We never want to only be focused on the numbers, but counting and measuring is definitely a key part of leading a growing church. Some people are cautious when it comes to business-like concepts when it comes to leading a church, but counting and measuring helps church leaders in lots of ways.
Here are Six Reasons your church Should COUNT.
1. The Bible teaches us to
Proverbs 27:23 says that we should, “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, and give careful attention to your herds “.
In Matthew Chapter 18, Jesus talks about how that if a man has 100 sheep, and 1 f them is lost, he should leave the 99 and go after the 1.
Jesus was concerned with the numbers.
2. Because Individual People Count
We don’t tack numbers because of the numbers. We track numbers because each number represents a real person.
Numbers matter because People matter. As we are diligent to track people and families, we are being diligent to God. He’s called us as church leaders to be good stewards of what He gives to us.
3. It creates Team Ownership
We don’t tack numbers because of the numbers. We track numbers because each number represents a real person.
Numbers matter because People matter. As we are diligent to track people and families, we are being diligent to God. He’s called us as church leaders to be good stewards of what He gives to us.
4. It provides accurate facts, not guess-work
Some churches operate based on guesswork. We can take a guess and get close on some things, but with the most important business on Earth, we should be sure.
We should take the time and effort to put the systems in place to get accurate counts on the things that matter. Once we do that, we’re dealing with FACTS, not guesses.
Also, it makes meetings, decisions, and conversations so much easier when you’re dealing with rock-solid facts, not just what somebody thinks.
6. Numbers are objective, not emotional
Church leaders aren’t perfect either, and it’s easy to develop opinions and ideas based on our Feelings.
That ministry we like the most. That idea we liked the best. If we aren’t careful, we can believe something is working, when it may not be working at all. We can give impartial preference to things we prefer (and our team can too : ).
But counting keeps us honest and on-point because the numbers aren’t emotional at all.
6. It shows trends and patterns, and helps us make decisions.
Church leaders are constantly under the challenge of making the right decisions. Having accurate counts on things like Attendance, Giving, Visitors, etc allows you to start seeing trends. Inside your church management software, you should be able to see trend charts, which will let you see patterns and flows.
These patterns help you and your leadership team to make educated decisions. The numbers can reveal all kinds of things to you, but not if you don’t have them.
Here are some examples of what you can see in a good church dashboard, showing visuals of attendance, visitors, etc.
