Peter Gammons (who I consider to be the best baseball writer EVER!!) writes a column for ESPN.com and has a section called "Lies, $#^% Lies, and Statistics." Every week he picks out the most misleading number of the week...Pitching Lines, Boxscores, etc and shows how they just don't fit. The more ministry I do, the more I realize how Gammons has it figured out. Numbers mean nothing. Seriously...numbers mean nothing, yet at the same time, many people think that they mean everything!! I'm still trying to figure this out...
I trace attendance at Youth Group every week, mainly to follow up with students who have missed several weeks in a row. I try not to put too much stock in these numbers, but it's often difficult. See, normally we see 50ish students on Sunday and 30ish students on Wednesdays. Although these numbers are solid, I'm not happy with our Wednesday night programming. We haven't been able to get into a groove on Wednesday nights. I believe that we need to turn Wednesdays into a night committed to discipleship (Bible Study, possibly Youth Disciple, Student Leadership Team meetings, etc), but I'm very well aware that when we do this, our numbers will bottom out. About two months ago we tried to go to Bible Studies on Wednesdays and our numbers bottomed out, so we're trying something new, although I feel like we're just biding time. So, we need a change. A change that'll hurt by average attendance numbers
So we'll change (slowly! I'll develop some cirriculum, get my adults on board, pitch the idea to my student leaders, etc) but it'll be hard. It'll be hard to explain to my SPRC and Ad Min Board why my numbers drop. It'll be tough for our SPRC Chair, who has spent her whole life in successful business, that what we're doing is NOT about numbers. It'll be tough to learn how to measure disciplehip. How do you do that anyway? I do we measure that which is a work of the Holy Spirit? How do we measure the way that students become more like Jesus? See, I don't think numbers will do it...
Lies, Lies and Statistics...
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2 comments:
Praise God that you are going to take this step. Praying for you and your ministry as you take a leap of faith in this direction.
God bless you, Matt; you are absolutely on the right track. Jesus couldn't be bothered with numbers...he was concerned with souls and relationships and whether or not the poor were being fed. Too many in our connection are numbers-obsessed, and our annual statistical reports (etc.), while necessary, ask all the wrong questions, and end up tracking very little that matters. Good for you, brother!
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