How to Measure Church Growth with a Hybrid Worship Service

For a long time, the church and spiritual growth depended on physical gathering, but the pandemic forced church members to explore other options. This situation opens the door for hybrid worship services to become the new normal. 

While opinions on hybrid services and worship vary, most agree that it can benefit people who may not attend such services regularly. The challenge is, how do you measure or track growth in such a set-up?

There are some standards and best practices to follow when selecting how to measure and track church growth for in-person and virtual church members.

Virtual

Monitor the devices that have been logged in.

This is a simple technique to gauge online attendance. This method of tracking attendance eliminates guesswork and gives you a precise statistic for your Sunday service. If you are streaming your services online, you will need to utilize video analytics to determine average weekly attendance.

You may also design an attendance form and ask everyone to check-in. You may construct forms using Google Sheets or other online spreadsheet databases.

Make "Lobby Time" available.

One of the benefits of gathering remotely is the chance to interact before or after the event. Create a lobby experience with chat windows or Zoom break-out rooms where people can greet each other, converse, and interact. 

Online forms are a convenient tool to track attendance and collect information from church members. Tithe.ly  provides free church management software, as well as some church forms and tools. You can simply start from scratch or use one of the premade forms, such as a prayer request, event, workshops, or a donation form.

Calculate Engagement 

The amount of time they remained with you throughout your broadcast is a good indicator of engagement. Audiences connected for 20 minutes or more are often measured. You might also check the chatroom activity (which is likely to be restricted since most viewers will go full screen). 
Another great tool to utilize is the Facebook Insights page, which displays a graphical representation of your page's performance, including the number of minutes spent viewing and watching videos. This is also the same thing with Youtube. You can also check how long your videos have been seen overall, the most popular videos, and the most recent ones on your YouTube Creator Studio.

Facebook: Where to Find Insights 

Youtube: YouTube Instructions 
If you use your church's website for live streaming, make the instructions clear and easy to navigate. Your church members will have poor online engagement and a bad experience if your site lacks clear calls to action.
If you want a simple, functional, and dynamic website, consider using a Tithe.ly site. By using Tithe.ly you can create a website that attracts new members and keeps the ones you already have engaged.
There are so many engagement measures to keep track of that it can be intimidating, but establishing a few key engagement metrics can help you understand how well your online audience responds to your message and help you monitor and assess progress.

In-person

Count the numbers of new visitors

This metric reveals how well your community is receiving your outreach activities. Outreach is essential for the development of new ministry opportunities. Increasing the number of people who visit your church on a regular basis has a direct impact on the financial stability of the church and the growth of the congregation.

Count those who participate as volunteers

This reflects how well you involve your connected congregation in the process of ministry. Finding volunteers who are dedicated and committed can help a church grow. Having the chance to serve others helps members of your congregation form close bonds with one another, grow in their faith, and experience the pleasure that comes from genuine service. Volunteer management is made simple and effective with the use of tools and technologies like Tithely.

Bottom line

The church must continue to bring people together. You can accomplish this with both in-person and online church sessions. Churches can embrace the present situation, grab the chance to explore and innovate, and develop a ready church for what is ahead. This can be a great harvest season if you respond with compassion and courage rather than fear.

Embracing a hybrid strategy does not imply altering your identity as a church. It's all about customizing your approach based on the community you hope to reach.

Or in the words of the apostle Paul, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22)