Keep Reporting Simple

By Michael Sove

I have tried many different reports over the years and have come to the conclusion that simple is better.  If you are like the average cell leader, you do not like filling out reports, but some basic reporting is critical for leadership to get the overall picture of how things are going.

There is one thing I ask of all my Life Group (cell) leaders on a weekly basis.  I ask them to give us the names of those who attended their gathering.  Turning in the names is simple, not a lot to ask for from leaders, but it speaks volumes.  Some of the questions that get answered by seeing the names of those in attendance are as follows:

Did the Life Group (cell) meet this week? – This shows us if groups are meeting consistently and how we are doing overall.  If a group is cancelling often this will be a red flag and can be caught and responded to quickly.

How many were in attendance? –  This gives us a feel for whether a group is growing, struggling, or stagnant and gives a sense of the core strength of that group.

Were there new people in attendance?  Since we track first time guests and are trying to connect unconnected people, we can see immediately if connections are being made.

Who is being consistent in attendance?  This can help us spot potential leaders as well as help us see if a person has dropped out of participation in a group.

Once I know how many people are involved in our groups on a weekly basis, we compare the total with total worship attendance to see how we’re doing as far as percentage involved in our Life Groups.  We want that percentage to be going up over time.

Where this all comes together is in the monthly coaching meeting.  I and the other coaches meet each leader for a face to face meeting and it is at that meeting we look at other issues like who is being discipled and where are they in the process.  The basic report of who attended their cell becomes the springboard of many of our coaching follow-up questions.

Keeping the initial week to week reporting from the cell group leaders simple helps streamline the reporting process and is appreciated as well by busy leaders.  Obviously what you ask for may vary based on what you are trying to measure.  I have found simple to be better.  Use the K.I.S.S. principle and keep it statistically simple and you’ll be glad you did.

What works for you?

Michael

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