This is the third in a series of posts concerning measures for ministry. Read the previous entries, What You Measure Matters and What Measures Matter Most.
Measures matter! They matter like your vital signs do for your body. In the same way trends and changes in your pulse, blood pressure, and glucose levels indicate adjustments you should make to assure maximum health, certain measures, when assessed in light of scripture, reveal aspects of ministry where attention would likely strengthen the church.
As helpful as measures are, in my work with congregations across North America I’ve noticed three mistakes churches often make.
The first is simply failing to measure, refusing to track much of anything. This is often a matter of fear, in the same way some men resist visiting their doctor for fear of what he might discover. Other times it’s faux spirituality, as if God frowns on counting attendance or baptisms.
Now, I’ll have to admit that many have misused their measures over the years. For some the numbers become ends in themselves, as when the greater goal is to have X number in worship. But we should never let the misuse of measures by some to prevent us from appropriately benefitting from them.
Remember, the ultimate goal for all churches should be glorifying Christ through the Great Commission. Your measures show progress toward this goal and where you might make adjustments for improvement. One church is not better than another because it has more (or less) attending, but a ministry of any size will be more vibrant and fruitful when it knows the progress of key ministries.
The second mistake is prioritizing the wrong measures. Two common questions asked among pastors are “What are you running?” and “What is your budget?” And I’d never ask a church to ignore these (although, never use them as a matter of pride or judgement of a sister congregation). But, if our mission is to make disciples, how many unbelievers are we connecting with? How many worshippers are moving into discipleship groups? And how many are moving from these to teach, serve, or even surrender for ministry and missions?
Returning to the medical metaphor, the patient that focuses on miles run and weight lifted but ignores changes in his heart rate and blood pressure likely ends up in the ER. In the same way, churches that over emphasize the wrong measures, ignoring others, find themselves on the critical list.
How do you discover the right measures? Let me suggest an exercise. First, remember the church’s mission, bringing glory to God through the Great Commission. Next, think through the core ministries of your church that directly fuel the mission. Visualize your church’s “disciple making pathway”. In a typical SBC church that might include 1) outreach events or connecting points, 2) worship gatherings, 3) community groups or Sunday School, 4) accountable disciple making groups or classes, and finally 5) deployment through church or community ministry, leadership, or call to ministry or missions.
Now imagine what progress toward the mission would look like. What are the identifiable, tangible markers that show we’re moving in the right direction? These measures will help you the most.
The third mistake regarding measures is failing to learn. I can’t tell you how often I visit with church leaders and we discuss the measures, but little to no action comes from it. I can’t explain it. Perhaps they are stuck, having done all they know to do and cannot imagine a different path. Sometimes change would require a release of preferences many simply will not make.
In the Old Testament we read about watchmen, men who took positions on city walls scouting for threats. They were expected to prove faithful, providing appropriate warning so the people could prepare their response. In the same way, when leaders within a congregation notice a trend in the measures, as faithful watchmen they should consider what the trend indicates and prepare the response.
Ministry leadership is essentially stewardship. There’s stewardship of the message you’ve received, and of the souls entrusted to the congregation. But there is also a stewardship of the information the Lord gives, showing the church’s direction relative to His mission. As is true of the message and people, leaders who steward the measures well will show themselves faithful.
Blessings,
Bro. Jim