Last year I wrote a post that unexpectedly took off: Are We Measuring Discipleship All Wrong? Later I shared what a full year of measuring actually taught me. Today’s post is the next step—a Version 1.1 update to how I’m thinking about discipleship metrics.
Along the way, I’ve learned a few things (mostly the hard way). My hope: you can skip some of my mistakes and adopt what’s helpful for your own ministry.
Several times a year, members receive short surveys. They give us two kinds of data:
Self-reported discipleship habits, and
Feedback on how clearly we’re communicating our discipleship process.
The 3-month survey is the first checkpoint.
We ask simple, behavior-based questions:
How often do you read your Bible?
Have you attended a Group Bible Study?
Have you been to a Women’s or Men’s Ministry event?
Have you served at an Outreach?
Have you attended Regeneration?
Have you served anywhere at Greenwood?
These questions help us see whether new members are aligning with the core things we emphasize:
Attend worship. Join a Group Bible Study. Serve in some capacity.
With a sample size of 38 responses, 70% say they read Scripture at least 3 times per week.
Does that tell us why they’re reading? No.
Does it alert us if something is off? Yes—and that’s the point.
87% have attended a Group Bible Study. That tells me our messaging is working.
For those who haven’t attended, most cite schedule issues. A few said, “Nobody invited me,” which is interesting because we invite every member during their membership meeting. It might mean they want a personal invite from a leader—something I can improve.
Here’s where it gets fun:
10 respondents said they weren’t women.
22 said they weren’t men.
…Out of 38 total. The math doesn’t add up—but the feedback does.
Among women, half had been to an event. For the rest, the top reasons were:
“Didn’t fit my schedule,” “didn’t know about it,” or “nobody invited me.”
Among men, 11 of 16 had attended an event. Again, schedule issues topped the list for those who hadn’t.
We offer two kindness outreach opportunities per month.
66% of respondents had participated at least once.
The rest? Mostly schedule conflicts.
This is our 12-step discipleship pathway. Only 2 of 38 had attended.
The encouraging part: only 6 people said they’d never heard of it.
The challenging part: most people still say, “It’s not for me.”
Which means I need to communicate its purpose more clearly. It’s not just for “recovery people.” It’s for… well, all of us.
79% of new members reported serving somewhere in the past year. That’s strong, and it gives us a sense of early engagement momentum.
These surveys still have a small sample size, but here’s what we ask:
Agreement with core theological statements
Frequency of Bible reading
Whether they feel connected
Whether they’re confident sharing the ABCs of salvation
Open-ended: How can our church better support your discipleship journey?
Can you tell you’ve grown spiritually?
Are you in a Bible study?
Have you found a place to serve using your spiritual gifts?
What has changed most in your life since joining Greenwood?
How likely are you to recommend us to someone looking for a church?
I wait a year to ask that last one. After a full calendar year, enthusiasm feels more honest.
We’re still measuring our big three:
Worship → Group Bible Study → Serve
At the 3-month mark, more than 75% of members are doing all three. Not perfect, but meaningful.
Going forward, I’m using:
Numerical formulas that give a big-picture, whole-church look.
Survey data that tells the actual story of individuals.
The numbers tell one part of the truth. People’s stories tell the other.
And discipleship requires both.
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