Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Stories and numbers: we need both. Stories motivate; numbers evaluate.

This point, about the need to use both numbers and stories in our ministries, has pressed on me from all sides this past week.

It started through commentary here about a Vestry Papers article in which the author challenges vestries to use “sophisticated, consistent and accurate metrics” to chart their future. Then yesterday I sat through a presentation of statistics about Episcopal congregations that drilled down into details of giving, attendance, resources, and growth (or decline) in our geographic provinces. The presenter included rich examples of thriving churches of all sizes. A key factor: the leaders in each congregation knew their numbers and how to use them to measure growth and impact. 

But as good as these expert presentations are, my real learning came while working with lay people from the Diocese of Spokane.

During an intensive training, five-person leadership teams from eight congregations learned how to tell compelling stories and set measurable goals. They’ll use these two practices to invite people to act together to alleviate hunger during a Lenten campaign.

Stories tap into emotion, and emotion is essential to motivation. Emotion is what allows us to make decisions and act (both “emotion” and “motivate” stem from the same root word meaning “to move”). We’ve all heard presentations about important numbers, like I did yesterday, but numbers, facts, or logical arguments, in and of themselves, don’t cause people to act. Stories, if told well, have this potential. In the Spokane training we used the practice of Public Narrative as a way to share compelling stories about challenges we’ve faced, choices we’ve made, and hope-filled outcomes we’ve achieved. Telling these kinds of stories and inviting others to act upon their own values is essential if we want to achieve purpose in the world.

Everybody has a story that can motivate others to act. I heard them from lay people in Spokane. In the course of three days they uncovered their convictions, found their voices, and told stories about how they have worked with others to overcome obstacles in their lives. They got charged up to do it again.

But stories alone rarely achieve results. In our faith tradition, we trust that the Gospel stories move our hearts and shape our lives into the persons Christ calls us to be. But we’re also called to put our faith into action. Most of us do this better when we do it with others. That’s why we’re the “body of Christ” – together we are more than we are alone.

In practical terms, it usually takes people committing to a shared, measurable goal to move from inspiration to impact. And it usually involves numbers.

Big, meaningful goals matter. The lay folks I met in Spokane demonstrated that they’re willing to dedicate significant time, talent, and resources to a project that can make a real difference. Small expectations aren’t worth our time; big ones draw out the best in us.

Specific, measurable outcomes matter. (Yes, quantifiable with numbers). Without measuring something, how can we tell if we’re on track? This isn’t about perfection in reaching a goal; it’s about aiming high and figuring out how we’re going to get there. If we fall short, we learn something and try again. If we achieve it, we set a more ambitious goal the next time. If we know the numbers of our mission context (e.g. how many people are hungry in our city or where exactly the need has grown) and set measurable goals (e.g. 50% of our average Sunday attendance will give to our project or add one additional hot meal per day in five schools) then we can begin seeing the results of faith in action.

Last week I wrote about “strategy” and “relationships,” noting that we in the Episcopal Church seem to be very strong on relationships, yet weaker on devising effective strategy for mission. Likewise, storytelling is a strength of our religious tradition. We can use stories to build relationships of common commitment. Numbers relate to strategy. Once we are committed to a common purpose, we shouldn’t be shy of numbers to track and measure progress toward our goals.