A Face Value Evaluation

Church leaders can often be hesitant to do any type of evaluation of the local church because they know there is so much more to the local church than the things that can be measured. They know that embodied within the local church is the immeasurable Creator of the Universe. They know Gods plans; His purpose and His power can, and often do, overrule even the best laid plans of mortal man. Nevertheless we should not forget that, for whatever reason, throughout history God has chosen to partner with man in work of the Kingdom on Earth. Scripture is filled with examples of God using men as the conduit through which He works. Therefore it is valuable for church leaders to examine and evaluate what they do in order to ensure they are giving and doing their best. A Face Value Evaluation is simple method for self-evaluation. It uses a pie chart with three sections; People, Property and Programs. To conduct the evaluation, first decide on the 2 years to be used in the evaluation. Next decide on a method for determining the “People” metric value. Options could include: Typical weekend service attendance (TWA), average weekly attendance (AWA), highest total number of members for that year, year-end total number of attendees & members, or even the number of baptisms or professions of faith for the year. Next decide on a method for determining a “Property” metric value. Options include: Market value of buildings & land, the yearly budget or even the total assets amount from the financial statement balance sheet. Finally decide on a method for determining the “Program” metric value. This could be the number of programs (or ministries) the church conducts, the number of people involve in the church programs/ministries, or possibly the YTD total expenses for ministry. Here is an example: