Session 10: Evaluating Ministry

Opening

Bruce:
All right, we continue in this elders course. We’re on session 10, and we’re talking about evaluating ministry.

Abby:
Yeah, you’re going to find this is very important as an overseer, right? But there are times that you have to step back and look at the ministry and say, How are things going?

And so there are many different ways that this can be done. We’re going to suggest one process to you that has been found helpful. And you know, as we talk about essential evaluation, this one is provided by a group called Horizon Stewardship. And so we’ll run through it and encourage you to evaluate ministry—use this, or some other process that you may be aware of, business or whatever. But some of the things you will have to include in that process are included here.

Abby:
Yeah, there’s practical steps to measure and enhance your ministry impact as an elder. So again, this is so important, because if we don’t evaluate, we could maybe miss where there are some concerns, some holes, some gaps.

So I think it’s really important—again, like we’ve been saying in some of the previous sessions—you need to have that clear mission, those clear ministry objectives. You need to define, you know, what are the key ministry indicators that things are going well?

Because, you know, one of the things at Christian Leaders—we’ve been in the process of accreditation—and one of the areas we’ve realized that we’re weakest on is evaluating. You know, we hear positive feedback a lot, a lot, a lot, but we don’t have that data to actually evaluate widespread. And so it’s important that you’re able to maybe put in place some spots where you can have indicators, whether that be a survey to your congregation each year, whether that be a way where you can get data that you can then utilize to grow your effectiveness.

And again, an outcome of that is to really equip yourself with actionable tools and awareness to then lead with more clarity and competence.

Bruce:
And the scriptures here: “Whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). And, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5). Just how important planning is.

So here’s step one.

Step 1: Define Effectiveness

Bruce:
What does effectiveness mean in your role as an elder?

So, you know, some of the things we talked about is, maybe you’re a shepherding elder, maybe you’re more of a leading elder—the person making those key decisions. So you have to identify what are the measurable goals that align with the church’s mission and vision.

And again, collaborating with leadership and volunteers to help establish these objectives. Again, if you do this evaluation on your own and you’re not collaborating, that could end up causing some issues. So making sure that as you’re identifying these measurable goals that they align to the church’s mission and vision.

Abby:
And, you know, a verse to consider: “Write the vision, make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it” (Habakkuk 2:2). The context there is, if you’ve got the vision, you’ve got to write it down. You’ve got to have people know it. And yeah, that’s the background there.

Step 2: Identify Key Indicators

Bruce:
So—identifying those key ministry indicators. Again, they have to be specific. They need to be measurable.

Some examples might be:

• What has been the weekly worship attendance each week?

• What is the rate of new members, and are they being mentored? Maybe that’s a really important thing.

• What’s the participation of the church in the various projects?

Again, a tip—maybe you don’t have any key indicators yet. You’ve got to start small. Choose two or three that will directly reflect your biggest ministry goals, missions, and vision.

And again, Jesus said: “By their fruit you will recognize them.” So these indicators are important because when we’re bearing much fruit as an elder and as a church, that will make an impact.

Set realistic goals. Starting small matters. Make sure you have a clear benchmark for success—something achievable and aligned.

So, example: maybe if you were mentoring new members as a goal, you want to set a target like, “In this quarter we’re going to pair 10 new members with 10 mentors.” And again, it’s important that it’s achievable, something you can measure and see.

So maybe you ended up being able to pair nine, and out of the nine, eight of the mentorships went really, really well. That’s going to tell you something about what you were able to do—having these clear benchmarks.

And again, Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” So keep praying over these goals, keep the Holy Spirit and God at the center.

Abby:
Yeah, this—this is really fun. “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” You’ll find that leadership usually really enjoys this process. It’s challenging, certainly, but when you start setting targets—what are we really trying to do? What is our mission? Well, it breaks down to several things: are people worshiping God? Are they coming to faith? Are children and young people and adults being discipled in the faith?

And then they’ll look and say, “Wow, let’s put this out there. If we have a goal, then how do we get there?”

Step 3: Collect and Organize Data

Bruce:
Step four: collect and organize the data.

Again, you want to track that same data point. One of the struggles is, if you’re not keeping consistent measurement, you could end up with skewed results. So make sure it’s the same thing. That’s why something like, “How many people are being mentored right now? How many say it’s going successfully?”—keeping that metric the same over time.

Train your team—elders or project leaders—to understand what data they need to collect and why it matters.

And again, Paul encouraged: “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).

Example: Membership Data

Bruce:
Here’s an example. This is the membership data of a church I worked with as a consultant. They had really good data going back years—20 years.

• Blue line = professing members.

• Red line = baptized children.

• Green line = total.

• Purple line = worship attendance.

The church was going along, then started to experience conflict, challenge, and financial strain. When we put the numbers on a graph—whoa. The trendline slanted sharply down.

I gathered a group of leaders, and we asked: How long do you think this church has before it’s dead? If the trend continues, the answer was five years.

One leader said, “It’s too late. We’re going to die.” But another leader, whose wife was very ill, said, “When the doctor says she’s sick, I don’t say, ‘Oh, she’ll die.’ I say, ‘Is there anything that can be done?’ I’ll try whatever it takes to restore her health. I love this church. I’m going to fight for it.”

And the mood shifted—from despair to What can we do? That evaluation moment turned into a planning moment.

Abby:
Yes, and that’s such a good example. Looking at the data humbles you. It makes you realize things you wouldn’t otherwise see, and it motivates change.

Step 4: Analyze and Interpret

Bruce:
Step five: analyze and interpret the data.

Look at the trends and ask: what can we do? What needs the biggest improvement? For example, if baptisms have dropped, strategize ways to reach young families.

Jesus said: “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost?” (Luke 14:28). That’s what evaluation does—it helps you realistically plan.

Step 5: Communicate and Celebrate Success

Abby:
Step six: communicate and celebrate success.

Why celebrate? Because even if the trends show struggles, there will also be wins. Maybe more people are reporting spiritual growth this year. Share that! Encourage the congregation, build momentum. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

Bruce:
Yes. John Kotter, a business professor at Harvard, says: “Celebrate short-term wins.”

One church I worked with had declined for years. But when two teens professed their faith and were baptized, the pastor made it a big celebration. That created momentum—people were excited, asking, What’s next?

Step 6: Build Trust

Abby:
One of the huge parts of this process is that it builds trust and strengthens leadership. When you’re transparent about successes and struggles, it creates sustainable ministry. Even when elder terms rotate, the process continues.

Scripture says: “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

Bruce:
Yes. Trust is key. Churches that have trust can change and adapt. Without trust, change is almost impossible.

So as an elder—make sure ministry is evaluated. Do it faithfully, transparently—and God will bless it