Tracking Assimilation (Monday Morning Metrics)

This is the second in an ongoing series I’m calling Monday morning metrics which is focused on measuring the things in your ministry that matter the most. I don’t know of any church that doesn’t measure worship attendance and giving. Most churches also measure the number of new members that they add each year. And while most also talk about the importance of assimilation, getting people connected, closing the back door, etc., few churches track how they are doing at this. Businesses know that it’s much less expensive to retain an existing customer than obtain a new one. This is true in churches as well, even if the language isn’t quite right. So consider building some simple metrics around assimilation. For example, of the people who joined in 2011 (between 6 and 18 months ago), what percent are:

• Attending worship regularly (at least half the time)
• Participating in some sort of small group where they can know and be known
• Serving in a ministry, either inside or outside the church
• Contributing financially

Pull the data and discuss what it means at your next staff meeting or retreat. What matters is not finding the perfect indicator, but settling upon a consistent and intelligent method of assessing your output results, and then tracking your trajectory with rigor. (Jim Collins, Good to Great and the Social Sectors)]]>