Numbers and Forms

This week, I sent off our paperwork for our annual charge conference. I did my best to make certain every "t" was crossed, and every "i" was dotted (particularly because my son gets 1/2 point counted off on his spelling test for those errors). I also used our conference dashboard system, which reports our weekly worship attendance, baptisms, professions of faith, new members, those released, etc.

I accomplished all of this work, but I feel no sense of accomplishment. While numbers, statistics, and forms are important, none of them make a church. Yet, denominational leaders want those numbers as an indication of vitality and health (or lack thereof). What is one to do? I don't see a lot of evidence anywhere in the book of Acts, or the Epistles, where numbers mattered more than people. Even in the famous Pentecost passage in Acts 2, the focus is on people and discipleship, beginning with conversion. A number is simply mentioned at the end.

I will not discount that numbers are important, but I can assure you that, for most of this week, instead of making disciples (and I did do some of that), I was running around, making sure that I kept entering the correct number s for the dashboard, making sure forms were filled out, signed, and copied on the correct color. I wonder if, instead of reporting numbers, I had been out in the community building relationships, if there would be more followers of Jesus. I wonder if, instead of making sure the pastor's report was on blue paper, but the compensation reduction was on green, I had been able to visit someone in the hospital or stop by someone's home who visited the church for the first time last week, a disciple would have been made.

Discipleship or reporting? Which really matters for God's kingdom? I think it should be both - but the balance needs to be tipped toward discipleship. We cannot expect churches to be transformed simply by reporting numbers. While I appreciate the accountability, it does not drive me to make disciples. Good news drives me to make and form disciples.