I performed my duty as a good American citizen a couple weeks ago and filled out the census report. The purpose of a census is to give our government officials a sense of where we are regarding the size of our population.
What would a census of our churches look like? Numbers aren’t everything, but they can help reveal strengths and weaknesses.
Here are some questions to consider:
- How many official church members do you have on roll?
- How many people attend your church on a typical Sunday?
- How many staff members does your church have?
- How many people have joined your church in the past year?
- Of that number, how many are through baptism and how many are transfers from other churches?
- How many races are represented in your church?
- How many social classes are represented in your church?
- What is the make-up of the immediate vicinity surrounding your church building? Is it reflected in your church?
- How many people in your church were discipled by other members of your church?
- How many people in your church engage frequently in evangelism and missions?
- What age group is best represented in your church?
- How many worship-attenders are currently enrolled and attending discipleship courses?