The Year in Review of the Pastor’s Ministry

Brian’s note: My friend, Dr. Randy M. Keeley, creator of my favorite church health evaluation, the Ministry Mapping Survey, has created this great tool for the oftentimes difficult task of pastoral performance reviews.  It looks like it should lead to some great, in-depth discussions. 

You’ll find Dr. Keeley’s bio at www.randywkeeley@weebly.com

Dr. Keeley’s email address is dr.randymk@gmail.com

……………………………………………………………………..

Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” Regular evaluation helps us to be intentional in our pursuits and faithful to our purpose and mission. The purpose of a pastoral evaluation is not to grade the pastor or give a “corporate performance review” but to pause to reflect on the health of our pastor, the fruitfulness of his labor, and how we can help him to grow and faithfully fulfill his calling. The goal is to affirm what God is doing, reveal any blind spots, deal with any unmet expectations, and keep us on the same page for the coming year. The pastor is asked to discuss his answers to the following questions while inviting reflection and insight from the board regarding his assessment of himself.

Model of Christ

1. The apostle Paul says to be imitators of me as I am of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1) In what ways have you grown to be more like Christ over the past year?
2. Proverbs 4:23 exclaims, “above all else, guard your heart!” How are you caring for your soul?
3. What issues of character development are you working on in the coming year (1 Timothy 3:1-7)?
4. In washing the disciples’ feet and in other ways, Christ modeled servant leadership. How are you being a servant leader?
5. How are the relationships in your life? Are there any strained relationships that need to be repaired?
6. How are you doing balancing ministry and caring for your family?

Messenger of God and His Word

1. In what ways do you feel you are connecting with the congregation as you preach?
2. How are your sermons helping people take the next step in their walk with God?
3. What needs in our church and in our community have you addressed in your messages this past year?
4. What are your preaching themes for the next year and why?
5. What is one aspect of your preaching where you would like to grow?

Mentoring

1. Who have you been discipling this past year? Describe this process.
2. How are you reproducing yourself as a leader?
3. Who is mentoring you?
4. How have you grown as a pastor and leader in the past year?
5. How do you need to grow as a pastor and leader in the coming year?

Mobilizing

1. In what ways are you using your time and energy to move the church toward accomplishing the mission to make disciples?
2. What things are distracting you from leading the church to accomplish its mission to make disciples?
3. In what ways are you working in areas of your gifting, passions, and strengths?
4. In what ways are you working in areas where you are not gifted, passionate or strong?
5. Where do you need help and/or resources to faithfully accomplish your ministry?

Mapping the Future

1. How do you think you did in accomplishing your personal ministry goals you set for yourself last year?
2. How do you think you did in helping the church to accomplish its ministry goals last year?
3. What are your personal ministry goals for the coming year?
4. What do you think the church’s ministry goals should be for the coming year?
5. Evaluate your performance in light of your written job description.
6. What “unwritten expectations” did you discover over the past year? How should these be handled?

Moving Forward

1. In reviewing your ministry, what were your greatest joys over this past year?
2. In reviewing your ministry, what were your greatest disappointments over this past year?
3. In reviewing your ministry, what were your greatest challenges over this past year?
4. In reviewing your ministry, what were your greatest frustrations over this past year?
5. What can be learned and applied to the coming year from the last four questions and this review process?

Copyright ©2012 by Randy M. Keeley • Permission to reproduce is granted for local church use, provided the content is unchanged and this copyright notice is included.