Number Weird

Mark Tidsworth, Pinnacle Team Leader

It’s awkward isn’t it? Whenever the issue of numbers comes up during clergy or church gatherings, we’re not sure how to relate to them. Since the early twentieth century, our numbers are a major theme when it comes to telling the story of our church. ASA is such a common abbreviation with all church professionals and lay leaders knowing it stands for average Sunday attendance. We track how many are in our youth and children’s programs, as well as anytime we gather for life groups or Bible studies (the ministry formerly known as Sunday School).

But so much is changing in church life that our previously cozy and comfortable relationship with numbers has gone weird. Previously we knew how to interpret each other, recognizing the meaning of our numbers for what they were. Now, we aren’t so sure where numbers are coming from anymore, just what they mean when they speak. It’s like when one person in a couple radically changes; we just aren’t sure how to approach one another anymore. We are number weird. So perhaps the following insights will help us drain some of the weird away from the numbers.

Numbers don’t describe the best parts of being church

Transformation. That’s what lights us up and makes everything worthwhile. When an individual life is changed, tilting toward the image of God inside that person, then we rejoice. When the he reaches the 30 day mark sober, when she realizes she extremely gifted as a leader and accepts her success, when they decide to stay together but with Christ at the center of their relationship, when the youth group gathers around the social outcast at school reducing the isolation, when the church investigates the cycle of poverty and partners with a local nonprofit toward changing the system in their community….transformation. When it happens we rejoice, because we see the kingdom coming to earth as it is in heaven. Our numbers are not equipped to help us much with telling these good stories.

Numerical growth is not our highest priority

“Go ye therefore and raise your average Sunday attendance (ASA) and numbers in your programs, thus becoming a really great church.” -Wesay 2:15, International Misguided Version.

All joking aside, this American church, contextually situated in this country where bigger tends to be seen as better, can be easily influenced by culture. Our wider culture measures so much of the value in organizational life by the numbers, it’s easy to do the same in church. Over time we trade the mission of God for the numbers of the month. Are we up or down? Membership, attendance, giving (meaning money) become our highest priorities. Jesus didn’t ask us to go and raise our numbers. Jesus asked us to do something far better.

Numbers don’t tell us nothing; they do mean something

The take-away from this numbers discussion is not to swing the pendulum all the way to the other side, discounting everything numbers might tell us. Numbers don’t mean nothing. For example, sometimes shrinking numbers tell us the same number of people are involved, yet they don’t participate in worship or other activities as often as they did. Sometimes growing numbers tell us we know how to put on a really good show, but are not actually transforming people toward Jesus Christ. Sometimes numerical growth really does mean our version of the gospel and expression of church are opening the door to God for more people in our community.  So let’s not dismiss numbers as irrelevant, recognizing that when they are kept in their place, they can tell us much about how we are church.

Numbers tell us something about our version of the gospel.

Isn’t that a strange statement? “….our version of the gospel.” The gospel is the gospel is the gospel, isn’t it? Yes and no. From our beginning (2008) we at Pinnacle have worked ecumenically, finding ourselves in many different churches from various Christian tribes. In each one, they tend to emphasize or accentuate certain parts of the gospel story. Using a different analogy, it’s like they all hold up the same beautiful multi-faceted diamond, describing it from the angle of their eyesight. Each church then is living and telling a version of the gospel. Now, the number of people in their community who are being transformed by their version of the gospel, participating in their church or others as a result, tells us something about this church’s version of the gospel. Their numbers comment on how the disciples in that church are engaging yet-to-be disciples in their community with the good news of God’s love. Doing so, sharing God’s love, doesn’t always translate to numerical growth in church. Yet, it often does.

Numbers tell us something about our expression of church

Being in so many churches makes it so obvious there is great diversity in God’s kingdom; and beautiful this is. Every church has its own way of being church, of gathering, worshipping, relating, serving, and organizing. So how much does one church’s way of being church connect with the people in its community? In other words, how much does this way of being church help open the doors to God for its community? Relevance is the issue here. It may be that the people in this church love being church together, but it’s so culturally different than the people who currently live in their community that no one is joining them. This church may decide that its expression of church needs adjusting.  

Numerical growth is more likely to happen when we stop looking

Here’s the bottom line. Numbers are lag measures, not lead measures. Numbers tell us something about our vitality, authenticity, and spiritual engagement. Numbers are not a worthy goal in themselves. Numbers are referential; referring to something else. In fact, a quick way to discourage numerical growth is to make increasing numbers our goal. Most of us are not in the Christian Movement because we want to increase numbers. Most of us are in this Christian Movement because of Christ’s transformational love in our lives. So, the bottom line is our participation with God’s mission to bring the kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. Currently, God’s Church is a sign of this ongoing mission, demonstrating the transformation God brings to humankind. This is our goal, to become greater reflections of our Lord, being transformed into disciples who participate with God’s transformation of this world. When we do this authentically, we still cannot guarantee numerical growth. But when we do this authentically, we are so caught up in the Way of Jesus, we don’t care so much about numerical growth, and often that’s when it happens. When we stop looking for number growth as our primary priority, getting on with the mission of God, that’s often when numbers grow. More importantly, that’s when the weird falls away from number weird.