How often have you gone to a conference or a network meeting and heard the question: “How many kids do you have?” It’s interesting to me how this one number can so dominate how a ministry is perceived. Do attendance numbers matter? Can attendance numbers reflect the health of a ministry? What other numbers could we use to determine the health of our ministry?
With those questions in mind I would like to share some numbers that I think will be enlightening for all of us…
Over the years I have attended several conferences, read a number of books, and discussed with numerous leaders this idea of healthy growth and numbers. In my humble estimation these are the numbers that we should be aware of and use for evaluation:
1. 15% – 20% of the total congregation is a healthy reflection of numbers in Children’s Ministry. Of course this number is greatly impacted by the demographic makeup of the church. A church filled with young families should naturally have a higher percentage of children. If the average age of the church skews older then the percentage would naturally be lower. Our goal must be to continually reach outside the walls of the church into our community.
2. $500 – $1,000 per kid per year. Are you familiar with the term ROI? – Return on Investment. This number reflects monies invested in Staff, Events & Facilities. Children and Youth ministries are certainly the best Return on Investment. The vast majority of decisions for Christ are made in this age group. Without continually investing in and reaching children with the gospel a ministry will simply cease to exist.
3. 5 – the number of friends a child needs to have in their group. This number ensures that someone will be there that they know. Small groups help to meet this important need. The friendliness of our ministries is crucial to helping a child develop relationships. This is a number that is truly significant.
4. 6 – 8 the number of children that an adult can know intimately as a spiritual mentor. Jesus set the example for us with how he developed relationships with his closest disciples. If we desire to impact a child for life then we must connect them to mentors.
5. 1 – Family. We only have one family and we cannot let the pressures of ministry rob our family of time with us. The first and most important role we play is that of loving and leading our family.
So, there you have it…Numbers to Know. Can you think of other numbers that are important? Do you have a system in place for evaluation? Let us know by leaving a Comment.
