Peter Drucker, an American management consultant and writer, is often credited with saying, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure”. Drucker’s point was that without measuring and tracking progress, what you’re doing is essentially guessing.
In the past, people came to Sunday school, to service (one or more times) and participated in church activities such as events and volunteer activities. Now they do these AND attend online at times. And there is a growing number of strictly online attendees. But how do you know how many people came in person and online? And who are they?
With almost 80% of churches now providing both in person and online services, they also can track the online viewing streams. However, they can’t necessarily track the number of people viewing a particular stream. And they may not be able to know WHO any of those viewers are. Let’s step back though to what has been done in the past.
Traditional Methods
- Headcounts: Assign ushers or volunteers to count attendees as they enter the service or once the congregation is seated. Again, you may find a number, but not know who those people are.
- Sign-In Sheets: Place sign-in sheets at the entrance where attendees can record their names. These though are easily and even innocently missed by attendees.
- Offering Envelopes: Use personalized offering envelopes with attendees’ names as a proxy for attendance tracking. This is great for those who give but not so good for those who could be givers. And many who give in person prefer to do so anonymously.
Visual and Observational Methods
- Photo Capture: Take discreet photos of the congregation (with consent) and count attendees from the image.
- Seating Patterns: Track which sections of the sanctuary fill up to estimate attendance.
Events and Classes Tracking
- Children’s Ministry Check-Ins: Track children attending Sunday school or youth programs as a way to estimate family attendance.
- Event Ticketing: Use free or paid ticket systems for special services to track RSVPs and actual attendance.
Some of the newer ways to track attendance also make it easy for an attendee to let you know who they are. For example:
Online Check-Ins
- Registration Forms: You can ask attendees to sign up for and use online services via an online form. A good example is the Faith Teams Welcome Form!
- QR Codes: Share a scannable QR code on a foam board or on a screen during the service that leads to a digital attendance form.
- Live Chat Check-Ins: Prompt viewers to say hello or type their names in the chat during the live stream.
- Text to Check-In: Users can text a key word to a church number providing a unique checi-in.
Specialized Church Apps
- Church Management Software (ChMS): Tools like Faith Teams Community make it easy for a user to notify you that they are there (online or in person)
- Custom Church Apps: Develop or use existing church apps with built-in attendance tracking features, such as check-ins or participation badges.
Event Check-In
- ChMS apps also provide check-in for both events and for child classes with either the attendee using an app to check-in or with the volunteer checking-in the person.
Online giving provides churches with a more accurate and real-time view of attendance. Key benefits of an online digital approach are:
- Trends Identification: Tracking attendance over time helps identify patterns in participation, such as seasonal fluctuations or the impact of special events.
- Engagement Measurement: Regular attendance indicates how connected individuals feel to the church community.
- Spotting of an Early Decline: Declining attendance can signal a need to re-engage members or address underlying issues.
- Absence identification: Knowing who hasn’t attended recently allows church leaders to follow up and provide support, showing care and concern.
- Visitors: Tracking helps monitor and integrate first-time visitors or new members into the community.
- Foster Deeper Connections: Attendance data helps pastors focus on building relationships with those who may be at risk of disengaging.
- Resource Allocation: Attendance trends help determine how many services or events to schedule and whether changes are needed in format or timing. Attendance data also informs decisions about staffing, facilities, and budgeting.
- Improve Hospitality: Noticing patterns like a drop-off in newcomers returning for subsequent services can highlight areas for improvement in follow-up or inclusivity.
- Measure Reach: In the digital age, tracking attendance across online platforms helps understand the church’s broader influence.
- Engage Remote Members: Online attendance data ensures that remote participants are not overlooked and feel part of the community.
With ChMS tools like Faith Teams and the others on the market, it’s much easier to track exactly WHO attended, whether in person or online. And it’s also easy to use that information to bring your members and guests closer to your church.
