On a recent flight, I had the opportunity to sit next to a man who was the ideal conversationalist for me. First, he was not a Christian, but he was eager to hear from me about the gospel. That part of the conversation went very well. Second, he had a Ph.D. in statistics. I thus had the best of two worlds: sharing Jesus and talking numbers.

Confessions of a Numbers Nerd

I confess. I am fascinated by numbers. My undergraduate major is corporate finance with minors in statistics and economics. My Ph.D. dissertation was on numerical church growth.

Yes, I am totally capable of boring someone to near death with my fascination with numbers and statistics.

So when I write or speak about the local church, or when I study churches, I must be careful. I can be overzealous with numerical realities and fail to see the bigger issues God would have me to see.

A Concern about a Hidden Number

I thus speak about this particular numerical concern with caution. Still, it is an area that is often overlooked by ...