Do you like statistics and measuring metrics? Pastors everywhere love numbers, right? Are super inflated ones the best kind? Tongue-in-cheek, everyone knows that pastors get a bad rap for wanting to measure, measure and count, count and grow, grow. While acknowledging this can become unhealthy at times, analytics do play an important part in any industry, whether sacred or secular. It is quite fascinating to read about analytic metrics that matter in business. Sales revenue, profit margin, growth in market share, new customer acquisition, and qualified leads are among the top measurements that companies and businesses must analyze in order to be certain they are who they claim to be and are measuring as they desire. Likewise, church pastors and leaders often consider statistics of new members, new baptisms, number of rededicated lives, amount given to offering, and percentage of the community that has been evangelized. When it comes to missions, though, there are typically only two metrics we hear about: dollars given and number of missionaries supported. What is fascinating is that the calling in the Great Commission does not fit the metrics!

Kirsten McClain serves as a Church Missions Consultant with OMF. She has been donating her services to churches and mission agencies for the last 20 years. She has a heart to see the church realize her potential in missions and is driven to be a mobilizer to this end. She lives in Georgia with her husband and three children, and she is ready to direct pastors to the various free resources that OMF uses to come alongside churches and individuals so that they can do missions well. kmcclainomfmail@gmail.com