Caught up in Numbers

As of late I have been enamored of Dan Dick and the work he is producing on his blog.

This past week he posted on the metrics of measurement we use to evaluate our churches.

This particular paragraph jumped out at me, as I start to think more seriously about what "Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World" means to me.

A growing number of our churches have stopped counting those who come through our doors. They are more interested in what happens to people after they leave. I spoke to lay and clergy leaders of two smaller Midwestern congregations this week that both have goals of serving the needs of others outside the church, of equipping people to share their faith and monitor how effectively they do it, and of engaging new people in serious spiritual formation and development. They do qualitative evaluation and assessments rather than “counting.” “Oh, we use numbers,” a lay leader told me. “If we served 65 meals last week, our goal is to serve 70 this week. If we got nine volunteers to help out last week, we strive for ten this week. If we have four people equipped to teach a small group this quarter, we aim to have five next quarter. So, yeah, numbers matter, but not as much as understanding how people’s faith and lives are changing.”

The challenge is then bare before me. To build Disciples, and to find ways to measure the quality of that activity. The bigger challenge then is not to worry so much about "adding one more" but "one more adding" to the body of Christ by giving of themselves by their "prayers, presence, gifts and service"