One of the cool things with advances in technology is that you can leverage data to get better and better. Take Strava, the exercise app used by runners, cyclists and swimmers. I have discovered the power of tracking data while mountain biking. I have refined my riding over the last couple of years by comparing times on the same trails (called “segments”). One trail I am challenging myself with this year is a technical downhill that has boulders of all sizes with steep drops and sharp turns. Large boulders, stacked, rounded, sharp, gnarly – you name it, “Overdrive” has a bit of everything. I am improving my times little by little. Getting better and better with each ride. I know this because I have the data to support my times.
How does this apply to ministry?
We all measure what matters. Whether we do this formally or informally, we have some internal or external mechanisms to assess whether we are progressing, plateauing or in decline. We can probably agree on a few universal measures that most church leaders track like quantifying the disciples your church is making, leaders being developed and churches planted to name a few. In a related topic I wrote a blog entitled: WHAT DOES IT COST YOUR MINISTRY TO MAKE A NEW DISCIPLE?
My colleague in Australia, Colin Noyes expanded on the topic in a recent blog with some helpful insights and process questions to arrive at an ROI for making disciples in your church. You can read more by CLICKING HERE.
This may or may not be a helpful question for you to be asking right now. It is easy to criticize the church for what it is not doing well but it is also important to remind ourselves what we are doing well. If you want to focus on a particular area right now where you can improve and get better and better, here are a couple of questions to help you arrive at the measures that matters most to you and your ministry in this season:
- What is the most important indicator to assess the quality of relationships occurring in your church right now?
- How will you track the quality of relationships?
- What is the most important indicator to assess the quality of disciples being made?
- How will you track the quality of disciples being made?
- What is the most important indicator to assess the quality of leaders being trained?
- How will you track the quality of leaders being trained?
Bottom line – this stuff matters!
- Embrace what matters.
- Assess your starting point.
- Get better and better!
If you are interested in exploring our Leadership Collective and want to learn from a regional perspective the impact this can have on your churches – CLICK HERE. We will launch our next cohort on March 8. Please contact me direct – CLICK HERE.
