ACADEMIC PAPER - BIBLICAL ANALYSIS OF \'NATURAL CHURCH DEVELOPMENT\' by CHRISTIAN A. SCHWARZ

BIBLICAL ANALYSIS OF CHRISTIAN A. SCHWARZ' NATURAL CHURCH DEVELOPMENT: REFLECTIONS AND STRATEGIES FOR A BIBLICAL AND AFRICAN MODEL FOR CHURCH HEALTH AND ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE

By Clive Norman Ashby 0091313-MSA Global School of Theology-Western Cape

Submitted to the Faculty In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for LDR5033 Dynamics of Christian Organisations Second Edition

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CONTENTS Page Natural Church Development: An Overview ................................................................. 3 Introduction ...................................................................................................................

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Section 1. Biblical Analysis of Natural Church Development Principles ................... 4 Section 2. Critique of Natural Church Development from an Evangelical Position .................................................................................. 13 Section 3. Culturally Relevant Principles for Church Health and Organisational Change in Africa ............................................................... 19 Section 4. Addressing the Components of Systems Approach and Self Assessment .................................................

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Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 27 REFERENCE LIST ...................................................................................................... 28

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BIBLICAL ANALYSIS OF CHRISTIAN A. SCHWARZ' NATURAL CHURCH DEVELOPMENT: REFLECTIONS AND STRATEGIES FOR A BIBLICAL AND AFRICAN MODEL FOR CHURCH HEALTH AND ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE

Natural Church Development: An Overview Since its initial publication in 1996, Natural Church Development: A Guide to Eight Essential Qualities of Healthy Churches by Christian Schwarz has had a far greater impact upon church development than the vast majority of books since Donald McGavran and Peter Wagner. It has initiated a methodology implemented by more than 45,000 churches in 70 countries (Schwarz 2006, 3). The global influence of Natural Church Development (NCD) across six continents, has led to the printing of this book in 40 languages, and the development of six further books expanding upon this concept. This initial book "represents the discovery of the original research project carried out between 1994 and 1996 among 1000 churches" (Schwarz 2006, 5). The theory and principles are based upon statistical findings from the survey in 32 different countries using self administered questionnaires (of thirty members in each church) some twenty years ago (Schwarz 2006, 20). From the research, eight vital quality characteristics are presented in this book as key factors to determine church development. The message is that by evaluating these eight qualities and repeatedly developing the minimum (weakest) factor, churches will grow considerably in both quality and quantity. Natural Church Development (NCD) claims that as a result of implementing its survey and principles, churches have grown significantly in quality, and as a result numerically by an average of 51% over and above their previous growth rate (Schwarz 2006, 3).

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Introduction This paper will evaluate the theory and principles of Natural Church Development (NCD) in view of firstly, their biblical basis, secondly, of broader church management theories, and thirdly, within the African context. Section one will examine the biblical exegesis upon which the principles of NCD were developed, while section two will critique this book from the various viewpoints of writers across the Evangelical spectrum. Section three will highlight principles of NCD which are biblically based and culturally relevant for church health and organisational change in Africa. Finally, section four will utilise the principles of NCD to address the key issues of (i) the systems approach to management effectiveness, and (ii) cultural factors of implementing these assessments within a local church context in Zimbabwe. Section 1. Biblical Analysis of Natural Church Development Principles. The Biotic Growth Principle At the heart of Natural Church Development (NCD) is the principle that every church congregation will grow naturally, 'all by itself'. Like a natural organism, Schwarz (2006, 12) argues that the church is automatically endowed with a 'biotic potential', an inherent capacity God has placed in each church to reproduce and grow. As a result, church leaders "should not attempt to 'manufacture' church growth, but rather to release the biotic potential which God has put into every church" (Schwarz 2006, 12). By utilising his method of removing the obstacles to church growth and multiplication, Schwarz (2006) argues that "church growth can happen 'all by itself'" (12). This raises the opening question: Is biotic growth a biblical principle of church development? Did this principle guide the churches' development in Acts, and the apostles' teaching throughout the Epistles? In their appraisal, numerous writers have argued that this biotic growth is more based upon an interpretation of natural theology than biblical exegesis (Day 2002, 15; Lutterhill 2008, 1; Miller 2012, 3; Ramunddal 2014, 10).

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Schwarz (2006, 10-12) uses three biblical passages as a basis for this 'biotic growth'. Firstly, Jesus' statement in Matthew 6:28, "consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin" (ESV). Jesus uses the analogy from nature to explain that "if God can provide such elegant apparel for wildflowers, which have a brief existence and are then used as fuel in the baking oven, He will certainly care for His people who worship and serve Him" (Constable 2012, Matt.6:28). The resulting message in this passage of Matthew 6:25-34 is not to be anxious about the essentials of life through trusting in the providence of God the almighty creator (MacDonald 1995, Matt.6:25-34; Utley 2013, Matt.6:26). However, Schwarz (2006, 11) has interpreted Jesus' statement out of context as referring to the natural self-perpetuating growth of the church when there is no reference nor allusion here to church growth. As Miller (2012) contends, "one is hard pressed to see how Jesus intended the mechanisms of growing a lily to be interpreted as a blueprint for church growth" (3). In the second case, Schwarz (2006, 14) refers to the parable of the growing seed in Mark 4:26-29. This parable, based in an agricultural setting, explains how without the farmer's involvement, the seed grows by itself into a full grain, ripe for the harvest. In line with the preceding parable (Mark 4:1-20), the seed here is a symbol of the gospel message, the word of God, planted into people's lives through the witness of believers. The parable is a simile of how the kingdom of God (the rule and realm of God) breaks through into people's lives through the gospel seed at work in them to bring salvation for reaping on the day of judgement (Constable 2012, Mark 4:26-29; Copeland 2001, 1; Johnson 1891, Mark 4:26; MacArthur 2005, Mark 4:29; MacAskill 2011, 1). Romans 1:16 corroborates this message in stating that the gospel, "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (ESV). In contrast, Schwarz (2006) claims that "in applying this idea to the life of a congregation, it indicates that certain developments appear to happen all by themselves or automatically" (14). However this parable is referring to the salvation of people as a result of

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the work of the gospel seed, not to the numerical growth of a church congregation as a result of the biotic principle. The goal here on judgement day is the harvesting of souls for salvation, not a numerical growth in church attendance - who may or may not be saved (Johnson 1891, Mark 4:29; McArthur 2005, Mark 4:29). In the third case Schwarz (2006, 12) refers to Paul's use of metaphor in 1 Corinthians 3:7, "so neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (ESV). Schwarz (2006, 12) reasons how this passage refers to the automatic, natural growth of the church, as a result of the work of God. In this case, unlike the previous two passages, the scriptural context is that of a church congregation to which ultimately it is God who gives the growth. However, the specific message here is the work of God in saving and sanctifying believers to becoming Christ like; not as Schwarz (2006, 12) implies, the work of God to merely bring numerical growth to church attendance. The message of this passage (1 Cor.3:1-9) is not one of church growth mechanisms, it is that there should be no envy or rivalry between Christian workers (MacArthur 1984, 74; MacDonald 1995, 1 Cor.3:7). The picture here is not of a plant automatically growing in green pastures, but in this Mediterranean context of an arid environment (with repeated droughts) where artificial irrigation is necessary. Here it is the Lord who determines the ultimate growth, in the process involving the labour of Paul to establish and Apollos to water it; "subsequently Apollos had laboured to increase it, and to build it, up" (Barnes 1870, 1 Cor.3:7). Though Schwarz (2006, 103) later acknowledges this, the biblical context of leadership involvement is not as NCD argues to simply remove obstacles and release the automatic growth forces. There is the need for leadership to be engaged in building the church as in the context of Paul's teaching, for leaders "to to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God" (Eph.4:12 ESV).

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From the preceding analysis, it is clear that this biotic growth principle cannot be based biblically upon these three passages, nor can it be found or exegeted from any other passage in scripture. In the New Testament there is not one instance where the apostles described churches as automatically growing and so as a result limited their input to simply removing the obstacles and watching this automatic growth take place. Instead we see that as with Apollos, the apostles toiled and laboured to 'water' the church, to build up the body of Christ. The apostle Paul refers to his toils and hardships in building up the churches in Colossians 1:28-29, and in 2 Corinthians 11:28, explaining the "daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches". In Ephesus, Paul invested three years in evangelism, discipling, and building up the church (Acts 19:1-41). He did not assume it would grow naturally without the need for constant teaching and guidance, stating that " for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears" (Acts 20:31 ESV). The Qualitative Approach A second key principle of Natural Church Development is the 'qualitative approach'. Schwarz (2006, 42) directs churches to focus on developing their underlying qualities, rather their numerical size, which he argues which will take place as a natural by-product. This qualitative principle is biblically based in the sense that in Acts and the Epistles, the apostles' focus has been primarily to address and develop the churches' underlying qualities, their biblical foundations. Acts 2:42-47 and 6:1-7 illustrate that when such qualities were developed the church grew numerically as a result; "and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47 ESV). The Principle of Interplay - A Combination of Factors A further principle of Schwarz's (2006, 40-41), is that there is an 'interplay' between a combination of factors. This principle explains that there is no single solution to church development; it is a series of factors working together which form the foundation for church

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development. This is evident biblically in how the Epistles of Paul and John do not address one sole factor as the solution to Godly church life. Instead they address a series of factors, according to the church's situation, the challenges it is facing and the foundations it needs to develop. There is no one exclusive factor in the New Testament for a successful church, as Schwarz (2006, 40-41) rightly asserts; it is a combination, involving factors such as prayer, fellowship, giving, worship, leadership, evangelism, and biblical teaching. Principle Oriented Approach Similarly, Schwarz's (2006, 18-19) fourth concept, the principle oriented approach argues that models from successful mega-churches cannot simply be imitated; one needs to understand the underlying principles. Certainly this is a biblical approach, as the New Testament does not provide a specific method or model to copy but rather a series of foundational principles on which a church should be based (e.g. Acts 2:42-47). Schwarz (2006, 19) however argues that there are exactly eight qualities which form the basis for church growth in every nation. These are based not upon the New Testament, but upon the results of this NCD survey, which are declared to be "universally applicable" (20). These eight qualities are: (i) empowering leadership, (ii) gift based leadership, (iii) passionate spirituality, (iv) effective structures, (v) inspiring worship service, (vi) holistic small groups, (vii) need-oriented evangelism, and (viii) loving relationships (Schwarz 2006, 24-39). A case can be made that six of these qualities are in line with New Testament teaching (though not worded as these terms). Regarding the first quality, it is a biblical principle that leadership needs to be empowering (Schwarz 2006, 24-25), focussed on equipping and mentoring believers to grow in their faith and service to God. Ephesians 4:11 states clearly that the primary role of leadership ministries is to "to equip the saints for the work of ministry" (ESV). Referring to the second quality, it is biblical that leadership should enable people to discover their spiritual gifts in church (Schwarz 2006, 26-27). In 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, Paul

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prioritises the discovery and use of spiritual gifts by every member for the building up of the body of Christ. Concerning the third quality, it is Biblical that church members need to be passionate about living for Christ, "to live committed lives and practice their faith with joy and enthusiasm" (Schwarz 2006, 28). Numerous key passages in the Epistles promote spiritual fervour, zeal and dedication to the Lord (Rom 12:11; 2 Cor.9:2; 2 Peter 1:5; Rev.3: 14-19). Regarding the fourth quality, it can be biblically inferred that there needs to be the development of effective structures to promote the ongoing multiplication of ministry (Schwarz 2006, 3031). In Acts 6:1-7 for example, the apostles in order to focus more effectively on the ministry of the Word, established a structure to ensure the feeding of widows through establishing the leadership of deacons. As a result Acts 6:7 notes that "the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly" (ESV). Regarding the sixth quality, it can be biblically argued that there needs to be holistic small groups at the centre of church life which continuously multiply, and involve not only bible study but moreover fellowship, prayer, support and care for one another (Schwarz 2006, 34-35). In reference to the eighth quality, biblically there is a central need for loving, caring supportive relationships between members of the church. Love for one another within church is one of the crucial teachings of Christ (John 13:31-35; John 15:12), the apostles Paul (Rom .12:9-10; 13:8-10; 1 Cor.13:1-13; Col.3:12-14; 1 Thess.3:12) and John (1 John 3:11-18; 1 John 4:7-21). As John 13:35 states, "by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (ESV). Absence of Biblical Qualities However, it is important to note that several key characteristics of the early church in Acts 2:42-47, including the devotion to apostles teaching, to prayer, to giving and the sharing of possessions, are completely absent from Schwarz's (2006, 24-39) list of quality

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characteristics. Furthermore, the critical factors Paul and John emphasised in their epistles to the churches are missing, concerning correct biblical teaching, righteous living, and unity in the faith. The Apostles focussed primarily on ensuring the church and its believers had sound biblical understanding, lived out through godly lifestyle in a godly community, repeatedly correcting their false understandings and sinful behaviours. When Paul last visited the leaders of the Ephesus church in Acts 20:17-38, his fear was not the loss of Schwarz's (2006) eight qualities. His primary concern was the danger of false teaching, an issue which threatened the future existence of many churches in the New Testament, yet has been completely overlooked by Schwarz's eight key qualities. Paul states, "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them" (Acts 20: 29-30). When Paul's fears came true twenty years later, he sent Timothy to the church, not to address Schwarz's quality characteristics; but to tackle the problem of false teachers who were leading countless believers astray and causing serious division (1Timothy1:3-7; Clarke 1832, 1 Tim.; Constable 2012, 1 Tim; Fee 1991, 55). The principle of correct biblical understanding and teaching were far more central to Paul's epistles than these eight church development qualities. Yet Schwarz (2006) throughout his book does not raise the need within church for correct biblical teaching or its application in righteous living. The Minimum Factor To ensure the development of these eight characteristics, Schwarz (2006, 51-61) teaches the use of the minimum factor principle, proposing that "if a church focuses its energy primarily on these minimum factors, this alone can lead to further growth" (52). This minimal factor is "the quality characteristics which are least developed" (Schwarz 2006, 52), that Schwarz argues are responsible for blocking the growth of the church. He bases this principle not upon scripture, but from agricultural concepts and the practical example of a barrel. When

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water is poured into the barrel, it is the shortest side (representing the minimum factor) which will be where the most water (the work of God) will be lost. It is difficult to justify this minimum factor concept when no scriptures are used to support it. The apostle Paul writes to many churches in the New Testament to teach and correct their doctrine and foundations, yet never points to any related concept of finding the minimum factor. Six Further Principles from Nature From these quality characteristics, NCD develops an additional six principles for church development from nature: (i) interdependence, (ii) multiplication, (iii) energy transformation, (iv) sustainability, (v) symbiosis, and (vi) fruitfulness (Schwarz 2006, 70-81). A biblical analysis of these six principles reveals that two of the principles, interdependence and multiplication, can be substantiated from scripture. The principle of interdependence states that "the way the individual parts are integrated into a whole system is more important that the parts themselves" (Schwarz 2006, 70). This is biblically as Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 state, "if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together" (1 Cor.12:26 ESV). Yet Schwarz (2006, 70-71) justifies this not from scripture, but from natural theology, using the example of microorganisms. The principle of multiplication is that every form of organic growth (referring in this analogy to churches) will reach its natural limit and so needs to multiply. Though claiming to be "by far the most important motive for planting new congregations", this principle is based not upon scripture, but primarily from observations of trees in nature (Schwarz 2006, 72). Agreed, there is multiplication in the Great Commission of how Jesus "invested himself primarily in his twelve disciples, who in turn were commissioned to make disciples who would also make disciples" (Schwarz 2006, 73). However this context is the multiplication of disciples and leadership, not the multiplication of churches when they become a certain size. As

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Schwarz (2006, 73) acknowledges, the term and concept itself are not actually found in the Bible. The NCD principle of energy transformation, to turn existing negative energies "in the desired direction through minute steering energies" (Schwarz 2006, 74), bases itself upon the work of the immune system and the process of 'jiu-jitsu' in ecology, as opposed to biblical exegesis. Schwarz (2006, 74) refers to Romans 8:28, that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God" (NLT). However Paul is not writing about energy transformation. The fourth principle of sustainability, that "the results of work are transformed into energy, which in turn sustains the ongoing work" (76), is another principle based upon observations of microorganisms in nature rather than upon scripture, which does not substantiate this concept (Schwarz's 2006, 76-77). Likewise the fifth principle of symbiosis, of encouraging "the interplay of widely diverse gifts and personality types all benefiting one another" (Schwarz 2006, 78), is not based upon biblical exegesis but rather upon principles of agriculture. Schwarz (2006, 79) substantiates it from the 'Golden Rule' of Matthew 7:12 to "do to others what you would have them do to you" (NIV). However, while the diversity of gifts and practices can be an indirect result of believers loving their neighbour, this is not the message of the 'Golden Rule'. There is a danger in these sustainability and symbiosis principles of taking modern western organisational concepts and applying them to church development, attempting to use scriptures out of context as proof texts. Natural Church Development's (2006, 80-81) final principle, fruitfulness, argues that the successful development of quality characteristics in the church should result in the fruitfulness of numerical growth. Schwarz (2006, 80) bases this principle upon the passage of Matthew 7:16-17, "You will recognize them by their fruits" (ESV). However, the subject of Jesus' statement here refers to false prophets and the fruit they are to be recognised by, their false

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teaching and counterfeit lives - as described further in 2 Peter 2:12-22 (MacArthur 1985, 467472; MacDonald 1995, Matt.7: 15-20; Pett 2003, Matt.7:16-20). Jesus' message does not in any sense refer to how the quality development of churches results in the fruit of numerical growth; nor are any other scriptures to be found which refer to fruitfulness in this way. In summary, this brief analysis identifies how repeatedly scriptural passages have been used as proof texts for principles which have been developed from natural observation instead of biblical exegesis. Section 2. Critique of Natural Church Development from an Evangelical Position Concerns about Biblical Exegesis Indeed concerns about the biblical foundation of Natural Church Development have been raised by a variety of Evangelical writers and scholars over the years (Day 2002; Gilley 2002; Miller 2013; Ramunddal 2014; Smith 2012; Straughn 20008; Thiessen 2000 - referring to the earlier publication in 1996). Ramunddal (2014,322) and Smith (2012,9) point to Schwarz's (2006) selective use of biblical texts, choosing only parables which concern nature and agriculture in order to verify his biotic theory, while ignoring central passages on the nature and function of the church such as in Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12. The use of biblical texts, these writers argue is little more than as proof texts for this NCD theory, with almost no reflection upon what is the theological basis for the nature and function of the church from within the teachings of the New Testament. Whereas Christ uses examples from nature as an analogy to express spiritual truth, NCD instead makes the very principles of nature the source of truth on the life of the church (Ramunddal 2014, 322). As a result, Thiessen (2000) argues that "science has replaced the Bible as the authority of what we should do in church" (1). In basing natural church development upon natural phenomena, Ramunddal (2014, 326) argues that Schwarz (2006) is denying the church's nature as primarily a spiritual reality, and secondly a human community.

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Regarding the eight quality characteristics for effective church development, a number of writers including Miller (2013, 3), Day (2002, 15), Smith (2012, 11) and Thiessen (2000) have questioned their lack of basis upon core biblical passages. Thiessen (2000, 1) points to the absence of 'biblical teaching' as one of the eight qualities. Furthermore Gilley (2002, 16) raises the problem that in approaches such as NCD "it does not matter what a given church believes" (16). Despite falling within the Evangelical church movement, the doctrine and biblical basis of a church are of no significance for church development in NCD (Ramunddal 2014, 320). Straughn (2008) raises the concern that "doctrinal difference are blurred or overlooked in NCD. Those that will want to emphasis doctrine are dismissed as 'technocratic' or at other times as 'spritualistic' "(3). Ramunddal (2014,320) explains that while this has the advantage that NCD can be accepted and used by churches across the spectrum from Roman Catholic to Seventh Day Adventist without any challenge to their biblical foundation, it renders the Protestant reformation of the church as irrelevant, disregarding Jesus' and Paul's teaching on the importance of correct Biblical understanding and teaching. Natural Church Development's central objective of successful churches is in danger Thiessen (2000, 3) explains, of making an idol out of church growth and success. It is at risk of falling out of step with the Bible's priority of having firstly a pure church (Eph.5:25-27). Gilley (2002, 2) raises concerns that the NCD approach reflects an emphasis on the market driven church where the central importance has become entertainment. This is a risk of this in Schwarz's emphasis in passionate spirituality where "times of prayer are an inspiring experience for me" (Schwarz 2006, 28), people feel "enthusiastic about my church" (Schwarz 2006, 29), and "there is a lot of laughter in church" (Schwarz 2006, 39). As a result, Gilley (2002, 18) points to the danger of this emphasis whereby "fun has replaced holiness as the church's goal. Having a good time has become the criterion of an excellent, growing church, since fun and entertainment is what consumers want" (18).

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From John's letters to the churches in Asia (Revelation 1-3), Gilley (2002, 18) argues that it was the prosperous church in Laodicea which was judged by God (Rev.3:14-22) whereas the church struggling through tribulation and poverty in Smyrna (Rev.2:8-11) was commended for their faithfulness (a quality overlooked by Schwarz). What mattered to the Lord, as Gilley (2002, 18) and Thiessen (2000, 3) argue, was not the growth and success of the church, but rather their faithfulness and obedience. Widespread Support across Denominations Despite these reservations, Natural Church Development has been widely utilised across all mainline, traditional, Evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic denominations. Through its ministry bases in 70 countries, NCD is currently being used in more than 100 denominations across the theological spectrum (NCD-UK 2014, 1). Numerous researchers have examined the impact of the NCD across mainline, Evangelical and Pentecostal churches and reported significant impact in numerical growth or membership (Mills 2009). Hey (2013) explains that after support for the church growth movement declined in the 1990s, in its place "many Evangelical and Pentecostal churches have turned instead to Natural Church Development (NCD)" (77). Within Europe several regional denomination groups have fully endorsed and used NCD, including Anglican dioceses in England, and Baptist Unions within the European Baptist Federation. In North America, NCD has been endorsed and utilised by the Willow Creek Association of Canada, United Methodists of Florida and Alabama, and Southern Baptist State Conventions in Kentucky, Georgia, Illinois, Florida, Missouri, Texas and Southern California (AWFUMC 2010, 1; Erwich 2002, 26; Smith 2012, 2). Absence of Official Position on Natural Church Development Surprisingly though, there has been no official stated viewpoint from any major denomination in which NCD is widely utilised; nor by major theologians within these denominations, either to fully endorse it or raise concerns. Internationally, the only church

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denomination to officially endorse NCD has been the Seventh Day Adventist church, who use NCD in 33 countries, publishing a complementary booklet of Creating healthy Adventist churches through Natural Church Development (Johnstone 2008, 1). When reviewing numerous scholars and writers' critiques of NCD from within the Evangelical position, the following key points were raised both in support and opposition to its approach. A Further Reiteration of the Church Growth Movement A major argument of writers is that although NCD claims to be "a new paradigm" (Schwarz 2006, 87), most of the theory is a reiteration of principles developed within the history of the church growth movement (Day 2002; Erwich 2002; McIntosh 2004; Thiessen 2000). McIntosh (2004) contends that "to readers versed in Church Growth literature, Schwartz’s eight essential qualities of healthy churches are simply affirmations of previous Church Growth findings presented in the 1970s and 1980s" (22). Schwarz's (2006) emphasis on developing church health alongside growth was originally raised in 1973 by McGavran and Winarm (1973) and by Peter Wagner in 1976 who "proposed seven vital signs as a gauge of a healthy church in his book" (Day 2002, 2). Natural Church Development reflected a renewed emphasis in the 1990s on church health (Day 2002, 2), written alongside similar Evangelical books such as Growing a Healthy Church (Spader and Mayes, 1991), The Purpose Driven church (Warren 1995), Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Dever 1998), and Becoming a Healthy Church: 10 Characteristics by (Macchia 1999). Schwarz's (2006, 40-41) principle of the interplay between a combination of factors had been previously mentioned by Roozen and Carroll (1979) who noted that "church membership change did not occur because of one single cause but was produced by 'a complex pattern of multiple and often interacting factors' " (39). Several publications have developed quality characteristics similar to NCD for building healthy churches; Beyond Church Growth: Action Plans for Developing a Dynamic Church (Logan, 1989) put forward ten such principles;

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Becoming a Healthy Church: 10 Characteristics (Macchia, 1977) also recommended ten such quality characteristics (Day 2002, 9). Leading researchers in the Evangelical church growth movement, Ellas and Yeakley (1999, 91) argue that there "is nothing really new in the eight quality characteristics that Schwarz discusses" (89), which "have been identified in numerous other studies" (91). Mayfield (2002) indicates that Natural Church Development, though criticising the Church Growth Movement, "actually ends up supporting what the CGM has said all along, quantity is the result of quality" (Mayfield 2002,1). Ramunddal (2014, 317) argues that despite Schwarz's claim that NCD is an entirely new approach, and his heavy criticism of the 'old' way of thinking, "it is apparent that he is deeply dependant on the same traditional way of thinking for his 'new' church growth thinking" (5). While Schwarz (2006, 66) strongly criticises other church growth movements for being too technocratic, Luttrell (2008) argues that NCD is at risk of becoming "yet another externals-based 'legalistic' approach to church health" (1), presenting another checklist of factors to have in place. Comprehensive Research Basis Writers claim that the difference which sets Natural Church Development apart from other church growth books is that it is based upon "one of the most comprehensive research projects done in church history" (Woodward 2000,1). The findings of NCD are widely recognised for their unique basis upon extensive international research across multiple denominations, one of the only approaches with clear evidence for its validity (Day 2002, 11; Hall 2013, 1; Simonian 1999, 1). Simonian (1999) reasons that "because the bulk of Natural Church Development's content is based upon the empirical research conducted by Schwarz and his team, the reader is able to see beyond the scope of the author to the one thousand churches interviewed and studied" (6). Its scientific research basis and systematic approach have led to much support by numerous church growth consultants within the Evangelical church growth

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movement, such as Hall (2000, 1) who finds that "church leaders are far more willing to give weight to a Natural Church Development score than they are to my intuitive observations about what their church needs to attend to (and appropriately so) " (1). Questionable Research Methodology A number of writers (Cavman 2007, 1; Erwich 2002, 26; Ramunddal 2014, 314; Thiessen 2000, 2), however have raised concerns about the lack of information explaining what research methods were actually used by Natural Church Development to arrive at their findings. "While he argues strongly for NCD's 'scientific basis' he has not made his method and results public so that they can be inspected and debated in the scientific arena. NCD's and Schwarz's research and theory are thus in danger of being perceived as pseudo-science" (Ramunddal 2014, 314). Leading researchers in the Evangelical church growth movement, Ellas and Yeakley (1999, 83-91) have indicated four major flaws in the statistical approach and findings of Schwarz (2006). In the first place, these findings failed to indicate whether the actual differences between churches are statistically significant, or simply due to random variation (Ellas and Yeakley 1999, 84). Secondly, when correlations were made, no numerical values were given to indicate exactly how strong (or weak) they were between one factor and another (Ellas and Yeakley 1999, 85). This information though difficult for general reading, is essential to include as an appendix to prove validity. The central concern is that as a cross-sectional, correlational study this research is not able to determine causation. Despite the claims of NCD, it is not actually possible using this type of research to prove that these eight quality characteristics cause numerical growth. It is only possible to show that they are associated with numerical growth (Ellas and Yeakley 1999, 86). It is equally possible that numerical growth causes members to have a more positive

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perception about these eight quality characteristics; or that another co-factor, such as the members' background, is causing both the high quality and numerical growth. There is a fourth issue regarding subjectivity. Ellas and Yeakley (1999) argue that there is "a danger in building a church growth strategy on nothing more than the perception of a pastor and 30 members about these eight (quality) characteristics" (89). Erwich (2002, 27) contends that basing one's findings solely upon questionnaires from the pastor and thirty church members is highly subjective, particularly in a larger church where it is not clear as to how these respondents were selected. From direct research, Ellas and Yeakley (1999) demonstrated that church members are far more likely to be positive about the ministry and activities of the church they're involved in, even when actual data of the numbers being reached, saved, and baptised failed to confirm this. Section 3. Culturally Relevant Principles for Church Health and Organisational Change in Africa In the following section a number of key principles of Natural Church Development will be identified which are culturally relevant for church health and organisational change in Africa. There is a challenge however of making generalisations for a continent of such diverse culture, ethnic groups and traditions. Therefore the following arguments, based upon the research of a number of authors within this sub-continent, are presented cautiously in light of this difficulty. Amongst the quality characteristics identified, the following four key principles are of particular relevance to the African context. Empowering leadership Schwarz (2006) explains how the principle of empowering leadership is key to church health and growth when leaders "rather than handling the bulk of church responsibilities on their own, they invest the majority of their time in discipleship, delegation, and multiplication"

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(25). This falls directly in line biblically with the role of pastor-teachers and leadership ministries, to "to equip the saints for the work of ministry" (Eph 4:12 ESV). Empowering leadership speaks to the African context where Kohls (1998) asserts that there is often a more hierarchical, authoritarian pattern. He argues that emerging from traditional society in which "the chief is the Zenith of power" (113) this hierarchical pattern has been "carried over into the church and applied to its African office-bearer" (Kohls 1998, 114). Moreover Kirsch (2006) contends that "because African leadership tends to be hierarchical and autocratic, it opens itself to the profusion of little fiefs who rule their domain and are served by it" (71). In cases such as in Northern Ghana, pastors are actually called 'Christian chiefs' (Kohls 1998, 114). In such hierarchical societies on the African sub-continent, "the higher a person gets in office, the greater the demand for being honoured and served" (Kirsch 2006, 75). In this context where church leaders have a very elevated position as religious leaders, Osei-Mensah (1990, 20) explains that as a result there is a greater tendency for leaders to take advantage of this and become autocratic. Instead of servant based, empowering leaders, often in this situation there is the case where "the pastor directs, and the people follow all that he says, often accepting everything uncritically" (Kohls 1998, 5). In this cultural context the principle of empowering leadership is crucial to address the problem of hierarchical leadership. Gift Based Ministry Alongside this the second principle of gift-based ministry also speaks directly to the African context. Schwarz (2006, 26-27) indicates that "the role of church leadership is to help its members identify their gifts and integrate them into appropriate ministries" (26). As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 12:7, "to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (ESV). Church leaders need to recognise that every believer has a gift from God and a role to play in the church (1 Cor.12:1-31).

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Osei-Mensah (1990, 17) points out that a common problem in the context of many churches in Africa is of believers being disqualified from ministry leadership due to their younger age or gender. Kirsch's (2006) conclusion from extensive research amongst church leaders across the continent has been that "because African culture places great values on and respect for age, the ministry skills, gifts, and abilities of a younger person may be overlooked. While the biblical model gives room for a Timothy to use his spiritual gifts to lead, the African cultural model would often require him to sit and mature before being given a leadership role" (75). It has been witnessed in churches within Southern Africa how there can be a tendency as a result of this traditional cultural approach to leadership, that the people preaching, teaching or leading ministry are predominantly selected not according to their gifts and calling but rather with preference to their age, gender and level of social standing in the community. In this cultural context it is crucial for Schwarz's (2006, 26-27) principle to be applied, in order to ensure that every member's gift from God is identified and given a role to play in church, since "no member is too insignificant to count in the body" (Osei-Mensah 1990, 40). Effective Structures for Leadership Development A fourth principle of Schwarz (2006) which is highly relevant to the African context emphasises "the development of structures which promote an ongoing multiplication of the ministry... leaders are not simply to lead, but also to develop other leaders" (30). This principle is observed throughout scripture of how Christ focussed his efforts primarily on the discipling of the twelve disciples, how the apostles in turn developed new leaders, such as Paul's mentoring and leadership development of Timothy. Osei-Mensah (1990, 16) points to a problem predominant in the African context of the "I only I" leadership complex, whereby there is often no succession plan for future leaders to take their place when they retire. There is little training and leadership development, often since

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new leaders can be seen as a threat to existing leaders. Kirsch (2006) contends that "because much of Africa is powerless in many ways, control is sought for the feeling of power it brings. The more control an office holder keeps, the greater the feeling of power. Therefore sharing of authority and responsibility is not common in African culture" (75). On numerous occasions it has been observed that there has been a tendency to involve the wife or sons as pastor leaders presuming that somehow a close family member has the gift and calling to lead the church rather than any other believer from the congregation. Kirsch's research (2006) observed that in church leadership "qualified and called individuals may be overlooked in favour of a family member" (74). In this context it is essential that Schwarz's (2006, 30-31) principle is applied to ensure the development of the next generation of church leadership across this continent. Principle Oriented Approach - No Magic Model Schwarz's (2006, 64) focus on underlying principles instead of imitating a church model is especially true biblically and needs to be taken on in the African context. He argues that there is the common danger of the experiences and models of highly successful churches being taken on to be universal; "not everything the leaders of these churches - often with great assurance promote as a panacea is really the right medicine for the rest of us" (64). With the majority of church organisations in the African sub-continent being founded by Western missionaries there is still the danger of church leaders in this region looking to successful western churches for the 'magic model' of a successful church. As a result, trends in many African churches over the past decades with the growth of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement, para-church organisations, healing and apostolic ministries - have transferred models from the West with very little adaptation to the different cultural and social context. Just as the churches of the New Testament did not have special methods or models but were based on biblical foundations and principles - so too churches in Africa need to increasingly move away from Western models

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and in its place apply foundational principles, adapting them to the immediate cultural and social context. Section 4. Addressing the Components of Biblical Stewardship, Systems Approach, and Self Assessment From an urban church context in Harare, Zimbabwe, the following section will assess how Natural Church Development can address the key issues of (i) the systems approach, and (ii) the cultural factors affecting the implementation of these assessments. Addressing the Systems Approach The Natural Church Development (NCD) approach is similar to Shawchuck and Heuser's (1996, 46) systems model in that both focus on achieving a healthy church as the central priority, assuming that numerical growth will inevitably follow once this is in place. NCD points to the interdependence of all parts and the need to assess a combination of factors in the same way as the systems approach recognises that all parts of the church system need to be examined. Whereas NCD is based upon the analogy of a natural organism, Shawchuck and Heuser (1996, 46) describe the church as a system with an external - environment, boundaries, inputs and outputs; and an internal - mission, spirituality, organisational design, inter and intrapersonal relationships. Schwarz's (2006) approach addresses some features of the organisational design, spirituality and inter-personal relationships. The NCD quality principle of "empowering leadership" (Schwarz 2006, 24-25) addresses the leadership aspect of the system's organisational design, and speaks to the need in this church for greater training and equipping of leaders. Moreover the quality principles of "effective structures" (Schwarz 2006, 30-31) and "holistic small groups" (Schwarz 2006, 34-35) speak to the development of Shawchuck's (1996, 140-163) component of organisational design.

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The quality principles of 'gift based ministry' (Schwarz 2006, 26-27), 'passionate spirituality' (Schwarz 2006, 28-29), and 'inspiring worship service' (Schwarz 2006, 32-33) provide valuable strategies for developing the spirituality component of the systems model. Particularly gift based ministry is lacking in this church context and is needed to "help its members identify their gifts and to integrate them into appropriate ministries" (Schwarz 2006, 26). Furthermore the eighth NCD quality of 'loving relationships' (Schwarz 2006, 38-39) would provide important input for developing the inter-personal component of the systems model. However, Natural Church Development fails to address other key components of church life and function revealed in the system model. Schwarz (2006) fails to recognise the crucial need for churches to develop a clear mission and vision to inspire believers and provide the direction forward. In this church the lack of mission and vision is a critical issue for the future development of the church. For the majority of the leadership and congregation, there is no longer a clear sense of what their mission is. The church has lost the central driving force of the mission of God throughout the Bible, to bring redemption to all mankind (Dempster 1991, 7; York 2003, 7). Moreover the church has no vision or goal to aim for in the next three to five years, nothing to inspire and motivate its members to achieve in their ministries or as a congregation. As Shawchuck (1996, 107-111) and Stein (2014, 1) argue there is the need for a vision statement which will be clear and concise, which inspires and rallies people around a calling of where the church is to be in five years time. NCD also fails to look at the larger picture of God's Kingdom beyond a single congregation and address the Shawchuck's (1996, 207-229) crucial area of intra-personal relationships in the systems model. Moreover NCD fails to recognise the wider context of what the systems model refers to as the church's external environment, its boundaries, inputs and outputs (Shawchuck 1996, 5875). This is important as it is through examining the congregation's external environment that Shawchuck (1996, 58-70) brings to light the challenge of how this local church has restricted

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its outreach to only a small sub-population. In examining this church's outputs, a systems model identifies that these outputs are mainly feeding the congregation, and failing to make a significant impact upon the surrounding environment. Although the NCD approach fails to address some major components of the church as a system, its approach of identifying and focussing the church's efforts to improve the minimum factor is a methodology the systems model would greatly benefit from taking on board. Cultural factors affecting Self-Assessment The Natural Church Development approach uses as its assessment tool a self administered questionnaire to collect information on the church's health from both the pastor and 30 members of the congregation. However, Schwarz (2006) does not in the process address important cultural factors which affect the effectiveness of implementing such a self assessment in a local church setting such as here in Zimbabwe. In this local church context there are five critical cultural factors which would hinder the effectiveness of conducting such a church evaluation, which relies solely on the findings from this questionnaire. Firstly, Erwich (2002, 30) raises the difficulty of accurately translating the questionnaire into the local, in this case, Shona language. There is the issue of "how has the questionnaire's translation been embedded in the specific cultural contexts and values" (Erwich 2002, 30). Also the concern as to how the terminology used in this questionnaire will be understood in this cultural context. Furthermore, in a hierarchical culture such as this one with a high respect for authority and within church for the pastor, there will be a probable reluctance on the part of members to write responses which might in anyway be critical of the church or its leadership. Particularly questions regarding principles such as 'empowering leadership', respondents are very likely to respond in the affirmative that 'yes' the pastor is empowering. The questionnaire would need to be carefully designed to make it difficult to sense what would be the positive/ negative answer. Furthermore, a collectivist culture (Elliston 1992, 25) such as in this case

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where information tends to be shared and not private, there is the risk that with a sample of only 30 in the church and response returned to the pastor - that members will be guarded in their answers in order not to offend in case the leadership see it. This reporting bias is also likely due to the environment where the people filling in the questionnaire are the very ones involved in church. Their commitment to the church is likely to come through in their answers as being more positive and optimistic than the actual reality. John Ellas documented (Ellas and Yeakley 1999) how when comparing results from NCD questionnaires completed by his congregation to external church measurements, he found that members' perception of for example need-oriented evangelism had a far more positive score than the actual reality of "little evangelism emphasis, training, or results in the past 5 years" (90). Given that generally culture in Zimbabwe is less critical compared to that of a North American congregation this risk of over-optimistic perceptions is probable. Since the NCD assessments do not include the collection of externally verifiable data (such as numbers of those baptised, involved in ministry or attending cell groups), or direct observations of ministry, there is no mechanism to establish if the self assessment findings are accurate (Ellas and Yeakley 1999, 90). Erwich (2002, 27) also raises the problem of selection bias, given that Schwarz (2006) does not make clear how the selection took place and who was involved in selecting the thirty. There is the likelihood that key members of the church will be selected, who in the process are more likely to give a more positive light and not be necessarily be so critical of the church. Furthermore, in a culture which is more relationship based and less problem solving / solution oriented, there is the issue of how influential the NCD findings will be. There is a risk that upon receiving the assessment's results, a pastor may find the more critical findings to be overcritical of their leadership and reject some of their conclusions as being mistaken. In a cultural environment which is not data driven and unaccustomed to the use of research surveys, this

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form of church assessment and use of the minimum factor will be considered a foreign concept to church development. As a result there is likely to be less confidence in the findings than in a western environment where such statistical approaches are more acceptable. Given these cultural and situational factors, the implementation of this western oriented self-assessment questionnaire tool would be a challenge in this Zimbabwean context. Conclusion This paper has comprehensively examined the scriptural basis for this Natural Church Development approach and raised critical questions as to its biblical exegesis. The review of NCD from writers across the Evangelical movement has also raised questions as to its biblical exegesis and research methodology. Nevertheless there are biblically based principles which are particularly relevant to this African context, especially those of empowering leadership, gift based ministry, effective structures and the principle oriented approach. Compared to the systems model of church management, NCD fails to address crucial aspects of intra-personal relationships and the church's interaction with its external environment. Cultural factors in this context of Zimbabwe raise challenges to implementing such a self-assessment questionnaire, which forms the starting point for this NCD approach. Ultimately however the biggest concern is the narrow focus of Schwarz (2006) on internal church development when the message of Christ is primarily to build the Kingdom of God. Above all Christ did not seek merely to increase church attendance, He sought to transform lives, bring salvation, and build God's kingdom here on earth.

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Woodward, J.R. 2000. Book Review: Natural Church Development. There is not just one Secret. Seattle, WA: Amazon Books. http://www.amazon.com/review /R5KP5D6L362Z4. (accessed November 14, 2014). York, John. V. 2003. The biblical Theology of Missions. Graduate Study Guide. Second Edition. Springfield, MI: Global University.