Every church leader gets the numbers question, it comes with the territory. We can debate the merits of the question and the need for questions that probe quality and not just quantity, but if you’re a church planter, numbers rule your world.

Let’s be honest, no church planter sets out to plant a small group, stop there and say ‘mission accomplished’. We may not be dreaming of a mega, multi or missional monster but I’d bet my house no-one in the West thinks getting eight or ten people is hitting the church planting jackpot.

If making disciples is the goal and those disciples also make disciples, then logic dictates the numbers should, at some moment in time, go upwards.

The numbers may take their time to nudge in the right direction, which is why patience is essential, but when it comes to numbers we all know which direction is right. Up is good; down, not so much.

All this to say, you will measure the numbers. It is both inevitable and unavoidable. That being said, it’s essential then that you use a good measure.

In church plant number one, I used a bad measure. It was way too short. It would measure week-to-week. One week, the music was great, everyone showed up, we had visitors, the technology worked, the place felt full, members contributed to the worship, the sermon wasn’t terrible, the children were great, nothing got broken.

The next week would pretty much be the opposite.

Progress was so uneven, backwards, sideways and the odd faltering step forwards; it was an emotional and exhausting experience. This also comes with the territory but a poor measure makes it so much harder.

I realised that my identity was getting caught up in this and so I would be great one week and low the next, following the ups and downs of our small church plant. For the sake of my relationship with God and my emotional health I needed a better measure.

Slowly, the day-to-day, became week-to-week which became month-to-month (still not long enough) until I settled on year-to-year. It’s worth saying that depending on your country and context even year to year may be too short.

Yearly is where I’ve landed and it’s where I encourage those starting their first church to set their sights.

Taking a yearly look helps me as a church planter in a number of ways. It’s easier to see the trends from the spikes and dips in your growth chart and to see if there is genuine growth, or not.

Measures and changes you made the year before take time to have effect, there is no quick fix in church planting and a year gives you enough perspective to assess and adjust where necessary. It stops me from constantly tinkering and worrying and assessing what we’re doing. To use a motoring analogy, the car needs to be on the road and not in the garage for a service the whole year.

Taking a year view reminds me this is Christ’s church, He is building it according to His plan and not according to my emotional needs, this helps me relax and focus on being faithful and fruitful. You get the idea.

Here at church plant number two, I take my yearly evaluation sometime at the end of November and it’s a very easy, simple and fun process. We invite everyone, who is regularly (and that’s our baseline – regular) with us as a church, out to dinner. No random guests, no surprise additions, no padding the numbers because it was a Christmas service – it is just you and your group. Counting them is quite natural because well, it helps when booking tables. Taking pictures is also allowed.

As we look from year to year, you see some faces that are there one year and gone the next. Some faces you see year after year, after year. Each picture tells a story of faith, of mission, of love, of the gospel. And each picture reminds me that church planting is ultimately not about the numbers but about people finding their place in the people of God.

This year will be our third dinner, I’m looking forward to seeing what God has done.