Scott’s Thoughts

We’ve all heard the expression: What gets measured gets done.
 
One thing our church measures well is money. We have ushers who count money each Sunday. We have a bookkeeper who records the money. We have a Chief Financial Officer who reports our money in great detail. We have a Ministry of Resources which reviews the changes in our money and checks to see if our money is working hard to make more money. We have an annual money campaign. Finally, we have a Council which takes all the info generated by all the people who measure money which it uses to help make decisions. We know how to measure money.
 
But I wonder if we know why? Why do we measure money so well? Is it the #1 vital of a church? Or is it simply because that’s what good stewards do? I’d suggest it is both and this is good.
 
I’ll also suggest that measuring money with such effort may mean we are ignoring other very important vitals. People, for example. I wonder what might happen if we measured people like we measure money? What if someone counted people each Sunday? Then, what if people, or attendance, were recorded each week? Then, what if an officer prepared a report of our attendance in full and interesting detail? Then, what if a ministry reviewed the changes in attendance as a measure of how people are engaged and involved in our church? What if we had an annual people campaign? Finally, what if our Council took all the info generated by all the people who measure attendance and used this info to help make decisions? What if we knew how to measure people? Is this a “vital” we should measure?
 
What is your opinion about measuring people, or attendance? Should we try harder to measure people? Would you like to see money, people, or both measures posted regularly? What other measures should we consider that might help us grow and improve as a church? I’d love to know what you think!
 
Sincerely,
 
Scott
FCCF “Measureator” Moderator
 

2 thoughts on “Scott’s Thoughts

  1. clifford dodd says:

    Yes i do believe we should measure attendance to keep informed of trends and happenings. We know that the summer months are less attended and that during certain events attendance is higher or lower. I think it helps gauge what actions could or should be taken. Sometimes its a measure of how well we are doing or not doing.

  2. Garner Scott Odell says:

    I think we should measure and report worship attendance and a simple financial statement once a month. This gives us one basis of evaluating how we are doing at Big Red. It also is a reminder for those of us who might need a gentle prod. I feel if we are doing a good job of ministering to individuals and the community this will show in our giving and in our attendance. As an example: lately, there have been quite a few kids for the “Children’s Message.” This is one indication that we are doing a good job. Thanks for your input, Scott.

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