As many churches begin to move full steam ahead on worshiping in-person – while not forgetting about those worshiping online – the focus is now on being phygital and making use of metrics that offer insight into how worshipers engage the experience. Recently, I shared the “Giving in Faith” report that Givelify released highlighting helpful data points for every church that can be another useful metric tool. Another useful tool is from The Unstuck Church Group, which reports on Church trends. Looking at these two reports and some of the data that can be found in your Givelify dashboard gives you a clear picture of the health of your church. Here are a few ways I believe you should be looking at data to help you better understand church health.
Attendance – Looking at the Unstuck Church report, we see that many churches have experienced growth in in-person attendance this year compared to last year. While having more people coming back to worship in person, or even new people visiting your church, we must always be careful not to forget about ways to intentionally engage those who worship online with you. We should also encourage those coming to worship in person and those online to take the next steps in their path of discipleship. The next steps might be connecting with a small group, serving in ministry or it might be participating in an online teaching series you have created. Whatever it is, as we see attendance grow, it is important to move people from the “coming” step to the “engaging” step. We know that most people stick and stay once they get involved and engaged.
Leaders – The Unstuck Church report also highlights the decrease in leaders serving in churches. This is important to notice and can be linked to the above-mentioned point on the engagement of those in attendance. Many leaders who were engaged and involved before the Covid-19 pandemic have since developed new habits and new patterns. While it is important to help these leaders get back to some level of serving, it can also be true that many of them might have been serving in too many areas at one time. This is a moment of reset for us as a church to move from depending on a few people to do a lot, to now pivot that thought or practice into a healthier one. Having several people serve in areas of their passion throughout the church, where they can utilize their spiritual giftedness and skillset rather than being part of every church ministry is key for healthy leadership. Gaining new leaders can be difficult at first, however, if you are consistent and clear with where you want them to serve, in areas that match their spiritual gifts, it can be more effective.
At our church, Kingdom Fellowship AME Church, we have a “Get Involved” process that allows the congregation to sign up (by text) to serve in several areas throughout the church. Leaders then work with this group weekly. Not every process is perfect, including ours, but you need to start somewhere. Having the right leaders is “a prescription” for a healthy church.
Giving – Givelify has provided a great tool in their dashboard that allows you to see the consistency of givers. It allows you to see everyone who gives and their trend of giving to your church. This is key for church health because you can thank and congratulate those who are consistent in their generosity and show them how their giving impacts their community. It also gives you the opportunity to check in with those who haven’t given in a while and ask if there is anything that the church can do to support them. While we all know that giving isn’t the only factor in a healthy church, it is a key indicator that can help you as you shepherd the congregation. I suggest that you and your team gather the names of those who aren’t as consistent anymore and pray for them, followed by seeking ways that you can better engage that person and their family as part of congregational care.
Lastly, these two reports are helpful for diagnosing and managing the health of your church. This data, along with other valuable data that you find or even create, will be helpful for you and your congregation as you grow and develop.
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