One of the blogs I regularly read to stay abreast of what is happening in the churches around America is called Monday Morning Insight. I recommend it to your attention.
They often print data and perceptions about various issues. The most recent online edition has a poll about whether or not people think Evangelical Pastors exaggerate the attendance numbers. It appears that over 90 percent think we do. I find that this is an amazingly high percentage and wonder where it comes from.
Maybe it is just the result of so many jokes about "Evangelistic estimates" that we tell each other. Or maybe the people have actually heard us inflate our "guesstimates" about the people in the meeting halls. I would appreciate your ideas. If over 90% of our members believe we lie about such a mundane matter what do they think we are doing with the other nine Commandments?
How are we to deal with numbers that are so often associated with our ego? Do we just stop counting? Do we have a neutral group from a local accounting firm do the count and then certify the number at the end of the service as they do at many sporting events?
(Harry Granger from Granger, Evans and Smoot CPA Firm reads the count: There were 83 people in attendance today. Eighty one were members or regular attenders but George and Hazel Goin brought their reprobate neighbor and Patty Hert was able to drag her boyfriend in again. The Pastor wanted to claim 84 attendees but we disallowed Mary Jones' pregnancy because she is only five months along. We have a clear policy about counting any baby under six months in the womb.
One note on being on time. We cannot count anyone who is more than ten minutes late. The Elder Board has discussed this point repeatedly and has decided that it conforms to the policy at our seminary about class attendance so it needs to be uniformly applied to church as well. So, we regrettably had to disallow the Gene and Amy Brown family with all six kids because they just can't seem to make it before the deadline whistle blows. It is a shame too because having eight more would have broken the record for January. However, we did count Asbjorn Anderson who slept through the entire sermon. Being here is the key.)
The Preacher then offers the benediction and an announcement: Come back tonight at our monthly "Pack the Pew" special with popcorn and free soda. We will have door prizes and frequent attender points for those of you trying to win the toaster. BP Oil has agreed to give people with a thousand points a ten percent reduction on gasoline.
Maybe we emphasize attendance too much and it hurts attendance. Trying to motivate the unmotivated causes many people to have less motivation. It certainly seems to convey that we put too much emphasis on numbers and not enough on people.
2 comments:
Yup its about time we place more concern on the quality of our discipleship! Our 'managerial missiology' is a scandal to the world
Dave, Remember, ministry is really all about image management.
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