"Do your pastor and arts team meet weekly to evaluate your services?" It's a question I've asked in leadership gatherings all over the world, and every time, I'm disappointed by how few hands go up in response. Planning teams who routinely engage the discipline of evaluation are as rare as sunny days in a Chicago winter.
Some leaders wonder if evaluation is biblical. Others default to the lack-of-time excuse: Sundays come so regularly we must move on to the next. And then there's defensiveness: Most of us don't know how to give or receive constructive criticism without sinning! It's much safer to put last Sunday behind us and brainstorm for the next.
Here's a bold challenge: begin now engaging in a weekly process of evaluating Sunday services. Here's what you'll gain:
1. Reason to celebrate
Always begin evaluation discussions with celebration. Focus first and foremost on the good work God did through your service. Ask team members to identify moments from the service when it felt obvious God was at work, and affirm the hard work and creativity of team members whose contributions made those moments possible.
Be specific in how you honor one another, and watch how the eyes of team members light up as they feel appreciated. Share any stories you may have heard about how people in the congregation were inspired, challenged, or transformed because of the Sunday service.
All together, your team can say "Yeah, God!" for everything that worked well.
2. Reality checks
My pastor says a primary task of every leader is to define reality. Evaluation meetings enable teams to truthfully assess not only what was effective, but also what did not go well. Did parts of the service fail to communicate with authenticity, clarity, excellence, biblical relevance, or creativity? Together we have the courage to admit that despite our efforts, some moments didn't deliver as we hoped.
Any team that learns over time to navigate such conversations in a safe environment is a healthy team.
3. Learning from last week
The goal of evaluation is not perfection, but consistent growth and improvement over the long haul. It's all about learning. Together we ask, "What can we do better in our process or planning so we won't make the same mistake next time?"
At my church, we've been evaluating and learning since our earliest days, when we took a lot of risks and made a lot of mistakes. The only way any team gets better is to learn from last week. We build a portfolio of "learnings" that refines our instincts and leads us to more informed choices next time.
So how about it? Will you dare to evaluate every week? It may not be easy, but you won't regret it.
Nancy Beach is teaching pastor and creative arts director at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois.
First Impressions Test: Competing Ministries
Your printed material is part of your guests' overall experience, often their first experience with your church. — I recently visited a church in which I found an oversized missions-outreach brochure at an information kiosk. Printed on glossy card stock with full-color, high-resolution artwork, it was definitely the classiest piece on display. By comparison, small group ministries, children's ministries, and the weekend bulletin were all printed in grayscale on various colors of paper.
First I wondered if the church had corporately agreed that this was the predominant message it wanted to convey. Did it intend to draw attention to this piece at the expense of the other ministries?
My second theory was likely the more accurate one. Perhaps this church had not decided to publicize all its ministries through one communication channel, thereby telling one consistent story with one consistent voice. It appeared that the missions department had landed its own marketing-savvy team member who had resourcefully utilized funds to produce a smart, captivating brochure to communicate that department's message. As worthy as missions are, this church may need to reconsider how to best communicate its corporate message.
Mark L. Waltz, Granger (IN) Community Church, in First Impressions: Creating Wow Experiences in Your Church (Group, 2005)
Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information onLeadership Journal.
