Here’s my companion post to my quantitative Ministry Metrics Series (see the first in that series here).

Number-based metrics reveal facts which are needed to keep you grounded in reality. It’s a tangible way to measure where you are where, where you’ve been and how you’re progressing toward your goals.

/Qualitative Metrics/

Qualitative metrics, on the other hand work hand in hand with fact based metrics and attempt to answer questions that are more subjective in nature. These questions are outside of the why questions that come from the analysis of number-based metrics.

Qualitative Metrics Are Not:

/assessment questions per se as they relate to processes and efficiency.
/assessments of services or events.

Qualitative Metrics Are:

/broad, church wide and more gut feel – based upon multiple conversations, interactions, observations – they’re story based.
/more about life change or measuring life change than anything else.

 

Following are Qualitative questions to ask about your church in the whole – but I’d encourage you to ask the same of 4 additional segments:

Staff
Oversight Boards
Volunteer Team Leaders and Teams
Deacons

Why?

If these segments are spiritually healthy and growing in the Fruit of the Spirit…and modeling such – the greater chance your church in the whole will be as well.

Here’s my list of 28 qualitative questions to get you started:

Are we bringing people to Jesus?
Are we focused on ourselves or others?
Are we inviting friends to church?
Are we a praying church?
Are we giving cheerfully or from a sense of duty?
Are we giving God the credit?
Are we in our communities developing relationships with non-believers?
Are we keeping “the main thing the main thing?”
Are we practicing holiness and gratefulness for what Christ has done?
Are we recruiting to the vision or to a task?
Are we serving with passion or from a sense of duty?
Are we totally dependent on God or are we doing things in our own power?
Are we valuing people over our possessions and ministries?

How forgiving are we?
How honest are we in recognizing our own sin and struggles?
How hospitable are we?
How unified are we ?
How welcoming of outsiders are we – particularly those who are different?
How well are we doing in Fulfilling the Great Commission and Great Commandment?
How well are we doing in raising up new leaders?
How well are we loving one another across ethnic, socioeconomic and generational lines?
How well do we respond to opportunities to help/be generous?
How well/much are we reading the Bible, praying and memorizing scripture?
How would we rate the joyfulness of our people?

If our church was no longer, would it be missed in our community?

Is the next generation (students) buying in?
Is there clarity for the future? In particular, the next 6 to 12 months

What life change stories are we hearing? (Hint – Document, record, share)

Use this list or develop your own.

Ask them about each of the 5 segments on a frequency that makes sense for your church.

Use in meetings. Choose a few each month. Use on a staff retreat.

What do you think? Scroll down and let me know.