How to Measure Your Church’s Reach

“Measurement is fabulous. Unless you’re busy measuring what’s easy to measure, as opposed to what’s important.” —Seth Godin

When it comes to “keeping score,” churches in North America have typically focused on three metrics: buildings, budgets and butts. While there is nothing inherently wrong with counting each of these things, we do need to ask if keeping score of how big our buildings are, how much money people give and how many people show up when we meet is the best indicator of how a church is doing.

The fact is, these three metrics really give us no real sense of the influence a church is having on its community. Does the number of people who attend a Sunday morning gathering give you any indication of the impact the church is having on individual neighborhoods or the city? The answer has to be a resounding “No!” There is no correlation between the number of people who show up for an event and the difference those people are having where they live. The same is true with how much money people give to the church, and how large a church’s buildings are. The reason we “count” those three things is because they are easy to count. But we must be challenged not to count what is easy, but instead measure what is important. Read More