How Should We Measure Success in the Church?

Most people measure successful churches by numbers in attendance, balanced budget, size of staff, or impressiveness of facilities.

What if we measured success by:

• The number of cigarette butts in the church parking lot.
• The number of pictures on the church wall of unwed mothers holding their newborn babies in their arms for the first time.
• The number of former convicted felons serving in the church
• The number of phone calls from community leaders asking the church’s advice
• The number of meetings that take place somewhere besides the church building
• The number of organizations using the church building
• The number of days the pastor doesn’t spend time in the church office but in the community
• The number of emergency finance meetings that take place to reroute money to community ministry

2 Severe Misconceptions About Church

Thinking Biblically About the Church

Two severe misconceptions which should be corrected:
 A) Pastors do the work of the church.
 B) The work of the church happens on Sunday.

Biblically, the reality should be: 
 A) Pastors equip the church to engage Christ's mission
 B) The work of the church happens in the world.

Community Service vs. Community Transformation

I love a good Venn diagram. Venn diagrams on napkins are even better. This is a good Venn diagram on a napkin. It's from my friend Peter Horn. You can read what he wrote about it by visiting his blog at: PeterHornOnline.com.