The importance of keeping and comparing church statistics
Local churches across the country are labouring, diligently and faithfully, day in and day out, gaining ground and laying the foundations for Christ’s return. Many therefore, wholeheartedly seek after divine wisdom and direction, in which to walk the present skilfully and enter into the future with faithful confidence.
When it comes to discerning where to place the feet of the church and in which direction to tread, both for new ground and where to further establish existing terrain, it may be that the church needs to take a closer look at where God has already been, and is, at work.
Keeping thorough records of all church statistics, such as Sunday attendance, small group attendance figures, spiritual milestones of individuals, or the journey that each person takes within the church itself can be done by churches of all sizes. Documenting records such as these will greatly assist the church in its understanding of where God has been working in the past, where He is currently, and where He is extending.
This by no means neglects the discernment that should already exist and be exercised by the leadership of the church currently, however, every church should be looking forward, towards future generations and be preparing to hand over the baton. Keeping statistical church data will benefit the church in this generation by alerting us to prevailing areas of significance and it will provide focus, and confirmation to future generations, who otherwise may be hesitant in approaching an unknown route.
By accumulating statistical data and historical records of events, the church can build up an accurate picture of how to proceed in attending to the local surrounding needs. Human nature instinctively lends errors to our ways, we often forget, or exaggerate to bolster our own egos, we may shrink in hesitation, our fleshly emotions and desires get in the way, key people move on, and so forth. In gathering accurate and detailed facts as we go along, this, and future generations, can draw on sources of reliable and relevant insights of where God has been, is and is going.
Reflecting and drawing on past knowledge helps the church to move forward, alert and confident in grace. Through the comparison of past and present data, we can be encouraged, as established patterns of grace and opportunity emerge to our awareness.
Having an administrational church database system in place, such as iKnow Church, provides churches of all sizes with the ability to record information easily and for that information to be used to provide relevant insights, for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God.
Churches that use iKnow are easily able to delegate the responsibility of collecting data, this is then collected into the Metrics module which is only accessed by those by the those responsible for the direction the church takes.
With a process of relative ease, iKnow is able to deliver key information, such as the health of each small group on a weekly basis, how many new Christians are fully involved in the life of the church, whether additional courses should be run on particular subjects, such as the importance of serving if there seems to be a lack of service within the church, or perhaps additional courses on baptism if the church notices an unusual hesitation in this area, or it may alert the need for prayer over specific areas. The possibilities are vast. iKnow exists to serve the church by providing insights and knowledge, for without understanding we are lost.
To find out more about iKnow Church and why data is important for the local church, visit www.iknowchurch.co.uk or contact a member of our team on hello@iknowchurch.co.uk or call us on 0121 651 1125