The paper was bright orange. The printing was faded, originating in pre-photocopier, Gestetner days. There were two sheets. I still have them, somewhere in those boxes two metres from me…
As a young pastor these sheets of paper captivated me. Developed by what was called the Association of Church Missionary Committees (ACMC), they described a series of barometers by which a local church could measure its progress towards being an effective missionary-sending church. Maybe eight barometers, with each one articulating the series of steps a local church could take from ‘just beginning’ to ‘being effective’.
I work in a ministry called Langham Preaching. We are about nurturing indigenous, grassroots movements of biblical preaching. About seven years ago we started playing with a series of our own ‘maturity barometers’. We identified seven areas, each with their own five descriptors, as we looked to articulate the journey from ‘just beginning’ to ‘self-sustaining’.
With input needed from around the world, this exercise took time. The words keep evolving. Now we call them ‘growth indicators’. We plan to refresh the descriptors again next year. However, slowly and surely, they are embedding themselves into the life of our preaching movements, enabling them both to audit how far they’ve come and provide a vision of where they still need to go. The plan is that in each year, each preaching movement will pause to complete this exercise…
A few weeks ago I was in Ethiopia, observing the work from across sub-Saharan Africa, as 75 leaders from 30 preaching movements gathered for a week together.
There was a session on the growth indicators.
It was fantastic.
For the record, the seven ‘growth indicators’ cover Leadership; Finance; Clubs (different words are used in different places, but these are the small groups where the transformation takes place); Facilitators, or trainers; Diversity; Impact; and Resources.
nice chatting
Paul
About Me

the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.
Recent Posts
Just when I thought that it could not be possible to have another first-hand account of the impact of John Stott’s life (d. 2011), along comes this book by his close friend, John Wyatt. I am always ready to learn more about John Stott, but also about friendship. It fascinates me. It keeps coming up…
Reading stories to grandchildren over Christmas reminded me again of how powerful they can be. They are so compact and simple in presentation, and yet so clever in construction. There are just so many features at work in an effective story. It is some years since I taught narrative preaching, but when I did I’d…
Apart from the eight years in which we were based overseas, Barby has been working at the Refugee Resettlement Center in Auckland since 2002. This year she is a ‘release teacher’, spending one day each week in three different classrooms, with three different age groups. Impressive—and demanding. One day is spent with 11-13 year olds—from…
Everyone is looking at them so intently! Striking to see.
Exactly, that is what captured me as well!