Tracking numbers is not a new thing for Churches. While it is unknown when number counting started in Churches, it is a good indicator of whether or not your Church is making an impact. If you have a lot of people coming, that's a good indication that what you are doing is working and people are being encouraged or challenged in their faith. If you have very little people attending on Sunday morning, that means you are likely not meeting the needs of your community and you need to make changes.
For online ministry, it is easy to track your Sunday morning numbers. You simply check the analytics of the different platforms. Depending on the number you are trying to reach, it is easy to see if you are being effective or not. But, is tracking your Sunday morning numbers a true testimony of your effectiveness? It is one indicator, for sure, but it is questionable as to whether or not it is even the most important number you track.
Online ministry is 24/7/365 ministry. That means you have more opportunities to reach and impact people beyond just Sunday morning Church. So what are other numbers that matter beyond Sunday morning? Here are some.
Other Numbers that Matter
Online Life Groups/Bible Studies. These are online Bible studies through apps like YouVersion's Bible App. But, they are also life groups that can happen on text apps like What's App, Signal, GroupMe, Slack or Discord. You can also use social media platforms like Facebook Groups or Twitter Communities to encourage others. This number matters because it shows how many people are taking next steps from just watching Church to participating in growing in their faith.
How Many People are on Your Team. Online ministry is no different than other ministries. One person CANNOT do it alone. You need a team. When people serve, not only are more people able to be reached online for the kingdom of Heaven, but they are also taking a step of faith. They are making sacrifices to help the ministry. This number matters because it shows how many people are serving on your team. The more people you have serving, the more you can do and the more opportunities you are giving your Church members to be serving for the Kingdom of heaven.
YouTube (or primary video) Subscribers. Video is really important in sharing the message of Christ. Every social media platform is pushing both short form and long form videos. This presents a great opportunity for your Church to share about Jesus and encourage people in their faith. Because over 122 million people visit YouTube daily and Google receives more than 99,000 searches every second, the opportunity for you to encourage people in their faith is enormous (source). This number matters because the more people subscribed to your video platform, the more opportunities you have to reach more people with the gospel of Christ.
Conclusion
The Sunday morning Church service is an important element to your ministry. But, it is not the only number that matters when you consider the true effectiveness of online ministry. After all, your online ministry is a 24/7/365 days ministry. There is lots of possibles to minister to people. The three numbers highlighted above are just some of the different numbers you can decide are important for you to track. Whether you use these or different ones is up for you can your Church to decide. But, don't limit tracking your effectiveness to just Sunday morning. Track numbers beyond Sunday morning and see what God does.
What do you think? What are other numbers you track to reveal your effectiveness of online ministry? Share your ideas below or on social media.
Through the Digital Church Network we are helping physical and digital churches better understand the discipleship process, and helping churches and church planters understand this and other decentralized mindset shifts. Joining the DCN is free and be encouraged!
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