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Why do churches count the number of people that attend the services?
Discussion
59 comments
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I think that’s only done by growing churches(small churches being founded to keep record and also just to see how many attended.. Big churches can never manage that say, a church with millions of people, they can’t keep up with that.
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I think it’s important. Not for bragging rights…
But if you look at a church over say a 10 year period… and you have seen a steady decline in attendance (eg. 10 years ago there was 250 people in the church, and now there is only 85) – it shows that maybe you aren’t being as relevant or evangelical as you were and may flag some changes you need to make as a pastor to your methods and how to encourage your congregation. -
An exec pastor told me they count because a sign of a healthy church is a growing church.
Hillsong’s mantra is that they “count every person because every person counts”
?!
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To know when to move to a bigger place.
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So in case the place catches on fire they know who’s there to get out.
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Why shouldn’t they keep track of the sheep?
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A lot of churches have a church membership list, and if it is a big church, I suppose the pastor would like to know how many people are attending compared to the list. They need to keep tabs on the flock!
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Not really an apologetics questiom
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So they know how many chocolate eggs to buy for Easter.
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to know how many people are in the service.
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Feeding of 5000. Did someone count?
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Some things are not bad in themselves but the motive holds key
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It is also for security purposes. We need to know how many people are present during this particular time of service.
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To account for church growth because of the great commission given by Christ Jesus.
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Can I share a perspective as a church administrator: firstly, there is biblical evidence for the keeping of numerical records, eg Sodom, Jewish history and “the Lord added 3,000 to their number that day.” Secondly, it is good to track trends, which might include monitoring shifts in attendance between multiple services. Thirdly, we are obliged legally and morally to ensure Health & Safety of members, which includes not exceeding the official capacity of church facilities. Finally, no shepherd does not know how many sheep are in his flock.
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Shepherds can only know if they lost one if they know exactly how many their are.
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Because statistics are interesting
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I’m not sure if that is done from a spiritual standpoint but rather proper management. You can provide programmers geared towards you congregation when you know quantity,gender,age differences etc
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Because they’re carnal
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. -
So they can figure how much money they can rake in
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To implement social distancing maybe?
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Shepherds must know their sheep,to take care of them.
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That really depends on the church really. You’d probably have to speak to churches individually on that.
It can be multiple reasons, such as observing church growth, surveying the amount of non-believers, recruiting for small groups etc. There doesn’t have to be anything untoward or malicious about it.
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Robert Turnley
The Bible has instances where those present were counted so it is NOT carnal, it’s Biblical.Don’t forget the is a book in the Bible called NUMBERS.
Acts 1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls
Somebody COUNTED them, and God has the numbers in the Bible.
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Yes there are instances in the Bible where people are counted. How many of these occasions did someone physically walk around and count and how many were given by God through inspiration to the writers no one knows. I am just focusing on the “why” for counting today.
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I am just concerned about the reason churches count when it should not be about numbers.
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Our church does so for practical reasons. Our building occupation capacity is designated by local ordinance so need to check trends for seating, additional space, if additional services are warranted, etc.
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We provide coffee and sweets, study guides to our sermons, bulletins, etc. We need to know how much to provide. But to your question, I’m not sure that’s the main reason.
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I have always wondered why this actually bothers people so much. It’s just become a popular thing to hate on.
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Umm, to see how to effectively distribute resources. Government census for comparison.
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Number crunching is a secular pastime. A church can easily tell whether it is growing or declining without counting. The secular world is obsessed with statistics. We should, as the body of Christ, never fall into that trap. Paul might plant and Apollos might water, but God gives the increase. You have also the fact that God has never promised that there would be nothing more than a remnant, when compared with the world’s population, making up His church. As far as God’s kingdom is concerned numbers mean very little.
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It’s a valid metric for assessing progress, not success, in the mission.
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To measure growth in attendance.
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For safety. If there’s a fire or some other emergency, we can know if everyone got out. ??♀️ idk about all these other reasons…
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How do we know jesus fed 5000? Someone needs to keep track of these things
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Declining numbers indicate a problem, how can you fix something if you don’t know?
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Does a Shepard not know the number of his flock?
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Ask them ?
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Pro 27:23
Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;
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I think it because of tithes. The numbers can let them know how much they could effectively bring in for budget purposes….scary but the condition of the flock is known through relationship. Many churches in truth today have small numbers.
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Question I see needing to be asked.
Why is it your question? -
So they know how many people attended.
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Statistics.
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Bank ask if ???? is required
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Because it is about numbers
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We count people because people count. You can’t manage what you don’t measure….just a thought
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Sometimes it turns into nickles; numbers & noses
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We count because the copyright license is based on how many people attend. There may be other reasons too, but they are less important.
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to figure out the pastor’s salary
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Because they have a goal to have more members.
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For several different purposes. 1. For growth -are we spreading the gospel and inviting more and more people. 2. Were there any from our congregation that we’re missing. Are they ok? How can we help them? “Organization” has become a negative connotation when it comes to church but we still have to be organized?
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My guess is, It helps to see if they are on the right track. If they are loosing people they need to recheck their message, Maybe the pastor is not quite up to par or whatever. It help to keep the church in check!
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Fire code
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That depends on your church. The church we go to doesn’t count.
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Why did the disciples number their peple after Peter’s first and second sermons after Pentecost?
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that is a very good question. but i think i know since being in church much of my life and being a pastor. For pastor it is a thing they can brag about. Most do not know how much pastor do this unlesss you go to a pastor fellowship.
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