If I Was Starting Today: Part 3

(This is part 3 of a 7 part series.  You can read part 1 right here)

If I knew then what I know now…I’d have a different way of looking at a lot of things!  One thing I would definitely look at differently would be the way I defined success.   How so?  Well, for starters I wouldn’t call a certain number of groups “success.”  And before you even begin to get worked up, I also wouldn’t call a certain number of people in groups, a certain number of apprentice leaders or coaches “success” either.  Nope, if I were starting today and knew what I know…I’d definitely define success differently.

So, what would I call “success”?  Easy.  And hard work at the same time.  I’d spend time thinking about what it is that I want to produce, identify a way of measuring it, and set up a scorecard to keep track.  Let’s break those three ideas down.

• First, I’d think about what it is that I want to produce.  I’d want my product to be men and women who love extravagantly, give generously, and serve selflessly.  For me, off the cuff, that’s a pretty good short list.  Of course, you can see that every church should really have its own criteria.
• Second, I’d identify a way of measuring how effectively we’re producing what we’re trying to produce.  I’d have to define “extravagantly,” but once I had the definition then I could set up a way to quantify that trait.  Not only that, but I’d be able to measure periodically and see movement.
• Third, if I did set up a scorecard to keep track I could even adjust my weekend teaching calendar and small group curriculum to work on areas or that need to be developed.

Why would I do this differently?  Easy.  Measuring the number of groups, people in groups, apprentices, or coaches doesn’t actually tell me whether I’ve created the optimum environment for life-change to happen.  Much as I like knowing whether I’m adding groups and connecting a higher percentage of my congregation, that’s nothing more than increasing the size of my delivery system.  At the end of the day, the delivery system itself has to deliver the right things.  That’s what I want to measure.  And that’s what will determine what I call “success.”

This is part 3 of a 7 part series.  You can read part 4 right here.