Natural Church Development
Healthy churches grow. This fall, every member of our Edmonton Central family has a part to play in our second NCD assessment. Start by watching this short introduction from our Alberta Conference.
Natural Church Development · Conference Happenings, Alberta Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
What Is Natural Church Development?
Natural Church Development (NCD) is a church health process used by tens of thousands of congregations in over 70 countries, including many Seventh-day Adventist churches across Canada and around the world. Rather than asking “How do we get bigger?”, NCD asks a better question: “How do we become healthier?” The conviction behind it is simple and deeply biblical: when a church is healthy, growth follows naturally, because God gives the increase.
“This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain.”
Mark 4:26–28
NCD measures the health of a congregation across eight quality characteristics that research has found in growing churches everywhere. The assessment then identifies our minimum factor, the one area currently holding us back the most. Like a barrel made of wooden staves, a church can only hold as much as its shortest stave allows. Strengthen the shortest stave, and the whole church rises.
The Eight Quality Characteristics
The NCD survey measures how our church is doing in each of these eight areas:
Empowering Leadership
Leaders who equip, support, and release members to serve, rather than doing all the ministry themselves.
Gift-Based Ministry
Members serving in roles that match the spiritual gifts God has given them.
Passionate Spirituality
A living, prayerful, joyful faith at the centre of everyday life.
Effective Structures
Ways of organizing church life that actually help ministry happen instead of getting in its way.
Inspiring Worship Service
Worship that draws people into a real encounter with God, week after week.
Holistic Small Groups
Groups where people share life, study the Word, and care for one another deeply.
Need-Oriented Evangelism
Sharing Christ in ways that connect with the real needs of the people around us.
Loving Relationships
Genuine, practical love that binds the church family together and is visible to all.
The church bulletin, in your inbox
This week’s sermon, what is coming up, and news from the church family.
Our NCD Journey at Edmonton Central
This is not a one-time survey. NCD is a cycle: assess, understand, act, and then assess again to see how God has grown us.
First Assessment
Edmonton Central completed its first NCD survey (health report November 2024). Our strongest area: Passionate Spirituality. Our minimum factor: Effective Structures, the area with the greatest room to grow.
Second Assessment · You Are Here
This fall, we measure again. The second survey will show how far God has brought us since 2024 and what He is calling us to strengthen next.
Growing Healthier Together
The results shape our ministry plans, so that every board decision and every ministry is aimed at real, measurable church health.
How the Survey Works
Watch & Pray
Watch the video above and ask God to help you answer honestly, not how things should be, but how they really are.
Get Your Survey
Participating members receive the NCD questionnaire through the church. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
Answer Honestly
Your responses are confidential. Honest answers are the only way the results can truly help our church.
See the Fruit
Results are compiled and shared with the church family, and together we build our plan for the year ahead.
Go Deeper: More NCD Videos
Want to understand more before you take the survey? These short videos explain the heart of NCD, from the NCD team, from fellow Adventist conferences, and from our own Alberta Conference president.
The N in NCD · What the “natural” in Natural Church Development really means, from NCD International.
NCD: An Introduction · A Seventh-day Adventist introduction to NCD from the South England Conference.
Effective Structures · A closer look at the very area our first survey identified as our minimum factor.
Pastor Jeff Potts · A recent sermon (June 2026) from our Alberta Conference president, who is leading the NCD emphasis across Alberta.
Ready to Take the Survey?
Your honest voice matters. Every completed survey gives our leadership a clearer picture of where God is leading Edmonton Central next.
The survey link will be activated here when the Fall 2026 assessment opens. If you received this page from the church, check back or watch for the announcement with your survey access.