As I am involved in discussions with pastors and other
church leaders, a question that surfaces frequently is “How do you measure success
in the church?” Traditionally, we have
used the “nickels and noses” (giving and attendance) approach. Some measure their success by baptismal rate
and others by the numbers involved in Christian education programs or weekday
ministries.
Many leaders are moving beyond these metrics because they do
not always reflect what the leaders are really seeking to form—committed followers
of Jesus Christ. Several years ago,
Willow Creek church commissioned a study that revealed (it was called REVEAL)
that the church was not achieving its goal:
“Willow Creek exists to turn irreligious people into fully devoted
followers of Christ.”Some used this as a basis of criticizing the church and
its methodologies. In reality, the
church should be praised for being willing to ask the hard question, “Are we
really doing what we say we are doing?”
Writers like Will Mancini in Church Unique and Reggie McNeal
in Missional Renaissance have pointed out that the old measures no longer
apply. The challenge is to find what
will take their place. How does one
measure spiritual formation and maturity?
In Growing an Engaged Church, Albert Winseman suggests that
the answer comes from engaging people in the church. He states that each person wants the answers
to these questions: “What do I get?” “
What do I give?” “Do I belong?” and “
How can I grow?” If these questions are
answered, members will show gains in life satisfaction, serving, inviting
others to become involved, and giving.
These are all spiritual outcomes that are measurable.
I am not sure that this is the best or only answer, but if
we want to see our people grow, then we must clearly identify our desired
outcomes and the methodologies to achieve them.
We must be more explicit about what is expected of a follower of Christ
and then provide opportunities for people to pursue those things. You can’t hit a target unless you know what
it is.
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