Measuring Ministry

Whether we like it or not, someone is bound to ask the question: “How big is your church?” One might avoid the question by responding with questions such as, “What do you mean by ‘big’?” “Do you mean how many resident members or regular Sunday morning attendance?” “Do you mean square footage?”

While well meaning, the initial question can be translated, “Is your church successful?” The question is rooted in our ingrained desire to measure success or progress. Numbers indicate whether a church is growing or declining. For some, numbers indicate the vitality of the congregation. Of course, numbers can also apply to dollars, member involvement in missions and ministry, and whether the church is able to support its staff, pay its bills, and keep the roof fixed.

Since numbers define what we do, perhaps the best thing to do is to come up with our own numbers or metrics to measure where we are on the journey. In his book, Doing the Math of Mission: Fruits, Faithfulness, and Metrics, Gil Rendle writes: “’Metrics’ refers simply to measurement. Metrics are tools by which we can ask whether and how well intentional efforts toward change are progressing.”

The assumption, of course, is that your congregation is moving in a particular direction. We need to know where we intend to go before we can set milestones or measures of our progress. As Lewis Carroll wrote, “If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

The first step in measuring your ministry is understanding who you are as congregation and what you value. “Success” for your faith community make look very different from another. Your values, what is important to you, defines your assessment of progress.

A second step is assessing your resources. What do we do well? What are the gifts of our people? What are the opportunities in our context?

The third step is developing a clear vision of what you hope to become. What do we desire for our church to be in the future? What will our ministry look like in three to five years?

The fourth step is defining milestones along the way. Rather than just looking at the end product, what will be indicators along the way that we are moving in the right direction? This will provide the metrics or measures for progress.

In subsequent blogs, we will address each of these steps further.

Comments

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist. I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age. I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving. This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students. We supported missionaries at home and abroad. We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course). I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition. Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect. There were significant theological differences, often geograp

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself. The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church. Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs. What once worked no longer seems to be effective. Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educational dimension of church ministry, as the

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor. He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.” In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.” Jesus turned this around. In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner. His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced. He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality. These are metaphors for the Kingdom. Where do w

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church. On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter. Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year. He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability on behalf of the congreg

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business. For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates. He has already left the church and resigned from the board of the association.

Barnabas File

Search This Blog