Numbers matter. No, they aren’t the only measure of success at your church, but they are a great way to gauge the direction that your church is moving. As the end of the year nears, now is the time to figure out what year-end church metrics are important to you. Knowing this now will help you put together an annual report that is full of valuable information that can help direct your next steps as a church.
Here are seven important year-end church metrics your church should track.
1. Worship Attendance
Do you know if the attendance of your worship services is growing on an annual basis? This year-end church metric is vital to determining the health of your services and church as a whole. If you offer multiple services, break down the worship numbers by hours as well so you can determine which services are growing and which ones aren’t.
ChMS Pro-Tip
Your ChMS can actually help you record worship attendance numbers in real-time if you utilize Mobile Management. Encourage the people who take attendance to do so right on their mobile phones so there’s no need to record the numbers multiple times.
2. Baptisms
Because baptism is an outward display of salvation, baptism numbers will increase annually in a healthy church. It’s a good idea to record the number of baptisms in your church each quarter and then review annually. If your annual numbers are decreasing, it may be time for a church-wide emphasis on evangelism.
ChMS Pro-Tip
Baptisms only happen when ministers follow-up with new believers to work through the logistics of taking this important step of faith. Use the Interaction feature of your ChMS to assign new believers to ministers in your church for follow-up.
3. Mission Trip and Service Project Participants
One of the most encouraging numbers you can report in your annual report is the number of people who were involved in ministry. This not only affirms those who served but encourages others to jump on board in the coming year. Plus, this is an excellent way to reflect on all that your church did throughout the year.
ChMS Pro-Tip
The beauty of the Reporting feature in your ChMS is that it can show you what you want to see. Customize your reports to easily see how many served during each event, project, and trip at your church.
4. Tithes and Offerings
Knowing your annual giving numbers will help you to set the budget for the coming year. Not only that, but it’s a great metric to track to measure the health and involvement of your members.
ChMS Pro-Tips
Integrate your online giving and accounting with your ChMS. That way, all these numbers will be in one place and your can avoid duplicating efforts. Also, set up automatic Workflows that send emails thanking donors when they give. This saves you time and expresses gratitude. Win-win!
5. Church Website Visits
Take some time to look at the annual number of your site visits. Since this is often the first place people learn about your church, it will help you know how many visitors are finding you online, and how effective your site is.
ChMS Pro-Tip
A church website and ChMS integration will make your life so much easier because forms, calendars, events, and more will all be synced up.
6. Social Media Followers
Knowing your annual social media followers is not a matter of popularity, it’s a matter of effectiveness. These platforms are tools you can use to connect with members and visitors throughout the week, so hopefully, your numbers continue to rise year-over-year.
ChMS Pro-Tip
While social media is a powerful communication tool, it’s not the only one your church should implement. Church communication through your ChMS can help you to communicate effectively from one convenient location.
7. Goal Completions
Hopefully, your church is in the habit of setting yearly goals. If that’s the case, this is one of the most important year-end church metrics you can track. What percentage of your goals did you meet? What numbers need to be tweaked for next year? Knowing this will help you to be a good steward of what’s entrusted to you.
ChMS Pro-Tip
Your Church Health Dashboard is the perfect place to easily see how you are measuring up to your goals. Customize everything so you see the data that matters to you.
Next Steps
In case you haven’t picked up on it, your ChMS is key when it comes to tracking and reporting year-end church metrics! Try a free trial of Elexio.