Jeannette Buller

Ending Well: Reflecting on the NCD Cycle

Good coaching includes reflection on what has been helpful, what might need change, and what the best next steps might be. The same is true for coaching a church through the NCD cycle.

By the time a church has worked its way through the NCD cycle, they have experienced some changes, some disappointments, and some victories. An NCD consultant does well to assist the Implementation Team in thinking through the journey they have been on before launching into the next cycle.

Evaluating Outcomes

One area the team will want to consider is the outcomes, or results, of the process. This part of the evaluation focuses on goals that were set and results that were achieved through their efforts. Questions might include:

• What planned-for benefits or positive outcomes have you seen as a result of addressing your minimum factor?

• What unexpected benefits or positive outcomes have you seen?

• Where did you achieve your goals?

• Where did you fall short of achieving your goals?

• To what extent were your goals achievable and relevant?

Evaluating Biotic Principles

No evaluation of an NCD cycle would be complete without taking a serious look at how well the biotic principles were integrated into the process and outcomes. Taking an opportunity to reflect on and gain a better understanding of the biotic principles will enhance future efforts to improve the minimum factor. You might consider asking questions such as:

• Which biotic principles did you see at work in the way you addressed your minimum factor?

• Which biotic principles were largely missing?

• How did your strategies change as you sought to apply biotic principles?

• In what ways did you use your strengths to help address your minimum factor?

• As you look at the other seven quality characteristics, how do you think they were impacted?

• Have you become aware of any current areas of ministry that may need to be changed or closed down?

Evaluating the NCD Process

Finally, you will want to help the Implementation Team give some thought to the process they used as they guided the church through the NCD cycle. Taking time to examine the process creates a wonderful opportunity to look back and see what they did that was helpful and what they could have done more of, less of, or done differently to get better results. Reflecting on the journey they have been on will help them fine tune the process for the next cycle. Consider asking some of the following questions:

• At what points did you seem to get stuck in the process?

• What helped you maintain or increase momentum? What slowed your momentum?

• What unexpected challenges arose during the process?

• What would you have done differently or what would have been helpful as you look back on the process?

• What kinds of communication did you use and how could you improve on this in the future?

• How effective was the implementation team in the process and could you improve on that effectiveness?

• In what ways has coaching been helpful to the process? How will you use coaching in the next cycle?

• How will you incorporate the key goals you have achieved into the ongoing life of the church?

By asking these and other questions, the Implementation Team will be able to consolidate their learnings and incorporate what they have learned into the next NCD cycle, making them more effective as they guide their church toward greater health in the future.

By nature we avoid evaluation because we fear that we will not measure up or that we will fall short of what we set out to do. As NCD consultants we already know the importance of evaluation – that is what the NCD survey is all about. We know that evaluation is an opportunity for God to gently show us where he wants to see us succeed. In the same way, as Implementation Teams take the time to evaluate the process they have been through, they will discover ways to be more effective in what God has called them to do.

For additional evaluation questions see: EvalQuestionsPhase6.pdf

Jeannette Buller is an NCD Coach and Coach Trainer working with churches in the USA. She is also the NCD director for CoachNet International Ministries.