I took a look at several recently released studies last week.
The Sharing Jesus research from The Message Canada found that 61% of Canadians would be willing to have a respectful conversation about Christianity with someone they trust. Yet Canadians view Jesus much more positively than they view Christianity itself.
https://www.messagecanada.org/sharing-jesus
Willing Hearts, Uncertain Hands by Kentro Christian Network found a similar gap inside the Church. Most respondents believed addressing global poverty is part of following Jesus, but 40% were unsure how to respond wisely.
https://kentronetwork.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Executive-Summary-Ver-3.pdf
Meanwhile, Multisite Revealed found that growing and reproducing churches still face challenges in developing enough leaders.
https://theascentleader.org/multisite/
What can we learn from this information when considering church health?
Many people are spiritually open but need trusted relationships in which those conversations can begin. NCD helps churches look honestly at the quality of their relationships: Do people feel known, heard and safe enough to ask real questions? Loving Relationships are not simply about friendliness. They create space for trust to grow.
Christians may care deeply about issues such as poverty but need practical next steps to transform caring into action. The NCD Growth Cycle helps a church identify what is getting in the way, choose a manageable response, take action and learn from what happens. We do not need to solve everything at once. We need a faithful next step.
Churches may have vision but need leaders and structures capable of bringing it to fruition. NCD helps churches discover people’s gifts, develop new leaders and examine whether existing structures release ministry or restrict it. Vision becomes sustainable when responsibility is shared and people are equipped to contribute.
Healthy growth is not produced by good intentions alone. It when we identify what is getting in the way and cultivate the conditions in which faith can become loving, practical and reproducible.
Shane Watson
NCD Canada