In ministry, there are a lot of things we can measure and some metrics are more helpful than others when it comes to determining the health of your church. In this post, I’m sharing 5 metrics that I find very helpful in determining where we are and how we’re doing in my church.

#1: Engagement

For years, my most important metric was weekend attendance. Then, COVID changed everything. Now, I think the best measurement is church engagement. In my mind, there are three key measurements for determining engagement.  

1. % of attenders in a small group
2. % of attenders who are serving
3. % of attenders who are giving 

We track these numbers religiously, compare them to the past, and compare them ministry by ministry so that we can understand our level of engagement. I believe that engagement is far more accurate and important than simply tracking attendance.  

#2: Staff & Volunteer Satisfaction

Every year we survey our staff through Best Christian Workplaces and also survey a sampling of our volunteers. These surveys, done year after year, help us determine how satisfied and engaged our staff and volunteers are. Of course, the health of your staff has a massive bearing on the health of your church as a whole. 

Whether you contract an outside organization or consultant to help you measure this metric or attempt it on your own, your staff and volunteer satisfaction is a critically important indicator of health. 

#3: Age

In addition to surveying our staff and volunteers, we also conduct a yearly congregational survey. One of the questions asked in this survey is, “What is your age?” The average age of your congregation is an important indicator of health. 

Unfortunately, we have watched our average age creep up over the last few years, so we know we have some work to do in this area. When your average church age increases over time, that may be an indicator that you’re not acquiring new visitors and attenders. Over time, this can be super damaging to a church body. 

If you are interested in making some progress here, I believe that the Growing Young work that Fuller Youth Institute has done is very helpful.  

#4: Guests

In the same yearly survey that I mentioned, we measure the percentage of guests in attendance. Of course, we attempt to measure the same weekend year after year and we choose a weekend that feels like an average weekend. For example, we don’t measure on Christmas, Easter, fall launch or spring break. We choose what feels like a normal weekend.  

By tracking this and other numbers over the course of a few years, you can get a fairly accurate picture of your congregational makeup. By the way, if you want to take things to the next level in your church, focus on ways to retain first time guests.  

#5: Baptisms

The last measurement is perhaps the most important. What really matters is the mission to which we were called as churches—The Great Commission. If people aren’t coming to faith and being transformed by discipleship to Jesus, then we aren’t doing it right.  

How do you measure spiritual growth, anyway? It can be a tricky thing to measure. However, one simple measurement is baptisms. People choosing adult baptism is a clear indicator of spiritual movement.  

Of course, your church tradition might not include adult baptism. If that is you, then you’ll probably need to come up with another measurement for spiritual growth. My point is that making disciples is what really counts, so if we aren’t measuring spiritual growth then we’re off the mark.  

Wrap Up

The above metrics can be helpful indicators of your church’s health and growth. Of course, every church is a little bit different. When choosing metrics for measuring your church’s health, consider your core values and long-term vision. I’d love to hear what works for you–email me at aaronbuer@gmail.com.