How can we measure church growth?
Many things are contingent on being able to measure church and mission growth.
I know they are Jesus's churches, but men are overseers of those churches. Jesus runs His churches perfectly. Yet the men placed in leadership positions are flawed, they are sinners, they make mistakes, and some have evil motives.
Spiritual growth is more important than numerical growth, I agree, but you show me how to measure that and I'll run with it.
I do believe spiritual growth will lead to numerical growth.
So, what numbers do we go by?
Professions of faith. Read mission reports the number of Professions look good, but look next to that number and see how many are following in obedience with baptism. That number is 75-95% lower than the number of professions.
Should we lessen the significance of a profession and place more significance on the number baptized?
I think there is a hunt for Numbers. Those seeking support are out to count anything that looks like a profession. You can see this clearly in the SBC, but you can see it in the ABA as well.
My question is how do we measure?
12 Days (Day 12)
8 years ago
Count the ones who go on visitation and lead someone to Christ. Count the ones who join and come back on Sunday night. Count the ones who grow in the Lord to become teachers, youth workers, etc. Count the ones that after years are more mature and are serving more faithfully. Count the ones who bring people to church with them. Count the young parents who have a family altar regularly. Count the ones who go by every-family-member-in-every-service. These numbers aren't big ones, but they are the ones that really count.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if any one indicator would accurately pinpoint growth. The Lord will be the ultimate judge.
ReplyDeleteProfessions, baptisms, and even some joining by letter (esp. if it's people who have been out of church for awhile) are all signs that good things are probably happening.
As far as missions, I'm not shocked if there are more professions than baptisms (esp. amongst Hispanic communities as they are so tied to Catholic beliefs and culture). I am skeptical when I see numbers like 50 professions, 0 baptisms. I hope they are all truly saved but you'd think that some of these people would be counseled enough to want to be baptized.
I pastored for 11 years. Growth occurred slowly the first two years and between years 3 and 5 our growth almost doubled. Growth along with faithfulness, anticipation and excitement to be at church is a wonderful time.
Hope the trial goes well, Bro. T, and if you continue with the tongues I recomend that you go on the foreign mission field (with a translator of course).
Count whatever you want, just don't ever count your chickens before the eggs hatch.
ReplyDeleteI measure growth by those young people who have come closer to the Lord. Just read your people, you'll know. The results may NEVER be at the altar or something visible, but just by watching and knowing your people, you'll know.
ReplyDeleteI understand that a pastor can read his people and we can see the growth in our people, but How can we better express church growth to others or sister churches?
ReplyDeleteThe numbers we use can be decptive.
Why do sister churches need to know our church growth? Could sharing our "growth" discourage even more other churches when they aren't growing at that moment?
ReplyDeleteBro. James
ReplyDeleteAs to the point of my origional question, how are you measuring growth? One church may have 20 new members. Another church may have gone from needing workers in SS and other aspects of service to having those positions filled have men surrender to the ministry, but no new additions. Which one shows greater growth?
In mission work, support is proportionate to growth this is clearly seen in mission reports. Are we basing support on an accurate guage. Why support one mission(church)over another? Why support one mission(church) at 5% of you mission budget and another at 10%?
We receive reports claiming 100's of professions and 10 baptisms, members added. Something is not right. either these professions are not followig in obedience, and in that; not being taught the importance of obedience and church membership or they are not true professions.
As for posting church additions outside of that church is at the discretion of that church.
It could be incouraging to see reports of souls being saved and also be discougaging that it is not happening where you are.
I don't believe in the need of publishing #'s just to say a church is growing numerically.
I don't suppose I do measure growth. I usually know when our church is growing, and I usually know when it is not. Growth is growth.
ReplyDeleteSupporting a mission at 10% and another at 5% may not be based upon supposed growth. It may be based upon which has a greater need for $$, and which has more supporters. For example, one mission who is building and one who is not will probably receive different amounts. I don't think we at Calvary send based upon supposed growth of the mission.
If I'm not mistaken, I think when the ABA organized, they made it abundantly clear one of the rules was that missions should only report what they did with the funds they received from supporting churches, and nothing else. I think could be a better practice to return to, assuming we have some sort of agreement the mission will not practice outside of what the sponsoring church feels is scriptural, and naturally the sponsoring church being a member of the ABA agrees with the other churches comprising it.
BTW, I know whether our church is growing or not based upon the people's attitudes and actions outside of church.
ReplyDeleteI like Archbishops response the best.
ReplyDeleteThis question is a good one and hits a very good point about how mission reports are done. There is way too much emphasis on physical numbers because that equals $$$ for the missionary. When coming to Utah as a missionary Baptist missionary one thing I promised was not to ever post numbers of professions etc. I only mention a new convert if I can actually give you their name and tell something specific that needs to be reported. I have been part of a very solid church doctrinally that had a million dollars in the bank,(my first sending church). It had steady membership of about 85, supported missionaries with over $400,000/yr etc, but there was not a lot of growth.
My current sending church is young, small and excited. They baptize on average probably 8-10 per month. They have very little money, and on paper look like less than the other church. By the way, neither is better, just different.
The small church is a soul winning church, people are growing in knowledge and faith, those that are recent converts and baptized are taught and expected to be winning souls from the get go. When I was up there last month, I got to see a young lady who had been saved and in the church for about a month, lead her first soul to the Lord.
The attitudes and actions of the members (nearly all of them) are of people who want to see souls saved and take that responsibility very serious. they also do not hold back on doctrine and look forward to their daily opportunities to fight the devil.
Most I have met look at one and say it is growing because of money. Everyone always sees the other church has just a small country church.