Should Churches Set Goals?

Years ago, I was a part of a church that put a substantial amount of time and effort into creating a strategic plan that included very specific, numerical goals.

I remember one year in particular in which the staff and elders were feeling especially inspired. We thought God was leading us to set a goal of growing our Sunday attendance by a dramatic amount, something like 30% in one year.

We did a lot of good things that year… but the goal of increasing Sunday attendance 30%…

It didn’t happen.

That caused me to reflect a lot on church goals. Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.”  If that’s the case, no matter what a church does, we can’t bring a single person to Jesus through our own efforts.

It seems presumptuous – perhaps even blasphemous – for a church to set goals related to conversions, baptisms, or spiritual growth.

On the other hand, I have also been a part of churches that had no goals.

Don’t get me wrong, there were hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Occasionally, there were plans created for specific events or sermon series.  But the underlying philosophy was, “We want to be led by the Holy Spirit, and we will trust the Holy Spirit for the results.”

For those churches, there tended to be little change or movement year to year.

Fast forward 20 years… Over that time I have served as an elder at 2 different churches for more than a decade, led OurChurch.Com for more than two decades, and read dozens of books by Christian leaders. One thing I’ve come to realize is there are different types of goals.

In fact, as I wrote previously, there are 4 types of goals.

Understanding and setting each type of goal is really important.

Of these 4 types, the only type of goal that is controversial is setting metrics or numerical goals.  And even then, I would encourage you not to dismiss numerical goals entirely for your church. I would recommend against seting a goal for the number of commitments to Christ this year, but…

Is there anything wrong with setting a goal of 1,000 invitations to a Sunday service to the people in your community?  Or a goal of having each elder disciple 2 other leaders this year?

Regardless of your perspective on metrics, the other 3 types of goals – objectives, projects and processes – are all a matter of discerning, “What is God calling us to do?”

If we don’t pray about these things, ask God for guidance and write down where we sense him leading us, we have a tendency to get distracted, lose our way, or forget exactly what God has called us to do.

And if your church’s goals for this year include building a new DIY church website, having a custom church website built for you, or reaching more people in your community who are searching online through church SEO, but your a little unsure on how to do that, fill out the form below to schedule a complimentary strategy session with one of our experienced church website experts.

Comment and Discuss:

• Has your church set goals for this year? Why or why not?

Continue reading… How to set and reach your goals in 2024!

Paul Steinbrueck

Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com

Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.

An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.

Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce.