Measureable Outcomes
For your ministry and events
Have you ever written out a ministry plan? It’s an essential practice for any children’s pastor whether you’re describing a single event or a year’s worth of ministry. Most of us have some sort of plan and can describe schedules, volunteer rotations, and supply lists. But healthy ministries require more than a plan of attack; they need a plan of success. Developing a ministry plan with measurable outcomes will guarantee a higher level of effectiveness in your church.
Let’s define measurable outcomes like this: a goal that can be counted. Effective children’s ministry begins with the right goals in mind and has an effective strategy to measure the success of those goals.
It is surprising how often we assume that the right type of work is being done in our churches. It can be difficult to think critically about our own programs and ask why we do what we do. There are a variety of tools and resources that you can use to assess your children’s ministry. Find one and put it to work. Talk with your pastor and determine what your goals should be. I bet they include some obvious ones like volunteer numbers, attendance, and salvation. But perhaps they should include things like parent discipleship, Scripture memorization, and service hours. There is no set formula here; determine which things are most important and write them down.
The next step is the hard one: measuring your goals. If your goal is water baptisms, then it’s easy to count. If your goal is parent discipleship, you may have to get creative. By definition, a measureable outcome must be measurable. So establishing a goal of “authentic faith” may not be helpful because it is difficult, or impossible, to count. Expert children’s pastors know how to establish goals that can be measured. Ask yourself the who, when, and how of your goal-counting. If you can’t answer all three of these goal-counting questions then you may need to think of a better goal to measure.
When you assess the effectiveness of your own ministry, it’s important to be consistent. Do you count kids twice if they attend both morning services? Do you differentiate commitments to Christ from re-commitments? How long is a family considered “new” to the church? You may answer these questions differently, but you must answer them consistently. When you measure goals consistently, you can measure progress as well.
Incorporate measurable goals into your ministry plan by defining what is most important to you. After you have clarified your goals, you must find creative ways to count those things consistently. This will bring great focus to your ministry and increase your effectiveness in a big way.
