SUCCESS

Dan and I made a video today for the upcoming Annual Business Meeting (ABM). It was a lot of fun even though I don't think either of us are tremendously comfortable (or suave) in front of a camera. I mean, I'm in front of 2,000 people every weekend without breaking a sweat and there are cameras taping us --- but when the camera is ten feet in front of you, it just does something weird to you.

In the video - not to give it away - but frankly, most of you won't be coming to the ABM in 2 weeks - you just won't. So ... the three questions we asked ourselves on the video were:

What do you love about KFA?

What were the great successes of KFA in 2009?

What are the greatest hopes for KFA in 2010?

I won't reveal the answers right here, right now. In case you ARE planning to come to the ABM, I don't want to spoil it for you. But the point of this one is: the SCORECARD for ministry SUCCESS is beginning to change.

What we celebrate, we become. What we applaud, we do more of. Few questions are more important than asking ourselves, "How do we measure success?"

Certainly, one of the easiest (and wimpiest) ways to measure success is by numbers in pews and/or amounts in offering bags. There are better ways to measure it. I offer a few below for your consideration:

* number of church people that are sent 'on mission'

* small groups where spiritual gifts work their way out (and then are used beyond the small group)

* people serving in partnerships with city organizations, doing good in their city

* people investing hours in service beyond church walls

* finding ways to invite the community to make use of the church building (which is itself not really 'the church')

* conversations in which people outside are asking people within 'the reason for the hope inside them.'

Are there some other benchmarks for success that you can think of?

And be blessed.