How do you measure the spiritual health of a local church? If we could answer that question with an error proof litmus test it would be great! But that is likely not going to be the case.
It is not a bad thing to want to measure progress. Humanity has developed measurements for time, weights, distances, and even sports abilities. Measurements are helpful when they are used appropriately.
So helpful are they in some areas that we begin to apply them to measure the effectiveness of employees by their employers. Doctors implement certain measurements to assess health. Factories measure how many products are coming off of the assembly line. Your college professor gives you a test to measure what you have learned in class.
Without a way to measure our effectiveness in what we are doing, it becomes difficult to improve or even know if we are accomplishing what we have set out to do. What are the benchmarks of progress? What are the mile markers of the journey?
There is also the issue that the metrics, when focused upon to the neglect of the "big picture", become unhelpful roadblocks or inaccurate mile markers. It can be much like educators who say that standardized testing is not a fair measurement or at least can skew an effective education for children because teachers will begin to "teach for the test" instead of investing in the students' intellectual development. The reality is that standardized testing cannot measure a person's worth or fully assess their intellectual giftedness. But testing is necessary to give some level of assessment of the general effectiveness of an educational institution. Every area of life uses metrics as tools to gauge success, measure progress, and introspectively contribute to the mission.
While there are pitfalls with measurements and metrics, it does not negate the need and benefit for a measurement of progress. Too many churches have rejected all metrics and sailed away into fruitlessness because they had no way or no desire to assess effectiveness of the Great Commission. Some churches have used metrics that did not align with the mission or simply metrics of their choosing that were irrelevant to the mission. Such metrics are celebratory events with little lasting fruit or meaningful progress toward the end goal.
In the Church of the Nazarene we measure a number of things: worship attendance, discipleship attendance, financial income of a local church, how many are born again, how many are entirely sanctified, how often the message of entire sanctification was preached, and more.
Let me take a moment to highlight the benefit of measuring such (in nor particular order).
People born again and baptized. The most basic beginning point for fulfilment of the Great Commission is individuals making a decision to follow Jesus and being baptized. After Pentecost someone must have counted the three thousand people who were born again. It was an important and celebratory metric for the early church. The number is more than a statistic, it is souls of real people saved from bondage and sin!
Worship Attendance. Obviously a local church is headed toward crisis and ultimately closure if the average worship attendance is on a steady decline year after year. Measuring the attendance of worship services can be helpful in potentially diagnosing a problem of spiritual health in the church if it continues over several years. Are new people not coming to Christ? While most pastors have experienced periods of decline in attendance, it is important to note that there are many factors that can impact a local church's growth. Is the community itself in decline? Is industry leaving the area? Have natural disaster or economic upheaval adversely impacted the community? Sometimes for the sake of the Great Commission, leadership must make difficult decisions that will impact attendance negatively short term. Like a nurse taking your temperature at the doctor's office, it does not tell everything, but it can tell us something.
Discipleship Attendance. Making disciples certainly involves making converts, but includes much more than that. Attempting to measure the amount of people who are taking advantage of opportunities provided by a local church for them to learn, grow, and work out their salvation is a helpful metric to understand the depth of a congregation. What percentage of attenders are engaged in discipleship opportunities to be formed into the image of Christ and learn how to be workers in the harvest. If the church is called to do more than fill a building, a metric of those believers who are investing in discipleship is important to track.
Those who have been entirely sanctified. Before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They counted 120 people who gathered in an upper room to pray and seek God for this promise. It was something asked about often in the early church and Paul writes about in his letters to early churches. This was God's will for believers so it seems like something that would be helpful to know is actually being done among us.
Finances. If there are people who are committing their lives to Christ and spiritual growth is taking place in the church, then there is likely going to be financial growth. Finances can be impacted by a factory closing in the community, a decline in tourism in the community, a poor harvest for farmers, or an overall economic downturn, but healthy churches will generally have financial growth each year. While some may ridicule counting of "nickels and noses" we need to start looking at these numbers as souls & salvation since they represent real people.
.png)
Other ministries. Do you have a children's outreach? Do you have a teen group? Do you have vans that go out and pick people up? Do you give food to those in need? Do you operate a clothing bank? Do you provide counseling services? Do you run a Christian school? While we might be tempted to count things that are beneficial, but secondary to the Great Commission, they can be a helpful metric if not used as a decoy for fruitlessness in other areas. In other words, if we change the goal line by measuring something different, we can convince ourselves everything is fine when we are really failing. Metrics are only as good as long as they help us remain faithful and fruitful to the call of God.
No metric can perfectly measure the spiritual vitality of a church. But having no metric will lead to death.
My doctor always takes my temperature and makes me stand on the scales. Why? Because those numbers can tell something. They may not guarantee my health, but they can help identify illness.
Too many leaders want to stop counting or change the goal line because of decline and failure. This defeats the very purpose for which we need those metrics. If we identify failure or fruitlessness, it is discouraging, but it may very well help us face the realities that we desperately need the Holy Spirit to refresh and empower us for kingdom work.
I am convinced that the problems we might face are not a result of a faulty Gospel, but my own failure to be led by the Spirit and live surrendered completely to Christ! I am going to count, because there are times when I may subtly be losing spiritual altitude and need to be reminded what fulfillment of the Great Commission looks like.
Start counting. But be reminded that numbers are more than just numbers... they are souls that will spend eternity somewhere.
So what are some metrics you think the church should use to help gauge effectiveness in the Great Commission?
Check out these other articles:
Pastors, Scandals, and Faithfulness
Cursing, Profanity, and the Tongue
No comments:
Post a Comment