How do you know if you're doing it well?

Why do we gather together to do "church"? If you don't know the reason why you're doing something, how can you know whether you're doing it well or not?

Typical Answer: To glorify God and worship Him together.

Problem: True and biblical--but also vague. While not incorrect, this answer is insufficient.

Maybe a more helpful way of asking this question is: How will you know if you've been successful?

Typical Answer: When we are making disciples of Jesus Christ (see the Great Commission - Matthew 28.18-20).

Problem: Biblical and awesome--accurate but still ambiguous.  It's an outcome that says nothing about what a successful gathering looks like.

The gospel by itself is powerful and fruitful. But that doesn't absolve us from the responsibility of designing and pulling off meaningful experiences. Jesus told a story about some seed returning from thirtyfold up to a hundredfold (Matthew 13.18-23). All fruitfulness isn't equally fruitful.

Until you can define the purpose of your gathering in more specific, measurable ways than grand spiritual outcomes, you remain confined to guessing whether you could be more fruitful.