One of my surprises has been what churches measure and more importantly what churches don’t measure.

I’ve found 5 vital metrics that smart churches measure.

Smart churches utilize these 5 key metrics to improve the health of their church yet avoid being driven by them.

Once you begin to measure these elements you can also begin to manage them and this helps you grow a healthy church.

1. Baptisms as a ratio of attendance

Baptisms are a concrete number that helps ascertain the health of a church.

How many baptisms are considered healthy?

My go-to data point is 7%–9% of your average attendance in annual baptisms which I learnt from church consultant Tony Morgan. His Vital Signs resource supports tracking baptisms as a percentage of attendance; the historical range is a reference point for your leadership discussion.

For instance, if your average attendance is 200 then 14–18 people being baptised over a year is an indicator of health.

If you have a healthy number of people being baptized, then it indicates that evangelism and discipleship are happening in that church.

In one consult with a small church, I discovered that no one had been baptized in the previous year. When I asked their leadership team to list the potential candidates they tallied up over 15 people.

What was going wrong? They had lost focus on making disciples and neglected to baptize anyone.

Healthy churches measure baptisms at least 3 times a year because baptism is a key indicator in the discipleship journey and must be considered a primary number in assessing the health of a church.

Calculation: Baptisms in the past 12 months ÷ average weekly attendance for that period × 100. For example, 16 ÷ 200 × 100 = 8%. Review the rolling annual figure during the year so that each review uses the same time span.

2. Visitor flow

One of my more shocking discoveries since consulting with churches has been the number of churches who do not count their visitors.

When churches don’t count visitors, it indicates to me an unhealthy lack of attention on outsiders.

This appalling lack of hospitality generally starts at the church’s website, extends to the car park and culminates in the general neglect of visitors’ needs when they attend the church.

This lack of focus impedes church growth because without visitors you will never grow.

In small churches counting visitors is easy as they are instantly noticed and should be a primary focus of the pastor.

In medium-sized churches, you need to be more intentional in counting visitors and connecting them to people in your church. This requires a guest lounge and volunteers who are focused on engaging with your visitors.

In large churches, it is well-nigh impossible to count all the visitors however you can count those with whom you connect so having a process for connection is essential.

What to record: Count first-time visitors each month, then separately record return visits and the people your team has personally connected with. Agree whether you count individuals or households and keep that definition consistent.

3. Church Age Profile Compared to the Community

Ask a pastor the average age of their congregation and they will generally give you a blank stare and mumble a guess.

It’s a simple exercise to discover the average age of your church.

If you have the info in your church database, then it’s super easy.

If not, then here’s a simple process. Choose a representative Sunday and invite attendees to record their age anonymously, including children and youth with their parent’s help. You can repeat the exercise on two other Sundays and compare each Sunday’s results.

Compare your church with the surrounding community using the same measure. If you use the median age from ABS Census QuickStats, calculate your congregation’s median too: arrange the ages from youngest to oldest and find the middle value. Age bands also help you see which generations you are reaching.

Is your church much older? This is a red alert wake-up call that indicates ill health as you are in danger of missing an entire generation.

Is your church markedly younger? This probably indicates you have a fruitful decade awaiting you as those children and youth move to the next stage of life. However, it may indicate you are missing out on boomers who are often time-rich and looking to achieve significant things in the second half of their life.

4. Percentage of adults serving

A few years ago, I was chatting to a small group pastor in an Australian megachurch. He told me that 93% of new people in their church leave within 12 months if they do not begin serving or join a small group.
I’m sure this ratio is lower in smaller churches but it indicates the central importance of connecting people into relationships as soon as possible.

How should you measure serving?

When I consult with churches I measure the percentage of adults aged 18 and over who are serving. Now serving may range from leading a small group to greeting new people to volunteering for the annual women’s conference.

In my consulting work, I encourage small churches to aim for more than 80% of adults serving.

For medium-sized churches, my suggested target is above 65%.

In larger churches, this ratio will drop due to several factors.

How does this affect health?

When people serve their relationship circle grows and this not only cements them into the church it improves the health of the church because they feel a deeper connection to the life and purpose of the church.

They also grow their skill set and in turn, their confidence which again improves the general well-being of the church.

Calculation: Unique adults who served during the agreed period ÷ adults in your regular church community × 100. Count each person once, even if they serve on several teams. Keep the reporting period consistent and distinguish ongoing team involvement from occasional event volunteering.

5. Secondary giving levels

I think the most accurately measured numbers in churches are the numbers associated with finance.

Churches generally pay close attention to their accounts, reporting, policies and procedures.

However, a rarely measured number is the ratio of secondary giving programs.

Let me explain.

If a church receives $200,000 in its general Sunday tithe giving over a 12-month period, then how much can it expect to receive in other giving programs e.g. building or missions?

From my consulting experience, I believe churches can regularly expect to receive 30% – 50% of their tithe in secondary giving programs like building or missions’ giving programs.

Churches may run these secondary giving programs but too rarely analyse their expectations or consider how to increase this percentage.

I’ve helped many churches increase their income by measuring their current reality and coaching them into strategic methods for an increase.

These 5 metrics will help your church focus on essential numbers that in time will help you improve the health of your church.

Calculation: Secondary giving received during the year ÷ general tithe and offering income during the same year × 100. With $200,000 in general giving, 30%–50% means $60,000–$100,000 in secondary giving. Use money received for both figures, so the comparison is consistent.

Review These Five Metrics Each Quarter

Bring the five measures to a quarterly leadership meeting. Compare each with the previous period and the same period last year, using consistent definitions. Ask what the numbers reveal about the people behind them.

Choose one area to improve, agree on a practical action, assign someone to lead it and set a review date. Celebrate the discipleship stories and relationships behind the progress.