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 7 Ways to Rate Your ChurchHow to measure your church's ministry.
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Money magazine annually rates the 300 best places in America to live. The ratings are based on climate, affordability, amenities, crime rate, public transportation, medical care, and other factors. A similar approach has been taken with churches. Several major metropolitan newspapers regularly review churches. A religion writer makes an unannounced Sunday visit and analyzes everything from the sign on the outside to the sermon on the inside. Like restaurant and theater reviewers, some writers even use ratings, from one star (poor) to five stars (excellent). Before protesting the impropriety of such ratings, reread Revelation 1–3 and recall the biblical reviews of the seven churches of Asia Minor. Most people rate church atmosphere within the first 15 minutes of their first visit. They may not be able to fully explain how they reached their conclusions, but here's what they're likely looking for: 1. Sensing the presence of GodPeople expect God to come to church. I wish I could define what exactly people are looking for. I can't. I guess it's like beauty—you know it when you see it even though you can't put it in words. In Steve Macchia's book Becoming a Healthy Church, he tells the story of a pizza delivery person walking into the new ministry center of Community Covenant Church in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. Ten feet into the building, he stopped and asked, "What's going on here? What's this presence?" Just as people can sense the presence of evil, they can sense the presence of God. For some who have never before experienced God, this single characteristic may determine their choice of church. Experiencing the supernatural is such a high priority in today's culture that its importance dwarfs everything else in rating a church's atmosphere. Experiencing the supernatural dwarfs everything else as people rate a church's atmosphere. 2. Others-centeredSome churches are self-centered. Some are others-centered. It's not hard to tell the difference. A friend recently entered a church lobby on a Sunday morning and walked straight into a donut-and-coffee hour. The people were talking and laughing and having a good time. They liked their church, but they never noticed her. After a few minutes of uncomfortable invisibility, she proceeded to the worship center where she sat in a pew alone for ten minutes. Finally an older lady sat and talked with her. The older lady also was new. By contrast, an others-centered church is immediately interested in new people, what they need, and how the church can help. Such churches have a customized approach that changes with every person. The others-centered church talks little about its programs or its people unless that is truly helpful to the newcomer. When our son was looking for a church in southern California, someone at one church told him, "You really should check out X Church across town with a singles ministry that would fit you better than anything we have to offer." |             | |||||||||||||||||
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