“Part of the challenge for us at Granger Community Church,” says pastor of connections Mark Waltz, “is that we teach and encourage relationships – not merely groups.” Waltz leads a workshop on groups for WiredChurches.com, called Getting a Grip on Groups. In it, he helps pastors, church leaders and volunteers discover the whys and hows of group ministry. Waltz maintains that groups are “a method – not the essence” of what Granger wants to accomplish. “We have groups, we create groups, we have a group ministry; but we strive to practice authentic, caring, Christ-honoring relationships.” Of course, he notes, groups are much easier to measure than relationships – a fuzzy concept at best.

With groups, you can count heads, track turnover, look at leader longevity. But measuring relationships? The standard response is a puzzled look and “hmmm....” Waltz admits that “establishing a target is challenging.” After all, what number in group relationships would signify “successful” or “sufficient?” That said, Waltz argues that “success is always about accomplishing stated goals, objectives, mission – and every church should have those.” He cites two categories of measurement that are vital for measuring success. Hard measurements – those that are evident in identifiable, trackable numbers and percentages; and, soft-side measurements– including feedback and personal stories that reveal perception and, in the case of the local church, life change.

There is a danger in swinging the measurement pendulum too far to the soft-side, says Waltz, and validating the success of groups solely through stories of relationship – no one expects the hard measurements to be inspected. “But remember, what's expected gets inspected.” Both sets of measurement tools – hard and soft – are important. And though some may criticize “counting heads” as impersonal and ineffective, Waltz puts that form of measurement in a different light. “Numbers are people – always people. And people matter. They matter to God and they matter to us. Period.”

He notes that a great personal testimony is just that – great! But, when charged with the responsibility to create environments for people to connect to each other and Christ, he adds, “Who and how many of our people are stepping toward Christ in those environments will determine whether or not we even hear stories of life change.”