Results Matter

In the business world, results matter. We measure Return on Investment (ROI) to determine if we've made sound decisions. And ROI can determine if we continue a business venture. It's a measurement that helps us determine best practices.

In the church world, faithfulness matters. We work diligently and leave the "fruit" to God. Or at least that's how I've experienced the dynamic of measurement in the church world. And, for good reasons, to some degree. We are called to faithfulness; results take time--a discouraging amount of time sometimes! And God is the one who bears fruit. "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." Yes, there are very good reasons to leave results up to God.

But what about the parable of the sower I read in my quiet time yesterday? It seems like results are the goal: a hundredfold results. And then there's the parable of the talents. The one who's praised by God is the one who invested it wisely. I'd say there was some ROI measurement going on there! It seems that refusing to measure results in the church can be a bit of a dodge.

In "The Speed of Trust," Stephen R. Covey writes "It's vital to take responsibility for results--not just activities. This approach unleashes creativity. It helps you understand that if you can't get results one way, you try another way--you don't just sit there and whine, 'Well, I did what you told me to do!' "

So why not measure results in the church world? In fact, wouldn't results tell us we're doing the right things? We don't have to be afraid of setting goals, planning for those goals, and then measuring those goals to learn. It doesn't mean we just measure numerical growth, but it might mean that the community-building event we planned results in ongoing friendships after the event. It might mean that the outreach event results in a certain percentage of families then assimilating into our church. Those would be interesting outcomes--not just whether 50 people came.

I think results do matter. And I think we all need to do a better job of figuring out how to assess results. It's tough because spiritual growth is a heart thing. But then again, Jesus said we would know one another by our fruit. Maybe there are things we can observe and measure after all.

Your thoughts?

Comments

[Larry Shallenberer]

Yes!

It is tricky to do this in a church setting. We borrowed Group's "Success Mapping" several years ago and used it to focus Grace. It's been invaluable to keep us from tracking hours invested instead of results achieved.

[Chris Yount Jones]

How does your church know if you're being "succsessful"--not in a comparing to other churches way--but in a "what God has called us to do" way? Your church is so sharp. I believe you must have this figured out!

[Timothy]

The pit I sometimes fall into is in phrasing the investment as the result. I will say, "my goal is to spend 30 hours a week on preparation for the upcoming program." But the time is an investment...the real question is, "what do I want to see happen as a result of that investment?"
But on the other hand, the investment in ministry does not always translate into a tangible result. The two columns do not always match. And sometimes, when there is a result, it may come years or decades after the investment. That's hard to fit into a ROI formula.
A lot of challenging things to think about.

[Tony Kummer]

"You get what you measure" is true as far as it goes.

But w/ kids we're also dealing in long-term and usually unseen results.

Plus prayer + faith and leaving it up to God.

Results matter, but don't forget we can't see beyond the horizon.

[Larry Shallenberer]

Chris,

Each year our Mgt Team goes off and brain storms our "big 5 goals" and then takes them to the Elders for approval. They are then given to staff and we are responsible to bite off our piece of those goals.

Two of my fav. measurable goals this year.

1) Increase the percentage of Millenials in volunteer leadership roles. The average age of Grace's vols crept into the mid-thirty's. We realized that we needed to push that number down, and encourage the 40-somethings-up to lead, but to see themselves as mentors for the next gen of leaders.

2) The second goal involved increasing the number of people who participated in a service project to benefit the poor in Erie. We have the highest % of children living under the poverty level in the U.S.

Both of those goals aren't cookie-cutter because of the unique needs of our congregation and community.