from faith.
The Power of Your Story
Other recent research highlights the unique power of family stories.
If we could sit down over coffee, I might share with you about my grandfather’s garbage disposal that created a cascade of garbage in their backyard. Or the time my mom cheated my dad out of the last piece of See’s candy. These were some of my favorite stories growing up. I loved hearing them—again and again.
I’m not alone. Most kids love hearing stories of family members’ past experiences. Recent research indicates that children who know more about their family’s narratives also tend to do better emotionally. Here’s a description of some recent findings described in a New York Times article:
The more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned…
(Researchers) developed a measure called the “Do You Know?” scale that asked children to answer 20 questions. Examples included: Do you know where your grandparents grew up? Do you know where your mom and dad went to high school? Do you know where your parents met? Do you know an illness or something really terrible that happened in your family? Do you know the story of your birth?
As it turns out, the “Do You Know?” scale was the best single predictor of children’s emotional health and happiness in their study. Knowing a family narrative is also linked to positive identity formation and kids’ ability to show resilience toward stress.
Given our Sticky Faith findings about the power of intergenerational relationships, our team was especially struck by this conclusion: “Dr. Duke said that children who have the most self-confidence have what he and Dr. Fivush call a strong ‘intergenerational self.’ They know they belong to something bigger than themselves.”
Now let’s be honest. Who knows family stories better than grandparents?
Twenty Best Ideas
To help families and leaders leverage the influence of grandparents, with the launch of Sticky Faith FYI decided to ask grandparents who are part of the Fuller community and walking this Sticky Faith journey to share their best ideas to build Sticky Faith in their grandkids. We originally posted over 40 ideas but we’ve distilled the list to 20 FYI Favorites for grandparents.
On a personal note, I don’t remember the last writing assignment that has brought me to tears as many times as this article has. Maybe it’s because my own grandparents were part of the village that raised me. Perhaps it’s because Dave and I feel so blessed by the way our parents are investing in our three kids’ lives. Or maybe it’s just because I have a soft spot for connecting kids and senior adults.
Whatever the reason, we hope these ideas are a catalyst to help you live out the wise words of one grandfather we interviewed: “The bottom line is TIME—our grandkids just want to spend time with us.”
Ideas that can be done any day, any time
- Invite your grandchildren for individual “sleepovers” at your house. While they are over, do some of their favorite activities together.
- Pray with your grandkids. As you pray, thank God for the special qualities he has given them.
- Teach your grandchild a new skill or one of your favorite hobbies, e.g. fishing, skiing, bicycling, jewelry making.
- Let your grandchild teach you a new skill or share a hobby with you.
- Enter a race and run/swim/ride or walk it with your grandchild.
- Talk with your grandchild about a family tradition that you enjoyed with your own grandparents and/or parents, and have passed along to your children. Then continue that tradition with your grandchild. Examples could include seeing fireworks together or going to a parade, having campfires and roasting marshmallows on the beach, seeing the Nutcracker ballet or making tamales during the Christmas season, or riding bikes to a favorite ice cream place.
- Bring out photo albums and talk about when your grandchild was born, how you prayed for them even before they were born, how excited you were to first hold him or her, and how blessed you feel that they are now part of your family.
- Serve together at a local ministry.
- Cook with your grandchildren. Play loud music and sing and cook (maybe even dance) together.
- Build something with your grandchildren.
- Share times when you have blown it, or disobeyed what you sensed God was telling you to do. Let them know how glad you are that Jesus is bigger than any mistakes.
Ideas for grandparents who live far away
- Choose a book series to read with your grandchildren. Read to them using Skype, or as they get older and the books get longer, read them individually and then discuss the highlights of the book by phone.
- Have breakfast together once a week using Skype or FaceTime.
- Start a collection of something with your grandchild, e.g. dolls from other countries, interesting stones, coins, colored glass, and continue adding to the collection when you travel or when you are together.
- Text them on an ordinary day and let them know you’re thinking about them.
- Call or send a letter when kids have special events or milestones at school or church. For instance, while you may not be present for a baptism, calling your grandchild on that special day is still very memorable. The same can be true of soccer tournaments, school plays, or after a church retreat.
Ideas for vacations or extended time together
- On extended family vacations, try to have morning or evening devotions that include questions that all family members can answer. This way the children hear their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins share on a deeper level.
- If financially possible, at the age of 12 or 13, take your grandson/granddaughter on a weekend away with the other significant males/females (of the same gender as your grandchild) in your family, e.g. dad, mom, aunts, uncles, grandfather, and grandmother. Have a planned activity that you’ll do together (skiing, hiking, going to a Broadway show, camping, etc.). Include time to discuss what it means to be a Christian man/woman. Give them something lasting that will remind them of things learned over the weekend and commitments that are made.
- Have “Grand Camp” with your grandkids either at your house or another destination. Do things together that they’d do at camp—crafts, sports, singing, cooking, treasure hunts, etc. This could last one day or several days. Or find a camp that hosts weeks for grandparents and grandkids to come together, letting the camp plan the programming and details.
- Go on a mission trip with your grandchild, either locally or abroad. Consider making this a rite of passage experience at a certain age with each grandchild.
Action Points:
- If you’re a grandparent, which of these ideas inspires you in your own relationship with your grandkids? If you’re a parent, which of these ideas might fit your extended family?
- If you’re a youth leader, how can you facilitate relationships between teenagers and the senior adults in your church? Which senior adults could you meet with in the next few months to start brainstorming?
- If you’re a senior adult who doesn’t have grandkids, or whose grandkids live far away, which of these ideas could you implement with kids in your church or neighborhood as a grandparent-figure in their lives?
- Vern L. Bengtson et al, Families and Faith: Generations and the Transmission of Religion (Report submitted to the John Templeton Foundation, July 2011), 117.
Kara Powell
Kara Powell, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) and a faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary. As a youth ministry veteran of over 20 years, she serves as an Advisor to Youth Specialties and is the author or co-author of a number of books including Sticky Faith, Essential Leadership, Deep Justice Journeys, Deep Justice in a Broken World, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World, and the Good Sex Youth Ministry Curriculum
On April 9th, over 20 pastors gathered at North Manchester for a time of encouragement and dialogue about their local ministries in their local Brethren churches. The day started with some simple and intimate worship led by Tom Schafer, who reminded us that God can hear all of our prayers at once, which is a common way for people in other cultures to pray. Miles Larson then led those gathered through a time of celebrating one another, reminding us that we have a responsibility to encourage one another in the hard work of ministry, both with urgency and consistency, as the writer of Hebrews shares. Before moving into a time of identifying some of the significant local challenges we are all facing, elders shared a meal and discussed resources, books, and other tools that we use to inform our ministry, how we’re continuing our education, and staying committed to sharpening ourselves in ministry. In the final part of the meeting, Steven Cole gave an update on several efforts of The Brethren Church on the national level and many ministry developments to celebrate. Following that, about half of the pastors gathered went to golf on a beautiful spring day in Indiana. Our time together was encouraging and refreshing. There is much to celebrate in the continued efforts of The Brethren Church in the Midwest!
On April 20th, over 25 pastors, leaders, and families journeyed through the picturesque countryside of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, to spend a day of shared experiences, fellowship, prayer, and worship at Raystown Brethren Church. This event marked the Northeast Region’s fourth Missions & Ministry Day, and it was a powerful day for all involved. After a welcome time of coffee and donuts, the parade of awe-inspiring ministries began. Al Chamberlain, pastor of Raystown Brethren Church, started with a devotional word to remind us of the importance of having a vision and trusting God’s voice when we hear from him. Following that, Bryan Miller from Valley Brethren Church talked about how the “Seeds to Harvest” funds that the Northeast has made available to support the starting of new ministries are already proving fruitful in their community. The archery ministry that was started at Valley is blessing the children and adults in the community in surprising and powerful ways. Miles Larson, Director of Pastoral and Congregational Vitality, shared some of the exciting things coming out of the vitality office nationally, including the partnership with web company Postmodern Pulpit, the Brethren Pastors’ Orientation in June, the Certificate in Pastoring Transitions that will launch in September with the Seminary, and more. After that, Ben Frank, pastor of New Hope Church in State College, told stories of changed lives from their ongoing prayer ministry on Penn State’s campus and how a simple, consistent commitment to obediently position ourselves for service can bring transformation to desperate people. Scott Soden, Global Partners Coordinator, shared about his incredible 24-day trip around the world, traveling to the Philippines and South Africa. During the trip, he and several other Brethren Elders and pastors were able to gather, fellowship, and even ordain the first group of Brethren Elders ever in South Africa. He also unpacked some of the excitement about the new vision statement and how this is already shaping the future of The Brethren Church. Finally, TJ McLaughlin, Northeast Regional Resource Coordinator, and Richard Ringler, Director of Camp Peniel, rounded out our time with some camp updates and regional discussions specific to the Northeast. Perhaps most powerful was the time of worship and prayer after lunch. The Holy Spirit was heavy with the people gathered there as they sang and prayed. The Northeast Region Mission & Ministry Day is just one of the regularly scheduled opportunities people in the Northeast have to gather and fellowship in celebration and support of the works to which God is calling his people.
On Saturday, April 20th, beautiful Camp Bethany hosted a reunion of campers who slept there in the tents in Camp Bethany's earliest years! Those in attendance camped way back in 1959, the very first year that Camp Bethany hosted overnight campers. Some of the tent campers were ‘there’ via Zoom! Many brought in photos and other memorabilia from their camping days to share. Everyone had an opportunity to share their name, what Brethren Church they attended when they were campers, and a memory. Of course, much more was shared, tears were shed, and God received all the glory! Reflecting on the day, here’s a text from one of those who attended: “I can’t stop thinking about Saturday and just what a wonderful time I had. It was so very special in every way. . . . When I saw the invitation, . . . I had no idea what a wonderful time was in store for all of us; so many warm memories.” Sherry (Barnhart) Van Duyne and Sherry (Shannon) Fabian led us in singing some of the old camp songs! We remembered the Camp Bethany cooks and enjoyed a delicious lunch made by Paula Strickland. The names of many of those who volunteered as Camp Staff were mentioned. Ken VanDuyne gave a very interesting and informative presentation about Camp Bethany's early history, showing us pictures of the Camp in its earliest days! Following that, the Camp Board provided information about the many ways to support Camp Bethany, including IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, wills or bequests, retirement plans, investment accounts, life insurance, and more. Kenton VanDuyne, Camp Director, served as photographer for the day. We want to acknowledge that the Camp Bethany Board members & the North Central Region Leadership Team of The Brethren Church cooperated together to sponsor this event, and we extend a heartfelt thank you to both Camp Bethany and the North Central RLT. If you have questions, please get in touch with me, Lynn Mercer, who thoroughly enjoyed planning this Reunion (937-441-9771 or class_of73@yahoo.com ). We thank God for bringing each one of us to Camp Bethany when we were younger & we thank God for bringing us together for a great day of celebration! As a promotional article stated prior to the camp's dedication in 1959, “(This is) an ideal place to worship God. . . . We can rest assured that many will find Christ as Savior here.” True! True! True! Lynn Mercer Pastor, First Brethren Church of West Alexandria (OH) North Central Regional Leadership Team
Brethren excel at community. Traditionally, Brethren emphasized a tight-knit community as an alternative to the corrupt world. During Threefold Communion, or Love Feast, the height of the Brethren church year, members demonstrated their commitment to the faith community, especially through feetwashing. The early Brethren were an intense, intimate community. The old Brethren, however, did little to enhance community in the larger society, which they considered soaked in sin and best avoided. They even steered clear of the temperance and abolition movements although they philosophically agreed with them. But later generations of Brethren became more active in the world. The branch of the German Baptists that evolved into The Brethren Church pushed the Dunker envelope on contributing to the global community, especially through temperance, mission, and, later, disaster relief. Enhancing the larger community became part of the faith journey. Thus, the old Brethren built community from within, and newer Brethren added an outward, activist perspective. Combining the two gives Brethren a special talent for community-building. Contemporary society needs the Brethren sense of community. The strains on our social fabric are painfully obvious. Pessimism, for example, has often become the default response, especially among young people. They are gloomy about their future, think that society is stacked against them, and consider success increasingly unattainable, often because outside forces suppress their aspirations. They feel alone, and whatever community they recognize, they consider hostile. From another perspective, we have become a society of angry, aggrieved minorities. Almost everybody, even many white people, regard themselves as a member of an oppressed subgroup. Some define Americanism so narrowly that they exclude numerous groups, while others come close to rejecting the concept completely. Surely, many minorities have legitimate concerns, but a countervailing commitment to American society has all but disappeared. On and on. Everybody has their favorite instances of an unraveling society. I hesitate to offer more examples, for surely almost every one will offend someone. The challenge, then, is to bring the Brethren sense of community to the larger society. True, we cannot change the world by ourselves, but normally that is a positive. When powerful individuals send seismic shocks through society, it’s usually bad -see Vladimir Putin. The call, then, is not for individual Brethren to single-handedly change the social trajectory but to keep their little corner of it clean and orderly. Do what we can in our own way. A friend has been organizing Sunday afternoon community programs at a public library for over ten years. She reasons that “if I can get my neighbors together once a month to talk and enjoy a program together, maybe it will help us see our community and neighbors as ‘people of value.’” Recently, a prominent liberal pundit (Mara Liasson) and a well-known conservative (Jonah Goldberg) appeared shoulder-to-shoulder at my home institution, Bridgewater College, to make the point that we can disagree with civility. But rather than supply quick suggestions, let me challenge Brethren to develop their own strategies. Pastors, give your congregants a list of concrete steps they can take to heal our society. Along with basic theology be specific. No bromides. We may not get Congress to work, but we can brighten the corner where we are. In sum, society needs us. Admittedly, the inward-looking old Brethren are a poor blueprint for ministering to the world, but their skilled community-building nevertheless inspires us. They treated all within the fellowship with love, respect, and equanimity. Later generations more aggressively applied this to the larger society. Hence, with a deep tradition—first inward, then outward—Brethren know community. May we share it with a world that needs us. Steve Longenecker is Professor of History, emeritus, at Bridgewater College (VA).
Last Christmas, Your partners in Pucusana, Peru, began working on a new project that would not only update the building but also add more opportunities for children and their parents in the surrounding areas to work on their education and discover a love for reading and exploration. Thanks to an investment on your behalf, the library has been completely renovated and updated with new shelves, tables, desks, and more books. This Christmas gift for the community will impact not only families today but also families yet to be a part of this incredible ministry. Elena, Isaac, Alli, and Topher are thrilled to offer the library as a resource for children. While the kids are busy discovering all new worlds in the pages of so many new books, their parents are discovering better parenting strategies in specialized classes and learning to cook as Isaac takes groups of adults through the basics and beyond. These small things create real impact and transformation, bringing hope and love throughout the region. Your donations to the Brethren Church and Brethren Global Partners continue to have the real-world effects seen and felt for the kingdom each and every day! Thank you for making this happen! Please continue to pray for your partners in Pucusana and around the world! Scott Soden Global Partners Coordinator
Praise God for all the fantastic blessings he pours down on his people! Sunday, March 24 th, marks a significant day of praise and celebration as the Brethren Church in the Philippines officially launched a brand new church plant in the community of Caypombo! Pastors Rolly and Efren both set up new leadership in their previous churches so they could concentrate on this rapidly growing community. In fact, the church launched in Pastor Rolly’s own covered garage area. The opening day began with the inaugural message by The Brethren Church in the Philippines Executive Director, Gary Castro. It was punctuated by tons of praise, laughter, and joy as families gathered to participate in this new ministry! Our new church is not just a building but a community filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The people and the community are being transformed, and it's not hard to imagine that they will quickly outgrow their current location. Let us all pray that the spirit continues to use them to impact the lives of the community for Christ in miraculous ways! By Scott Soden Global Partners Coordinator
Easter is such a critical time for the church. Not only do we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus for our sins, but it’s also an incredible opportunity to share our faith with the world around us. In India, the season of Lent begins a 40-day period of significant prayer and fasting, during which many lift the needs of their neighbors, friends, and the world before the throne of grace. Each morning, groups of men and women come to churches throughout the region to pray and hear the word proclaimed. Lent is a serious time for your brothers and sisters, too. They pray for you and lift you in prayer as well. Each year during this season, many are convinced that Jesus is Lord and make a significant decision for themselves that will have profound implications here on earth and in eternity. This is especially important to note because once a Hindu chooses to profess faith in God and God alone through Jesus, his son, they take all other idols out of home and heart. This can lead to shunning, persecution, and even death, especially when their statement of faith is followed by entering into the waters of baptism. A decision to follow Jesus is never taken lightly. This year, we have the profound joy of announcing that at least 21 new brothers and sisters have joined the family! On Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, the services of your partners at the churches in Rajahmundry and Visakhapatnam, India, served not only as a call to the world that Jesus Christ is King but also marked that fact with baptisms. Hallelujah! Praise God! Please keep your partners in India in prayer as they continue to serve the Lord with unwavering dedication and perseverance. They are witnessing lives being transformed daily through the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit. Despite the high levels of persecution in the country, their spirit remains unquenched, serving as a beacon of hope and inspiration for us all. By Scott Soden Global Partners Coordinator
On Saturday, April 13th, Brethren from across the Southeast Region, representing Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky, gathered for the Southeast Region Annual Meeting. This year, the meeting was hosted by Maurertown Brethren Church of Maurertown, Virginia. Approximately seventy people were in attendance for a day of worship, teaching, fellowship, and service. Our morning began with corporate worship and messages from Steven Cole, Executive Director of the Brethren Church; Gail Heiston, Southeast Regional Resource Coordinator, and Pat Gravatt, Chair of the Southeast Regional Leadership Team. Scott Soden and Miles Larson sent video updates on Brethren Global Partners and Brethren Church Vitality, respectively. Everence spoke of the partnership and opportunities for congregations, and Nate Riddle from Mt. Olive Brethren Church invited others to participate in a mission trip to Riverside, Kentucky, this coming June. After lunch, various breakout sessions were held. The sessions focused on regional networking and collaboration, church health, and church planting with the GSE (Gatherer-Shepherd-Elder) principles of Vision USA. This year, for the first time in many years, we invited our youth to attend. They were certainly busy, decorating cookies for our lunch, hosting a Jesus-themed egg hunt, and even undertaking a service project. The project was to package cake supplies and a card to be taken to local churches to be distributed to those in need in their local communities. Some of the youth spoke at the end of the day and did a wonderful job sharing about their morning. We appreciate those who attended for the morning; it was great seeing each and every one of you and those who came to share. And thank you to Maurertown Brethren Church for their warm welcome, generous hospitality, and delicious lunch. Gail Heiston Pastor, Bethlehem Brethren Church Southeast Regional Resource Coordinator
March and April were truly months of celebration for Bethlehem Brethren Church in Harrisonburg, Virginia. As our family grows at Bethlehem, we had the joy of celebrating Easter together, both longstanding members of our church as well as new families we've been blessed to have added recently. Resurrection Sunday was filled with flowers and singing from our Bethlehem Kids. God's message of His death, burial, and resurrection over 2000 years ago resonated with us, reminding us of His continued work in our midst today. We were blessed to celebrate two baptisms in March! Praise God! What a moment of joy to welcome these souls to God's family! Thanks to the portable baptismal provided by the region for our regional churches, we were able to baptize in the church. Ten people were received into membership the following Sunday, and two Sundays ago we received three more people into membership! Three young boys were dedicated to the Lord in March as well. The week before Easter, we held an egg hunt and breakfast. Most of those attending were from our surrounding community. We had a packed house for breakfast, and the egg hunt (which we had to move indoors due to the weather) was a success as those children collected over 640 eggs in about ten minutes! We are grateful to God for how He is moving in our midst and look forward to what He has in the future! Gail Heiston Pastor, Bethlehem Brethren Church Southeast Regional Resource Coordinator
I have a friend who says that every person needs to have a good barber/hairdresser and a good mechanic. Let me expand that advice to also include a good doctor. I thought about this piece of advice after having recently attended the Natural Church Development (NCD) training in Orlando, Florida. Finding a doctor is not fun. After all, who enjoys having to endure the tedious repetition of going from one doctor’s office to another, trying to find a doctor that is right for you? Answer: No One! And when you do find a doctor, it is often not a rip-roaring good time to go! However, it is necessary for our health and longevity. We need someone in our lives to share with us what we are doing well and what we could improve. Even if we are healthy, an occasional check-up is still a good thing. I believe this is also good for a local church to do. The local church needs a way to assess what it is doing well and what it could improve. Like people, churches can struggle with being healthy. As one author observed, “People do not drift towards holiness, and churches do not drift towards good health.” While there are certainly many church assessments to choose from, I want to share with you some compelling reasons why I believe Natural Church Development is a valuable tool for your church's health assessment. It is used extensively. NCD has been around for over 20 years and has been used in over 70,000 churches on six continents in 84 countries. Put simply: That’s a lot of churches in a lot of places! That means NCD has a track record and extensive data by which to effectively measure church health with a great deal of accuracy and reliability. It measures church health, not church growth. It is easy to equate church growth with church health, and along with it, assumptions such as if your church is growing you must be healthy, and if you're not growing, then you must not be healthy. NCD does not focus on church growth measurements but health measurements. Think of it like health vitals for the church. Here are the vitals the NCD measures: ● Empowering leadership: How well does church leadership empower others to become all that God wants them to be? ● Gift-based ministry: How well are people matched with their gifts to ministries in which they can use their gifts? ● Passionate spirituality: How well are people's faith actually lived out with commitment, fire and enthusiasm? ● Effective structures: How effective is the way your church is structured at achieving your church’s purpose? ● Inspiring worship service: Is the worship service an inspiring experience for those who attend? ● Holistic small groups: How well are people involved in groups where the Bible is studied and applied to everyday situations? ● Need-oriented evangelism: How well does your church identify and help meet the needs of pre-Christians? ● Loving relationships: How well do people in your church practically love one another? It is more than an assessment. Yes, the NCD is known most notably as a tool to measure church health, but it also offers much more. In addition to the church health assessment, Natural Church Development digs deeper into many of the eight factors described above. The NCD offers such things as a spiritual gift assessment, leadership assessment and practical ideas and ways to incorporate each factor into your church. My church has used it. What good would a recommendation be if my church didn’t use the NCD. My church has used the NCD assessment several times, and each time we have found it helpful in assessing our church health, including areas where we need to improve and areas where we are doing well. Recently, we have decided to utilize NCD more fully in helping us achieve our purpose. As I shared at the beginning, we all need a good doctor, and so does the church. It’s not always fun to see a doctor but it is oh so necessary for our health. We often find a doctor on the recommendation of a friend or family member. So, as a fellow church leader and co-laborer, let me recommend Natural Church Development. No doctor is perfect and neither is the NCD. However, I believe the NCD is a great option to help measure the health of your church!