What are you measuring in your church? What do you and your church really value? How do you define success? In a recent podcast with Sam Rainer (healthychurchpodcast.com Episode 269), we discussed measuring the right things. Lead metrics measure the things you are doing to accomplish what God has called you to do. Lag metrics measure the outcomes, such as numbers, participation and attendance. Lead metrics help you predict future performance and drive what you do daily. Lag metrics reflect past performance and tend to resemble driving while looking in the rearview mirror.
Goals are good, biblical and needed. Paul said in Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Let’s talk church attendance for a moment. In A Praying Church, Paul E. Miller stated, “Neglecting the Sunday gathering is a signal of trouble. But there is a difference between something being a signaland something being central. Church attendance is a metric, not a goal.” Going back to Paul’s statement, you must ask how you will obtain that goal (lead metric), what must you do? The primary goal of prayer is not answered prayer but intimacy with God.
The primary purpose of goal setting is to move you from where you are to where you need to be. Nothing improves by accident, and you need to set goals in the areas of your life and ministry where God desires improvement. Personal goals are the actions you take individually to grow as a follower of Christ. Then there are family goals that contribute to the health, joy and spiritual vitality of your family. There are also church goals that, as they are accomplished, the church moves forward. These goals are useless unless there are action steps (lead metrics) that produce results (lag metrics).
Good goals have been described as SMART goals:
• Specific — A goal that targets a tangible accomplishment.
• Measurable — You can measure them to know when they’re accomplished.
• Achievable — They are something you can accomplish.
• Relevant — When you accomplish this, something positive has happened.
• Time-bound — There is a deadline attached to the goal.
Goals are important, but they are useless if there is no plan with a determination to implement that plan. They must become a conviction of what you must do, not only what you would like to do.
If you determine to begin a weight loss journey, there are two necessary ingredients — diet and exercise. The lag metric is the amount of weight you actually lose, but the lead metric is the steps you will take to make that weight loss a reality. Write out the goal you want to achieve, but also think through an action plan with the details of reaching that goal. What will you do (lead metric) for the goal (lag metric) to occur? Post your goals where you can see them and reference them regularly. Share the goals with mentors and friends who will lovingly hold you accountable for the progress of those goals.
The church needs revival, which is the supernatural presence of God showing up in a powerful way. Richard Owen Roberts said you can define revival in one word — “God, just God.” Revival is God returning to His rightful place in your heart, your home and your church. Recently, at a church camp where I was privileged to be, God’s presence showed up. No one moved or left when the final amen of the closing prayer was said. There was weeping, brokenness, repentance and a heavenly sense of His presence in the room. You could tell He had showed up, and no one wanted to leave.
My friend, David McMurray, described this as a mercy drop from God. The hymn Showers of Blessing states, “Showers of blessing we need, Mercy-drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead.” God mercifully gave us a small taste of what revival can look like so that we might be hungry, thirsty and desperate for more “mercy drops.” The prayer from our hearts should be to beg God for the showers that only He can send because revival is “God, just God.” Do you not see the need for revival instead of trusting more in the budget, advertising, systems, methods, structure and knowledge?
Churches know how to “do” church, but what is needed is God’s presence and power to take over once again. The lag metric could be revival, but what would the lead metric be? II Chronicles 7:14 reminds us of some of the conditional promises of God: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then…” The first step (lead metric) is humility and prayer. Could the problem be that we are not as desperate as we need to be? Could it be that we are not aware of how helpless we are without His power and presence?
The Scriptures mention prayer 650 times, and if there are 1,000 pages in your copy, that means 65% of it refers to prayer. Jesus said, “When you pray” — not if, but when. A.W. Tozer stated, “The most important aspect of the Christian life is prayer. It is the most potent weapon we have in the spiritual warfare before us in this world.” You say you believe in prayer, but how much time do you spend praying? When was the last time you scheduled a prolonged time (lead metric) of prayer? Does your church have a dedicated prayer meeting where prayer is the focus and prayer is occurring?
Look for the next couple of articles, where we will discuss how to develop a culture of prayer (lead metrics) in your life and in your church. There must be a passion to seek God’s face, but there are also practical steps in pursuing Him.
