Here is the main idea.
"We tend to overvalue what we can measure and undervalue the things we cannot" (John Hayes, CEO, American Express).
When it comes to the realms of church and ministry, that translates into overvaluing the ABC's.
Attendance (numbers of people attending events)
Buildings (the size of the structures we use with the sense that bigger is always better since it can accommodate higher attendance)
Cash (money that is contributed to the cause).
People, buildings, money - this is observable and easy to measure (as well as to compare with others).
Hang around pastors and missional leaders and you hear quickly hear questions like:
What is your role?
How many people are a part of the ministry?
What's your budget?
What is hard to measure is change, transformation, maturity, heart morphing, Christlikeness, love, courage, faith and hope . . . all the stuff that really counts.
What use it is to have more people, bigger buildings, higher offerings - if we just increase the size of our already existing problem (3000 miles wide and 1/2 inch deep)!
Maybe we remain that since we continue to measure and give priority to the wrong, easy to measure things.
Jim Collins, in little monograph, From Good to Great in the Social Sector gives guidance for how to change what we measure. Leaders - check it out.
Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com
