Pathway

How do you measure success?   How do you know whether or not you have healthy church growth?   I have wondered about these questions for years, and especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic.    For example, in my doctoral studies I explored the topic: "Preaching for Success".   How do you know whether or not you are accomplishing your goals in preaching?   And what goals/results should you be looking at?   The same is with growing healthy churches.  How do you know whether or not you are accomplishing your goals in church ministry?   And what goals/results should you be looking at?

For many the measurement of healthy church growth is the number of people who are part of the membership or who attend worship services.   The more 'bums on the seats' the greater the success.  At least, this is what we think.   The larger the church the more successful.   During this pandemic we measure the number of 'hits' or 'links' into our online worship services.  We add it all up and it looks very much like a success!   Or is it?

Some count people; others measure church programs.   Our church caledars are chockablock with activities.   Men's and ladies' meetings. Small groups. Bible studies.  Sunday school programs.  Youth groups.  Senior groups.  Membership courses.  Leadership training events.  Evangelism committees.  Cadet clubs for boys; GEMS for girls.  Recovery ministries.  Easter and Christmas programs.  And let's not forget Sunday worship.  And more.  We measure success by how busy our calendars are with all our programs.  The more programs the more successful the church.  The more people involved with all our church activities, the healthier the church.  Or is it?

The key to measuring success in church ministry is knowing your 'critical success factor' (CSF).   This might sound complicated, but your CSF is actually a very simple concept.  A CSF is that result that is necessary for an organization to achieve its mission.  Think of your church and its mission in this world.   What do you truly hope to achieve through the ministry of your church?  It is not the number of 'bums on the seats'.   It is not the number of programs on your church's calendar.  We know the mission of the church is to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).  In the CRCA we state this mission in terms of being "a church reforming to reach the lost for Christ."  Based on this mission, our CSF is people becoming disciples of Jesus, people growing up "into him who is the Head, that is Christ." (Ephesians 4:15)  What we hope to achieve in church ministry is people "becoming mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13)  Or as the apostle Paul told the church in Philippi:   "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God." (Philippians 1:9-11)

Do you have a successful church, a ministry with healthy church growth?   To answer these questions, don't measure the size of your membership, Sunday attendance, or the number of hits on Facebook.   Don't focus on how many people are linked into your services online.  And it is not about how busy your church calendar appears with all your activities and programs.  Ask yourself: are people growing in their faith and in their service to God, one another, and the world?  Do you see spiritual movement in the lives of the people you are serving?  In the must read book Simple Church authors Rainer and Geiger make the point over and over again that making disciples is all about moving people along in their spiritual journey.  It is about giving people a pathway to follow.  You help people take the first step, and then move them to the next step, and so on.   In the Discipleship Matrix we talk about taking the next step, the walk of faith, moving ahead.   Discipleship is not about counting people or creating programs;  discipleship is about moving people along the pathway that leads to life.  This is what church and Christian ministry is all about.  It is about a pathway that leads to becoming more and more like Jesus, the One who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." (John 14:6)   How appropriate it is that one of our churches is simply known as Pathway to Life.  The Reformed Theological College (RTC) has developed a video-based discipleship training program called The Way.  Being a Christian is all about following a path, the pathway that leads to God's life, now and for eternity!   Simply put, discipleship is about exploring the gospel, believing in Jesus, developing your faith, and living a life of Christian ministry in this world.

Rethink the successful church or ministry!  God has "made known to [us] the path of life; [He] will fill [us] with joy in [His] presence, with eternal pleasures at [His] right hand."  (Psalm 16:11)  A successful church helps people get on that path of life and helping them move step by step along the path, one step at a time.  It is all about the pathway.