Make Counting Count – Church Metrics
I’ve heard it said numerous times, “If you’re not measuring it, you can’t manage it.” It is a statement that is so true in the business world but does that really translate to ministry?
I certainly believe so. We can see from the teachings of Jesus that there is an expectation of growth. The parables of the talents and the sower clearly demonstrate that. It is also obvious that they counted the number of people that were listening to Jesus during these teaching moments and that practice continued in the book of Acts. However, I believe that often there are times that we are so focused on counting that we forget what we’re counting for.
As leaders we need to make sure we’re not counting to feed our egos or to feel a sense of personal accomplishment. We’re counting so we can effectively lead and make decisions in the best interests of those God has asked us to serve.
There are lots of tools out there to aid in tracking measures. If your are in the market for a new database and your church can afford to spend some cash I’ve worked with both Fellowship One and People Driven Software and both services have good tools, that provide helpful reports, and they have solid customer service. However, if your strapped for cash and would like to use a free tool just to aid you with some broad measures Church Metrics may be the right tool for you.
