NCD Character Development - new tests for individuals (from 2023)
Natural Character Development (ncd.life)
Empowering Leadership
The 3 Colours of Leadership presents an exciting new way of looking at leadership. Whether an established leader or an emerging leader, the training described in this book will empower you in such a way that you will be able to empower others. An online test will help you develop your personalized training plan. This book is suitable for personal study and in Small Groups.
Gift-based Ministry
The 3 Colours of Ministry presents a holistic approach to identifying and developing your spiritual gifts. An online gift test is included with this resource. This book is suitable for personal study and in Small Groups.
Your SHAPE for God’s Service - a resource particularly developed for rural parishes and can be found here.
Network - the right people in the right place for the right reason published by the Willow Creek Association. Discover your spiritual gifts, personal style, and God-given passion for serving in the body of Christ.
Passionate Spirituality
The first step to increasing spiritual passion is simply identifying your style and cultivating it. Step two is to venture outside of your comfort zone and try to experience God in one of the other styles.The 3 Colours of Your Spirituality is suitable for personal study and in Small Groups.
The Diocesan Training Partnership is currently providing modules on different aspects of Passionate Spirituality to help address issues raised across the diocese by the NCD surveys.
Within the diocese there are a few groups working in the areas of personal discipleship and spiritual formation which covers some aspects of Passionate Spirituality. Their web site can be found here.
Effective Structures
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business - Patrick Lencioni
Though written primarily for businesses the author who is a Christian applies the principles to any organisation including churches. This book makes for an easy read and has many organisational tips that will help you improve your Effective Structures rating.
Inspiring Worship
Suggestions coming soon!
Holistic Small Groups
The Three Colours of Community presents an altogether new way of approaching small groups. Rather than being preoccupied with the technical aspects of small group ministry, this book focuses on the qualities that are fundamental for any sort of Christian community, be it a family, a prayer meeting, a Bible study group, a task force, or a choir. This book is suitable for personal study and in Small Groups.
Need-oriented Evangelism
Evangelism is an oft misunderstood word which has suffered from caricature and polar opposite definitions. A popular concept of evangelism is of a bible-waving evangelist in the mould of Billy Graham or local street preacher. Both have a place in the overall work of evangelism but they are not the sum total.
Over the years the pendulum has swung between what is called the “social gospel” i.e. good works, meeting the needs of others, and “gospel proclamation” i.e. preaching and teaching about Jesus. Again, both have their place within the overall work of evangelism but neither are the sum total.
C. Peter Wagner coined the phrase 3P evangelism which is an holistic understanding of evangelism which embraces the caricatures and the polarities and much more beside. The paper Understanding Evangelism explores this in more detail.
Stepping Into Evangelism church surveys in the diocese are showing that parishes are quite good at meeting the needs of the poor, where they are struggling is in talking naturally about their faith. New resource from the Church Army helps address this issue.
HOPE – the Heartbeat of Mission is 224 pages packed full of tried-and-tested mission ideas, resources and funding links for foodbanks and village fairs, Passion plays, parenting courses and more. It includes:
- Practical ideas - true stories of mission in words and action that have worked
- Theology around mission – theologian Paula Gooder on why words and actions go together in mission Jesus-style
- Theory - including an outline for a year of mission from the Bishop of Sheffield
- Funding of up to £2,000 available to pump-prime each new church-based community project
Loving Relationships
The Three Colours of Love focuses on the three fundamental dimensions of God's love that every believer can reflect in his or her life: justice, truth and grace. The 3 Colours of Love offers practical tools to help you identify your starting point and experience the revolutionary power of God's unconventional love in your life. This book is suitable for personal study and in Small Groups.