What does good look like? It is human to judge and to measure. We are meaning making, measuring machines. We all have our categories for “What good looks like” at home, at work, and even at church. Those categories often are based upon our history. I remember how important it was for a childhood friend’s family when the friend graduated from college. He was the first in his family to become a college graduate. So when he graduated from college his parents celebrated the accomplishment because he was the first – he was changing the story, he was the hero. He had made a difference.
At work ‘good’ can look like a promotion, increased market share, or even doing a random act of kindness that results in the usual sour faced colleague cracking a smile. But what does ‘good’ look like at church? Is it a moving anthem sung by the choir? Or a new family sitting in front of you that you welcome? Or is it a challenging sermon from the pulpit. ‘Good’ can look different to each one of us. If we don’t know ‘What good looks like’ then how do we know when we’ve made a difference?
Mark Sampson of the Transformational Index speaks about the social impact of non-profits and how to measure that impact. Defining ‘What good looks like’ is the first step for Mark in making an impact and measuring that impact. The categories that we measure (whether explicitly or implicitly) are based upon our story. Mark says that most organizations are ‘possessed by a story that we cannot articulate.’ For some organizations that is a story of scarcity which leads to over control and stagnation. Other organizations have a story of an over-abundance of resources which leads to mission creep in an attempt to do everything (or anything).
Many organizations assume that what they need is more resources. But much like the lottery winner who becomes bankrupt within 3 years – organizations that have a windfall of resources are no more likely to be successful than other less resourced organizations. What makes a difference is knowing ‘What good looks like’. Most organizationsdo not need more resources but rather more clarity around the mission and vision of the organization.
As one of colleagues is fond of saying, “When you don’t know where you are going – any road will do!”
The church I serve as Senior Pastor has a good grasp of ‘What good looks like – .’ It looks like a congregation who is raising a generation in faith through being fluent in the faith (especially the hope that we find in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ), through giving testimony to the personal and powerful ways that God is working in our lives, having a call to invest our lives in a legacy that will benefit others, and to be a high expectation community – that when one of us is lost or hurting we carry them to the feet of Jesus no matter what time of day it is.
Are you interested in discerning ‘What good looks like -‘