A client asked me how they should move forward with tracking “membership.”

They recently changed pastors. They want to ground this new era in meaningful metrics so that they can track progress and allocate resources effectively. They sense that current numbers might be inflated and that longstanding denominational practices aren’t helpful for their decision-making going forward.

Here is what I told them: I think there are two issues here.

First, you need an accurate baseline for measuring progress. However you define that baseline, the count needs to be timely and trustworthy. I suggest that you start by working within the current definitions of membership to identify those who are “members,” as you have been defining membership, and those who fall into other categories (lost members, former members, not-yet members).

Once you get your current rolls cleaned up, you can place updated metrics alongside those of previous years and have a meaningful measure of where you have come and where you start the new era.

Second, I suggest you create a new tracking system, grounded in more meaningful understandings of how people affiliate with your church. I use the term “constituent,” a somewhat inelegant term, but one that gets beyond outmoded terms like “member” and “belong.”

People connect with you on a spectrum, ranging from minimal awareness to deep engagement. Connecting with a church is a complicated process that requires multiple pathways, rather than a simple but misleading distinction between member and non-member (or “unchurched”).

I am setting up a customer relationship management system for the church I attend. We will categorize people in these ways:

 Touch (on one of several email lists, perhaps the pastor’s personal blog to start)
 Prospect (has expressed interest or participated in some church activity, such as a mission project)
 Lead (actively interested in knowing more about the faith community)
 Affiliated (has taken one or more actions such as:
 Formally joined (as your denomination defines joining)
 Made a financial commitment
 Attended worship regularly
 Joined a mission or ministry team
 Attended a class or small group regularly

My church will have communications suitable for each stage. The pastor will stay on top of who is where in the process and what needs to happen next. We will develop metrics similar to a sales pipeline, measuring how well we are doing in reaching outside to begin engaging prospective constituents and how well we are doing in helping people move toward commitment.

We will have several trend lines, not just the one line of “membership.” This will enable us to see where effort and resources are required.

About the Author

Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the publisher of Fresh Day online magazine, author of On a Journey and two national newspaper columns. His website is Church Wellness – Morning Walk Media