Growth Plan Forecasting Tool

This tool helps you visualize the real work required to reach your church membership growth goal, and how long it will realistically take to get there. Often we don't fully reckon with the scope of effort growth demands. Yes, faith is critical. Yes, God is the one who causes the growth. He does, however, require us to express our faith through diligent, strategic hard work.

Proverbs 28:19 · NASB "He who tills his land will have plenty of food, But he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty."

Proverbs 21:5 · NASB "The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty."

Proverbs 14:23 · NASB "In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty."

Step 1 of 3, Your Ministry Today 33%

Section 01

Your Ministry Today

Let's start with where you are right now and where you want to go. These two numbers anchor everything that follows.

What is the total size of the ministry you lead right now?

members

Please enter your current ministry size.

What is your target membership size, the goal you are working toward?

This tool will calculate exactly what it takes to get there.

members

Please enter your target membership size.

How many total baptisms do you have, on average, each year?

baptisms / year

Please enter your average annual baptisms.

How many of those average annual baptisms happen in each season?

Must add up to your total average annual baptisms entered above.

Winter (Jan–Mar)

Spring (Apr–Jun)

Summer (Jul–Sep)

Fall (Oct–Dec)

Season Total 0

All four seasons must add up to your total annual baptisms before you can continue.

Section 02

Membership Flow

Beyond baptisms, every ministry has people coming and going for other reasons. These numbers help calculate your true net growth requirement.

How many people move into your area and join your ministry, on average, each year?

move-ins / year

How many people move away and leave your ministry, on average, each year?

move-outs / year

How many people leave your ministry for other reasons (spiritual drift, relocation of membership, etc.), on average, each year?

people / year

Section 03

Your Evangelism Pipeline

These numbers reveal the effort behind each baptism, and how many people in your ministry are actually driving that effort.

How many unique individuals, on average and in total, study the Bible each year?

Count individuals who completed at least one study with a member of your ministry.

students / year

How many people in your ministry (including yourself) are the ones actively bringing people into Bible study?

These are your active faith sharers. They consistently reach out to set up studies with others.

faith sharers

How many people do you estimate are reached out to each year by your active faith sharers?

An estimate is fine, count meaningful spiritual conversations, invitations to study, or people approached about faith.

contacts / year

What is the average length of time it takes from when someone starts studying the Bible to when they are baptized?

days

Your Growth Forecast

Here is what the numbers say about the journey from where you are to where you want to go.

1 · Your Ministry Today

Current Members

—

Target Members

—

Net Growth Needed

—

% Actively Evangelizing

—

2 · Membership Flow (per year)

Baptisms + Move-ins

—

annual additions

Move-outs + Other Losses

—

annual losses

Net Annual Gain

—

real growth per year

Adjusted Baptisms Needed

—

accounting for losses

3 · Your Evangelism Pipeline (current annual rates)

Outreach → Study Rate

—

of contacts start studying

Study → Baptism Rate

—

of students get baptized

Baptisms per Faith-Sharer

—

per active faith-sharer / year

Avg Days Study → Baptism

—

days

4 · Timeline to Reach Your Goal

Years to Target

—

at your current annual pace

Weeks to Target

—

at your current annual pace

5 · What One Year Needs to Look Like (average per year, by season)

Season	Baptisms per Year	Bible Studies per Year	Outreach Contacts	Faith-Sharers Needed
ANNUAL TOTAL	—	—	—	—

—

6 · Compressing the Timeline

There are several ways to compress this timeline. Growth can be accelerated by holding large events where members invite people and share their faith, by inspiring more and more members to become active faith sharers, and by increasing your social media presence and outreach reach.

Ask the Lord of the Harvest

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Matthew 9:37-38 (NASB)