{"id":9347,"date":"2011-08-02T00:41:37","date_gmt":"2011-08-02T00:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2011\/08\/02\/q4-13\/"},"modified":"2011-08-02T00:41:37","modified_gmt":"2011-08-02T00:41:37","slug":"q4-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/q4-13\/","title":{"rendered":"What criteria do you use to measure whether or not your congregation is healthy and where it needs to grow?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our measurement is based upon our four Core Values, the expression of which is not unique. We borrowed the words connect, grow, serve,<\/em> and share<\/em>. We define them as: connecting with God through genuine worship; growing to be more like Christ; serving others in Jesus’ name; and sharing the good news. We emphasize that these values be carried out in community.<\/p>\n\n

Because it is so difficult to assess the health of a congregation of any size, we use the Core Values to measure individual departments and then also make it possible for individuals to assess themselves. This follows a set process:<\/p>\n\n

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  1. Each staff member makes a presentation to the entire staff on how their area of ministry is addressing each Core Value.<\/li>\n \n
  2. They line up their activities and initiatives against that grid for evaluation.<\/li>\n\n
  3. Together we agree on what the strengths and opportunities are for that ministry area.<\/li>\n \n
  4. Once all the staff has presented, we look for overall patterns. For instance, we felt that we were information-heavy as a church, focused too much on instruction. As a result, additional practical ministry projects and acts of service were incorporated into several of our programs.<\/li>\n\n\n<\/ol>\n\n

    The Core Values are also taught in a series each year. We hold them up as an indicator of what a follower of Christ looks like. During the series, we introduce a self-assessment tool for the congregation in the form of a survey. It begins with these words:<\/p>\n\n

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    This is for your personal use. The purpose is to help you identify areas of improvement in your spiritual life. Use the following scale to respond to each statement:<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote> \n\n

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    Definitely Not – 1     Probably Not – 2     Maybe – 3     Probably – 4     Definitely – 5<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

    The survey poses 36 questions, nine for each Core Value. The questions include:<\/p>\n\n