In business environments, metrics are measurements used to assess efficiency, performance, progress, and processes. Tracking these pieces of information provides a way for companies to determine whether momentum is being made toward specific goals. In ideal situations, businesses assess the effectiveness of a process through a combination of multiple metrics.
But many churches bristle at the idea of using metrics to judge performance. After all, joyful discipleship, genuine worship, interdependent community, and submission to the Holy Spirit can’t be charted on a graph. Since it’s almost impossible to attach a metric to the things that truly matter, we end up measuring things like attendance or offerings—and those aren’t necessarily related to goodness and growth.
But two things can be true at the same time. While church metrics often fall short of the true picture of ministry, we still benefit from appraising our performance. Without any metrics at all, we may end up floating, never really sure if we’re moving closer to our goals or away from them. This is especially true for church staff members. Here’s why each person on your team needs a crystal-clear understanding of the expectations that apply to their job so they can succeed.
Metrics improve productivity.
Without clear objectives, it’s hard to stay focused and constructive. Often, we hire church staff members to facilitate ministries. It’s their job to keep them running week after week. When they first join the staff, they probably have a vision for what they’d like to accomplish. But any job can become a grind after a while, and the best intentions can get lost in the routine of it all.
Setting expectations can help prevent your staff from going through the motions. Creating performance-related metrics and goals can help them stay working to improve and hit their targets. Without clearly defined standards, ministry can become a treadmill without any real heart or innovation.
Metrics improve communication.
It’s tough to have a meaningful conversation about how a staff member is doing when you don’t have an agreed-upon understanding of expectations. Ministry is hard, and too often, discussion about the job can get bogged down in the latest frustration or difficult interaction. When team members know how they should be appraising their performance, it helps them to not get stuck on the daily difficulties and indignities—or at least to see them in the light of their larger goals.
As someone who staff members report to, you want to help them succeed and meet their expectations. But you can really only do that when there’s a shared understanding of what is effectively moving ministry in the right direction. If neither of you (or only one of you) understand what’s expected, it’s challenging to have a substantial discussion about how things are going and what kind of improvements can be made.
Metrics matter.
Everyone needs to understand what’s expected of them—and what it is they’re aiming for. Metrics are the measurements we use to identify those things. If you don’t have clearly defined expectations or metrics for each staff role already, carve out time to sit down with staff members and talk to them about what they want to accomplish. Aim to collaboratively work together to create measures they can get behind.
Maybe they’ll want to use measurements like attendance, meeting self-imposed deadlines, volunteerism among the church community, or the number of people who have successfully completed a class. Whatever the position, it is possible to work with people to develop metrics to help give some visibility to how things are going. If that metric stops being helpful over time, that’s OK. Create a new one.
In the end, the whole church grows when each part knows what they are trying to achieve and how they will work to get there.
