Let's talk about 'That Guy'. 'That Guy' is the guy who does all those cliche things that make the normal person go crazy. Any youth pastor out there knows a 'That Guy' and if you catch yourself saying, "I don't know a 'That Guy'", you are one. Sorry to break that news.
One of my favorite quotes that you will hear from 'That Guy' is the following question: "How many kids you got?"
I hate that question, I really do.
There is something difficult about the numbers game because it is an important question. Acts 1:15 starts with, "During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place..." and later says, in 1:41 "Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day-about 3,000 in all." Luke, the author of Acts, was obviously into giving the numbers of the church.
So what is the difference between Luke and 'That Guy'?
My mentor put it to me best, "Numbers, while not the most important thing, are a sign of health." The number of students who go to your church is a piece of internal information that you can use with your team and your pastor to judge if you are healthy and growing.
This being said, I feel they are a test, not an outcome. Your outcome is whether you produce lifelong Christians out in the world. Obviously if you do not have any numbers, you are failing the test, but if you are not producing strong Christians, your whole ministry is failing.
With all this being said, there is not set number that every church should aim for. I've heard it said that you should have 8-10% of your Sunday congregation at your main weekly program. This might work for a few churches, but it isn't good enough to be used as a rule of thumb. I've seen churches that are young that should be doing 20% and I have seen older churches where I live in Florida where the average congregant walked with Jesus on this earth that should aim for 5%. Look at the congregation you are at and judge from there. And remember, its only a test, if all else, Christmas tree it!
No comments:
Post a Comment