Meet NCD's National Partner for Mexico
¡Hola! (Spanish), Hello (English), Salut (French), Hallo (German), Dobrý deň (Slovac), Ohayou gozaimasu (Japanese), Salve (Italian), Priviet (Russian), Shalom (Hebrew), Olá (Portuguese) - we’re Walter and Yolanda Sierra, the NCD National Partners for Mexico. Let us introduce ourselves with 8 quality characteristics of our lives …
… and here they are:
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I (Walter) don’t know if I should say that NCD in Mexico got on its way as with many other partners: first you look for information on church growth, then you read the NCD book, receive an e-mail by Christian A. Schwarz, and suddenly you realize several years have passed by and you are heavily involved with NCD.
Back in 1997 I read the first NCD book, as I was interested in how to improve the work with small groups in our church. One year later I met with Christian in Germany, and in 1999 we signed the agreement to represent NCD in Mexico. We have been blessed to listen and learn from Christian when he visited Mexico. Soon after we were trained by Christoph Schalk, Bob Logan (CoachNet International), and Joaquin Vargas who is working with Hispanics in the USA.
In 2002 Yolanda came on board and began to support many ministry activities. She also directs CoachNet for the Hispanic world, produces a quarterly magazine on NCD, and works as a professional coach.
Participating in the first NCD Survey research project and advising churches on a one-on-one basis over the years has been a rewarding experience for us. We gained valuable insights into the needs, concerns, and desires of Mexican pastors across various denominations. After 10 years of NCD in Mexico, we took another step forward last year and began to advise regional groups of denominations. This year we are working with denominations nationwide.
One of the major questions we've been struggling with in our NCD ministry was this one: How can we sum up and present the NCD approach on one page? Too many numbers drive many of us crazy: 8 quality characteristics, 6 growth forces, 5 action steps in the implementation process, 3 colors, and so on. No more numbers, please!
As we were searching for a solution, God gave us a very simple idea which we practice now as we minister to churches. We developed and produced a one-year planner, a calendar-type tool on a 60x90 cm piece of paper that is structured along the eight quality characteristics. The action steps a given church is to follow can be captured, month by month, in the corresponding quality characteristic boxes. As churches go through this planning exercise, we teach them how to develop appropriate action steps in light of both the NCD principles and the vision of the local church. This tool has facilitated the planning phase of a number of churches and provided church leaders with an overview of action steps planned in each area through the course of a year.
Some of the most valuable lessons we have learned over the years is that NCD is a process – and that doesn't make it easier for churches. Sometimes people look for a quick fix. Then we use to say to them: "You've had problems for 20 years and now you want NCD to solve those problems in just 3 months? That’s not possible!” We always make clear to all pastors and churches we're serving that NCD is no fad, or something just to experiment with without any commitment.
We've come a long way in our ministry. And we are glad about this journey. Today we can confirm that churches with better NCD results are those that keep evaluating themselves and continue to apply NCD principles for years. We have seen that it's worth to invest in a comprehensive, long-term NCD ministry. As a family, we continue to be passionate about growing more and better churches in Mexico – naturally!
Walter and Yolanda Sierra serve as NCD National Partners in Mexico. Contact: mdni@dni-mex.org .
