Jesus commands us in Matthew 28 to make disciples. Following this command in Acts 2, the first church was birthed and “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” You may be asking yourself, but how do I obey the Great Commission and see life change in my church when my people are distracted, busy, and some are apathetic?
The people the Lord used in Acts 2 were people just like us - distracted, busy, and apathetic. You may say, but they didn’t have technology and extracurricular activities and demanding responsibilities like we do today. No, they may not have had those same things in their lives, but they had the same sin nature we have and the tendency to put other things as priority over growing in relationship with Jesus.
If they had the same sin nature, how did the church in Acts 2 carry out the Great Commission and see life change? They practiced spiritual rhythms together and the result was that the Lord daily added to the church those who were being saved.
So then how do we carry out the Great Commission amidst our distractions of technology, extracurricular activities, and demanding responsibilities? One practical way is to set a chart or dashboard before us to remind ourselves and hold ourselves accountable to the foundational rhythms the first church practiced.
Think about the charts parents give children to remind them to do their chores? Or your checking account that holds you accountable to how you manage your finances? Or the dashboard of your car that tells you how things are going and if you need to speed up, slow down, or stop to refuel. Charts and dashboards help us stay accountable to the disciplines that are good for us.
Some church leaders think a chart or dashboard is too corporate-minded, only tracking numbers and not individual people. But the Bible tracked numbers. The book of Numbers recorded more than 600,000 Israelites, their offerings, livestock, and resources over a span of 40 years. Nehemiah tracked those who had returned to Jerusalem and reported to the king (Nehemiah 7). There is value to “keeping record” in order to know, care for, and shepherd the people God has entrusted you to lead.
In the church, a dashboard can help you as a leader stay focused on the right disciplines and monitor how your congregation is responding. A dashboard can help you know when your people are engaged in rhythms of growth or when they are disengaged and distracted by life.
You might say, I don’t know how to use a spreadsheet and numbers overwhelm me. Keep reading. Rooted Network has a simple dashboard template that can help you track and measure how your current plan is impacting discipleship in your church.
This dashboard can help you track 4 key indicators of spiritual growth in your church. If you see growth over time, celebrate the Lord’s work and continue in what is working. If you see decline over time, pause and evaluate where you can adjust and engage your people differently.
The Discipleship Impact Dashboard is available in three different formats, allowing you to choose the one that is easiest for you to use.
Complete this simple form for the three formats to be immediately emailed to your inbox.