History
The Church Benchmark Project followed several years of study of new church starts, relocations, mergers as well as established churches. Each of the various studies was based upon a considerable collection of data. These early studies were all designed to answer two fundamental questions: Why do some local churches grow and why do many other local churches decline? Although there are ample studies that consider these questions, few attempt to answer these questions from an economic and statistical perspective. Until the Church Benchmark Project the results of most studies have left the following questions largely unanswered: Can one identify conditions under which a church is highly likely to grow, or can one identify conditions under which a church is highly likely to decline?
Purpose
The purpose of the Church Benchmark Project is to construct local church spending paths that are highly likely to result in growth. Many church denominations now stand at a crossroads. They must find paths for growth and arrest their decline, or they will perhaps, miss the last opportunity to regain the strength necessary for them to enter the future as strong and viable denominations capable of serving generations to come.
Through a careful and thoughtful assessment of existing churches, a prescription can be found that tells us what would be required to arrest local church decline. It is possible to return denominations across the spectrum to growing and thriving congregations and parishes as loving and committed disciples of Christ.
Method
There are five simple steps to the Church Benchmark Project:
1. Review critical facts/metrics about the local church in question.
2. Find the spending metrics for that local church.
3. Compare benchmarks with the local church’s past spending metrics.
4. Identify and measure spending deficiencies.
5. Align the spending deficiencies of the local church to the benchmark.
Requirements
With most facts already assembled, the local church needs to merely verify the accuracy of the facts listed below:
• Street Address
• Average Worship Attendance Over the Past 5 Years
• Spending Levels Recorded on End-of-Year Church Reports Over the Last 5 Years
• Facility Spending Levels Recorded on End-of-Year Church Reports Over the Past 20 Years.