What we measure we start to value, and what we value directs our practice

BY DERMOT COTTULI

Too often in our churches the only things we measure are bums on seats on Sunday, how much money came in, in the offering, how many visitors we had, how many volunteers we’ve engaged in each service and the number of small groups that function throughout the week and the percentage of our people involved in them. Those measurements too often become the drivers of our practice, the why and the way that we do things, and we start to measure our success against those KPI’s.

Can you see the issues that can flow from this process?

When we use the typical “church dashboard” as our measurements of success and then recruit our church members to see that those particular KPI’s are met, we end up placing a burden on them that they were never meant to carry. Bringing people to church becomes the number one value that determines whether we’re being a “good” Christian and creates a class system that never should have gained any traction in Christian circles. But as long as pastors measure their personal success by how large their church is we will keep producing stunted Christians who feel like failures.

We should be producing Christians who obey the commands of Christ. We don’t do that by preaching our job description onto them but by telling them what Jesus requires of them and will be judging their lives against. And that always comes down to the good that they do toward others, starting with the poor.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) when we stand in front of Jesus he won’t be asking us for our tithe record, our attendance records or the number of people we invited along to church. He won’t be asking us how much time we spent in prayer each day or whether we memorised John 3:16. But He WILL ask us if we fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, invited the stranger into our homes, cared for the sick and visited the prisoner. (Matt 25)

I understand why pastors would measure bums on seats on a Sunday because they look out across their church each week and see every empty seat in their building. I understand why they might want to see those seats full rather than empty because it validates their ego and makes them feel good (I’m being a bit mean here). The problem though is when we start to preach and teach in such a way that we place pressure on our people to fill those seats to the point that they start to measure their effectiveness and value as Jesus followers by the number of people they can invite along to church. Our church services were never meant to be the main game, that’s played out from Monday to Saturday in our homes, our schools and our work places. They’re the change sheds that our teams retire to for a breather between sessions of play.

Which brings us back to a very important question, “What is it that you’re measuring in your church?” Answer that question and you’ll reveal your personal KPI’s. You’ll open a window into why you’re doing what you’re doing and the driver behind your practice. It’s only when we face up to what’s driving us that we have any hope of changing it.

If you’re going to measure anything in your church, let it be the things that Jesus thinks are important.

It’s okay if you disagree with what I’ve written above but if it helps you think more clearly about your practice then that’s a good thing. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if you feel you’re disrespecting a sacred cow. We all see dimly as through a dark glass but we have this confidence that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. So let’s not stumble over the stones in the road but instead press on to take hold of all that Jesus has for us.