Simon Cox Blog: The Metrics of Mission: How to Count What Counts

Monday 10 September 2018

The Metrics of Mission: How to Count What Counts

Five examples of kingdom behaviors that should be quantified.

Numbers can be deceptive. Everyone knows that.

Bigger doesn’t equal better. Often, it is much worse.

Strength is no indicator of spiritual significance. In fact, weakness is the biblical meta-narrative.

More is not always the means to mission. Often, it becomes the very appeal to maintaining mediocrity.

So, our numbers – the metrics that we frequently count – can be missionally deceptive.

But it’s easy to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater when discussing the relationship between numbers and a kingdom-advancing mission. Numbers, while fundamentally deficient as an authoritative means of defining kingdom success, can actually serve as an indication of missional health.

The trick is counting what matters.

Counting missionary primacies is inherently burdened with difficulty and nuance. The simple objectivity of enumerating bodies amassed for the Sunday spectacular, or greenbacks redirected to a more sacred calling, is clear and entirely uncomplicated. People are either there or not. Money is either given or it’s not.

There’s little need for descriptors, asterisks, or caveats. But this isn’t the case with kingdom metrics associated with holistic, missionary living. The scorecard is much different.

Consider these five examples of kingdom behaviors that should be quantified:

Count the Number of Gospel Relationships

Those who embrace a missionary mindset prioritize the development of relationships that point lost sheep to their Shepherd. Missionary believers prioritize relationships with those far from God and his people.

Whether a neighbor, coworker, barista, band mom, or spotter at the gym, disciple-making missionary-members strive to cultivate authentic relationships that are gospel-centric. ...