Welcome to the Number Matters blog. Its a pretty small niche eh? I wonder who you are and why you are reading this. You may be a church stats nurd like me – but I doubt it – there’s mighty few of us.
So I don’t expect you to know or love statistics. The purpose of this blog is to help you with that. I hope you are someone who is concerned about the church (Canadian, Anglican, or not!). I hope that you are intrigued about how statistics might speak to that concern. I hope you bring a hungry heart and an open mind, and I hope this blog will feed both.
Why church statistics?
Why any statistics? Most people are tempted to believe the twin falsehoods that there are “lies, damned lies, and statistics” and that “you can prove anything with statistics”. What seems to matter today is that the numbers are believable, not that they are accurate.* But our modern world is based on statistics, because it is based on science and on commerce. Both of those depend on numbers – statistics. Numbers literally surround us; flying through the air as internet data. So numbers matter.
My first training was as an engineer. When you are designing an engineering project, numbers matter. The numbers can literally be the difference between life and death. They are always the
difference between success and failure. But my background in a numerate discipline is unusual in the church. Most church leaders seem to have an arts background not a science background. For example in the current ACC (Anglican Church of Canada) House of Bishops only 5 out of 40 Bishops have either a B.Sc. or a technology qualification. A numerate background means you are comfortable with numbers
like a millennial is comfortable with social media. This blog is written out of the conviction that numbers matter in the church just as much as in science and technology. Here’s is why:
I first got involved in the national Anglican church in 2010. I had gone along as a delegate to General Synod in Halifax to gain some understanding of how our “beloved church” functions. In the debates I became aware that the statistics about our membership were being treated in ways very similar to financial data and often by the same people, i.e. church treasurers. My PhD is in sociology so I am very aware of the difference between data about people and data about dollars. To my thinking the difference is like that between apples and ants – especially because ants are always moving! I spoke on the floor of synod about why those numbers matter and was later invited to join the relevant national committee (“The fun committee”)
Since then I have gained a degree of notoriety for reporting the statistics for the church, and the simple projections of those statistics**. We are in a huge time of change in the church and the world, and the statistics reflect that change. They are often not comfortable for any of us to see. But I believe that neither denial nor avoidance serve the mission of the church. By paying attention to the numbers that matter, we can adapt appropriately.
And numbers aren’t just a matter of science and social change. Our statistics are one way that God is speaking to God’s church. They are a matter of theology and history. God has always spoken to God’s people though numbers. One of the first books of the bible is called Numbers. Numbers permeate the whole bible: from the seven days of creation in Genesis 1 to the size of the city of God in Revelation 21. And yet today we often pass over those numbers because we don’t understand them, or even imagine that they might matter. Part of the purpose of this blog is to re-affirm the prophetic significance of numbers for the church, hence the title “Numbers Matters”.
So in this blog I will take a weekly look at numbers. Where there are numbers about the church to
discuss I will do it (“Church Stats”). I will take time to explain what our numbers mean (“Stats Briefs”). Where there are numbers about our world to discuss, particularly the world after Covid, I will
do it (“World Stats”). And I will be taking regular sessions to look at how numbers are significant in the bible (“Bible Numbers”). My focus is not just the Anglican Church of Canada but other Canadian and Anglican churches. My hope is that this will inform, educate and even entertain you. I would encourage you to share this blog with your friends and colleagues, and I would very much value your feedback, finally please subscribe using the button below – because these numbers matters too!
* For more on this read Damned Lies and Statistics by
Joel Best
** The “Elliot report”, 2019
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