Measuring for Change: How HR Metrics can Transform your Ministry

Published in the Outcomes Journal of the Christian Leadership Alliance, Summer 2013
By Dan Wierenga

Early in his ministry, faced with increased questioning by religious leaders, Jesus tells a parable that likely resonated with some workers of his day: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better’” (Luke 5:36-39).

After 25 years working in Human Resources (HR) management, exclusively with not-for-profit ministries, I can very much relate to a message conveyed through this parable: “Change is difficult!” It’s true both in our personal lives, and in the corporate life of our ministry organizations. How often have you and I heard words to the effect, “The old is better,” when presenting the need for change? And how often have I witnessed, and personally succumbed, to staying in a comfort zone, holding tight to the status quo, rather than electing to go through the difficult process of change?
RBC Ministries, where I serve as the Vice President of Work Culture and People Development, is in the midst of