{"id":20648,"date":"2022-02-16T16:26:57","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T16:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/?p=20648"},"modified":"2023-11-16T22:34:00","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T22:34:00","slug":"measuring-impact-business-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/leadership\/measuring-impact-business-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Measure the Ministry Impact of Your Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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As business leaders, we know the importance of measurement. We track revenue and sales numbers on a weekly or even daily basis. We measure overhead and costs to eliminate inefficiencies. We calculate the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns by clicks and conversions. Measurement helps us track goals and increase performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christian CEOs, who seek to honor God with their businesses, often live with an unsettling conviction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to economic performance, these leaders care about their impact on people. And while they know how to measure their companies\u2019 economic effectiveness, measuring their personal and spiritual impact seems much more challenging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C12\u2019s Tri-Value model provides Christian leaders with a framework to evaluate their business effectiveness. This model emphasizes the importance of a three-factor approach to business: economic value, team value, and spiritual value.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tri<\/p>\n

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When leaders focus on team and spiritual value, in addition to economic value, they exponentially increase their impact on people. We refer to this integrated approach as Business as a Ministry, or BaaM.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This three-factor approach prompts Christian CEOs to ask some challenging questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  • Have we identified specific BaaM strategies that increase team and spiritual impact among our people?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • How can we know if we are achieving our vision for impact?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Brandon West is a C12 member and the Chief Purpose Officer at PHOS Creative, a digital marketing agency with 21 employees headquartered in Florida. PHOS is committed to delivering excellence to clients while exemplifying the love of Christ. While that BaaM mission is evident on their website, PHOS employees struggled to see how their daily work actually advanced that mission.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Brandon wondered how he could motivate his employees and help them see the impact they were having through their BaaM initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    The Importance of Measurement<\/b><\/p>\n

    Peter Drucker famously said, \u201cYou can\u2019t manage what you don\u2019t measure.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    This observation kick-started an obsession with business metrics and the drive to define and improve Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). A good KPI is specific, measurable, and impactful to overall business goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    For leaders working to build God-honoring businesses, new metrics are needed to quantify the Business as a Ministry (BaaM) goals envisioned in the three-sector approach of the Tri-Value Model: economic value, team value and spiritual value.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Measuring BaaM impact helps leaders:<\/span><\/p>\n

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    • Demonstrate the collective impact of multiple contributions<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Focus efforts on the most fruitful activities<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Uncover hidden needs in and around the business<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Create accountability to live out the company\u2019s values<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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      Why Leaders are Reluctant to Measure BaaM<\/b><\/p>\n

      Although leaders understand the importance of utilizing KPIs in their business operations, some Christian CEOs resist measurement in their Business as a Ministry (BaaM) initiatives.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

      Common concerns are:<\/span><\/p>\n

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      • Measuring ministry will cheapen the activity<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Scorekeeping will lead to legalism or a works orientation<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Higher ministry visibility will cause legal issues<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Ministry metrics will be hard to measure<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        While these concerns are real, they are not insurmountable. With vision, a plan, and peer support, hundreds of leaders have pushed through the challenges to implement effective BaaM initiatives in their businesses with a measurable impact.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

        One Christian CEO, a C12 member, regularly asks himself this challenging question: \u201cIf my business grows threefold, but doesn\u2019t scale its BaaM impact, is it really successful in God\u2019s eyes?\u201d<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

        Measuring ministry efforts is a discipline unique to the BaaM paradigm. Just as business leaders use KPIs to meet economic objectives, effective BaaM leaders will put KPIs in place to quantify spiritual and team objectives.<\/span><\/p>\n

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        Measuring in the Bible<\/b><\/p>\n

        The Bible records numerous instances where God led His people to measure their efforts in a spiritual context.<\/span><\/p>\n

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        • Numbers 1<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span> and<\/span> Numbers 26<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span> recount Moses\u2019 two meticulous censuses, a detailed counting of the number of people in each of Israel\u2019s 12 tribes.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • In <\/span>Acts 2:41<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Luke counts 3,000 saved on the Day of Pentecost.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Jesus\u2019 loaves and fishes miracle counted 5,000 followers fed in <\/span>Matt 14:13-21<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          At C12, one of our core values is <\/span>Results Matter<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span>. \u201cGod measures results and so should we.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          This begs the question: How can we bring the same data-driven discipline to measure the impact of our BaaM efforts that we bring to other business objectives?<\/span><\/p>\n

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          Determining Our BaaM Metrics<\/b><\/p>\n

          Building a Business as a Ministry (BaaM) requires the same disciplines and best practices most leaders already employ: setting targets, developing execution plans, and measuring progress.<\/span><\/p>\n

          While most business leaders are comfortable quantifying success metrics in the economic sector of the Tri-Value Model, they struggle to determine appropriate BaaM metrics for the team and spiritual sectors.<\/span><\/p>\n

          The goal-settling experience of our colleagues in the social sector can be instructive. In his monograph <\/span>Good to Great for Social Sectors<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/span>, Jim Collins suggests social sector leaders operate under a different set of metrics. He says:<\/span><\/p>\n

          \u201cA great organization is one that delivers superior performance and makes a distinctive impact over a long period of time \u2026 For a social sector organization, however, performance must be assessed relative to mission, not financial returns. In the social sectors, the critical question is \u2026 How effectively do we deliver on our mission and make a distinctive impact, relative to our resources?\u201d<\/strong> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

          – <\/i>Jim Collins<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Thus, Christian CEOs who want to effectively incorporate BaaM initiatives into their businesses will need to adopt a unique both\/and mentality. These leaders will operate under two sets of metrics: 1) performance metrics to measure the business\u2019 economic goals <\/span>and<\/span> 2) ministry metrics to measure the business\u2019 spiritual and team impact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          Just like every business\u2019 economic metrics are different, every business\u2019 BaaM metrics will be unique to their specific culture, passions, and interests. Some business owners provide financial support for employees to adopt children out of foster care. Others support local food banks, encourage chaplaincy, or experience mission trips together.<\/span><\/p>\n

          Eligibility Consultants Inc. (ECI) has a mission to alleviate the burden of unpaid medical bills by helping patients access state and federal programs. When a patient receives aid, ECI\u2019s president sends the recipient a <\/span>pocket Gospel of John<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span> with a letter to express how their debt relief points to a debt that was paid by Jesus Christ.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          Over the years, the ECI team has taken the rubber bands from each bundle of Gospels to create a large rubber band ball. The growing ball serves as a scorecard, a visual reminder of the business\u2019 greater purpose to transform lives. (You can hear more by watching the video on <\/span>C12\u2019s YouTube Channel<\/span><\/a><\/span>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          Some other examples of BaaM metrics could include:<\/span><\/p>\n

          \"Sample<\/p>\n

          To identify which BaaM metrics may fit for your organization, ask:<\/span><\/p>\n

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          • What would increased care look like for people in our company?<\/span><\/li>\n
          • What are the leading and lagging indicators that inform our sense of ministry fruitfulness?<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Thirty years from now, what metrics would we be most proud of?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            C12\u2019s <\/span>105 Business as a Ministry Ideas <\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/span>e-book is a robust resource that our members reference often to inspire new ways to increase their spiritual impact in the business.<\/span><\/p>\n

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            Inspiring Engagement and Impact<\/b><\/p>\n

            Once we decide on the Business as a Ministry (BaaM) strategies that are right for our business, our next step is to track, assess, and report on our BaaM activities over time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

            And just like we invite and empower others on our teams to advance specific business objectives, we should invite and empower others to help advance our BaaM objectives. Identify the people in your organization whose passions align with your ministry goals. The more we empower these people to own a specific objective, the more our ministry activities become a part of the culture.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

            C12\u2019s BaaM Scorecard Template<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0is a customizable spreadsheet that will give you a jumpstart in developing a measuring discipline. This tool will help you identify your key initiatives, assign owners, and track progress toward goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

            Your BaaM goals should \u201cspur you on to love and good deeds.\u201d (<\/span>Hebrews 10:24<\/span><\/a><\/span>) And it\u2019s okay to start small. The intent is to increase sincere people-oriented behavior and meaningful outcomes over time. Approach your BaaM metrics with a spirit of grace to learn, adjust, improve, and celebrate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

            Yes \u2013 celebrate!<\/span><\/p>\n

            When BaaM efforts feel genuine to the organization, metrics can become a source of employee motivation and celebration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            Illuminating the Marketplace<\/b><\/p>\n

            When Brandon West at PHOS met with one of the company\u2019s interns, he realized his employees didn\u2019t fully understand the impact of their work. So he created a powerful visual to change that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n