In the endeavor of planting a church, there are a great number of challenges that need attention. For a planter, it is important to determine what is going to be the priority. What is commonly overlooked in the prioritization of a planter’s time, is the development of proper metrics vital to the long-term sustainability of the endeavor.
Each church plant has its own culture it is seeking to build based on the vision the planter feels God has given her and the community the church will exist within (Stetzer, 2006). Each planter must discern what the proper OMTM (One Metric That Matters) is necessary for the mission of the plant. (Croll & Yoskovitz, 2013) Once the planter identifies the OMTM, he will know where the greatest risk to the plant is, understand what goals need to be set, bring focus to the plant efforts, and inspire a culture of experimentation. (Croll & Yoskovitz, 2013)
There are a number of metric options that could be the OMTM for a church plant project (McIntosh, 2004):
What attracts people to the church plant: through interviews and surveys, planters can begin to have a clear picture of what marketing efforts are working, and which are having little to no impact. This will allow the planter to effectively use the few precious funds available more wisely.
What keeps people coming to the church plant: the assimilation of individuals and families is vital. Understanding how many attending the plant are getting involved in small groups, discipleship programs, and serving as volunteers reveals level of buy-in
How often people attend the church plant: this will equip the planter with a trend line she can use to strategically focus ministries, activities, events, and fund allocation. It can also give a clear picture on church size outside of weekly attendance.
References
Croll, A., & Yoskovitz, B. (2013). Lean analytics: use data to build a better startup faster (1st ed). Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly.
McIntosh, G. (2004). Church that works: your one-stop resource for effective ministry. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Books.
Stetzer, E. (2006). Planting missional churches. Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman.
I believe strongly in having the right measures that don’t miss efficacy . . .especially in this arena.