{"id":35495,"date":"2024-02-06T06:00:03","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T14:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=35495"},"modified":"2024-02-07T00:36:33","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T08:36:33","slug":"curiosity-may-have-killed-the-cat-but-it-grew-the-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/curiosity-may-have-killed-the-cat-but-it-grew-the-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it grew the church."},"content":{"rendered":"

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How to Make the World Add Up by Tim Harford caused me to reflect on my experience leading a growing and diverse church over the past sixteen years. In 2007, we planted a church in central Manchester in the north of England. We initially began with ninety people, and after six or seven weeks, the church had reduced to fifty people. Church then began to grow, predominantly through first-time conversions, and while we were meeting in an Auditorium that could legally only seat one hundred and fifty people, after around four years, we were running five services on a Sunday to contain the growth. I have always made it a practice to stand at the Auditorium door entrance before and after the services to shake hands with and connect with as many people as possible every Sunday (something I do to this day). In the early days of the church, it was easy to keep a mental track of who was and was not in the meetings. People are creatures of habit and tend to attend the same service each week, so you get used to seeing familiar faces and names. The result was that I could \u201cfeel\u201d how the church was going, and nine times out of ten, I was right. I was able to feel when the church was upbeat and when it was downcast. I could feel whether we had momentum and when we were struggling. I could trust my feelings, but things began to change when we moved into an auditorium that could seat one thousand people. With multiple entrances and four thousand six hundred in attendance last Sunday, it became apparent over the past ten years that my feelings were no longer trustworthy. There were too many variables that could affect the \u201cfeel\u201d factor.
\nThe danger was that rule number six, \u201cask who was missing\u201d (Harford 2020 p144), became overlooked due to the sheer volume of people. Hence, data\/numbers became important, not just the number of people in seats on Sunday but also what the data revealed regarding the church\u2019s overall health. Pastors in Mega churches get a bad reputation for focusing on numbers, but numbers matter (after all, there is a book in the Bible called Numbers). In his book, Effectiveness by the Numbers, Counting What Counts in the church, William R Hoyt, somewhat controversially, yet in my opinion, sometimes correctly, states that \u201cSome churches, in their attempt to escape being accountable for effective ministry, hide behind God\u2019s call to be faithful. They cite the Bible\u2019s numerous calls to faithfulness. They excuse their lack of effectiveness by citing their faithfulness. They argue that God has called us to be faithful in our service\u201d (Hoyt 2011).
\nAdmittedly, When we go to the doctor for an annual checkup, our health is determined by the numbers. So to church is similar. It became clear that some numbers worth knowing included the invitation-to-attendance ratio. First-time attendance to Hands up (salvation) ratio. Salvation to discipleship track ratio (including baptism). Salvation to One-year attendance ratio. These numbers\/data provide outstanding checks and balances within the church\u2019s life.
\nThere have been many times when feeling like some areas of the church were struggling, but the data reflected something different. Data has revealed health where I felt things were struggling and vice versa. In Rule number two (Harford p51), Harford explains that statistical data can fly in the face of what we see with our own eyes. When that occurs, we need to analyse both simultaneously. Admittedly, sometimes, there is a flaw in my perceptions \/assumptions, and at other times, there may be a problem with the data.
\nHarford reveals that sometimes we want to be fooled (Harford p25) regarding the data. I have to admit this is true in church growth. Sometimes, it is easier to embrace the \u201costrich effect\u201d (Harford p27), hoping that through faith and believing more intensely, the changes will come. However, experience has taught me differently. Ignoring the problems rarely has the desired effect. Data shows where things need addressing.
\nChurch Mag (Hesp 2020) suggests that data in the church is essential for the following reasons:<\/p>\n