I want to share a recent experience that has provided me with a unique and valuable tool to assess my effectiveness as a pastor. If you’re interested in using this process (which we did without cost), please read the last paragraph of this article.
I wanted to take a more in depth view of my role, beyond our annual performance review process. It was important to me to probe the competencies of pastoral care, preaching capability, communication and decision making. I also wanted to gain a more rounded view of my performance from a variety of sources.
I spoke with David Wall, the chair of our Personnel Committee, about this idea and he liked it. He enlisted the aid of another Personnel Committee member, Sarah Jane Kennedy, a human resources professional. Sarah Jane introduced us to Patricia Schaeffer of Talent Strategy Partners, a consulting firm that specializes in “talent management,” including the behavioral aspects of people’s performance in the work place.
Pat, with Sarah Jane’s help and with input from David and me, developed a custom competency model, then helped us conduct a multi-rater assessment. This is a survey that paints a picture of one’s performance from different perspectives – in this case, my own, David’s (as Chair of the Personnel Committee) as well as those of church staff, congregation members and colleagues.
The survey covered 10 competencies: Communication, Decision Making, Integrity and Trust, Managing Communication, Pastoral Care, Preaching Capability, Spiritual Empathy, Staff Administrative Leadership, Strategic Vision and Worship Leadership. Each competency was clearly defined by a set of observable behaviors; for example, “Functions pastorally in a manner that respects the physical, emotional and spiritual boundaries of others.” The survey measures the frequency with which others observe me demonstrating these behaviors.
Pat compiled the results of the survey, keeping all feedback other than David’s anonymous, and provided me with a detailed report comparing my self perceptions to David’s and to those of the other rater groups.
I found this feedback invaluable as a means to assess how my ministry is being perceived by members of the church. I wanted to see if my own sense of my strengths, and where I want to go in my ministry, would match those of the congregation. I found it enlightening to discover where the matched (most areas, fortunately) and where they converge.
I would highly recommend this process for other congregations and personnel committees, as a fairly easy way – using the internet, and a process that is well thought through – to gain such feedback.
If you want to learn more about my experience, please call me or send me an email. If you are interested in exploring multi-rater assessments for yourself and/or for staff members, contact Pat Schaeffer: 215.275.7430 or pschaeffer@tsphr.com.
