Why do I need to be evaluated?

Donald P. Richmond

A friend who is a church elder recently came to me with an interesting piece of information. It seems that, when it was nearing the time for his pastor's annual evaluation, the pastor distributed an article suggesting that clergy should not have performance appraisals. Obviously this pastor thought that he should be spared being evaluated.

Should pastors be assessed regarding their performance? Is it necessary? After giving some guidelines, I want to highlight three reasons why pastors need to be evaluated.

Guidelines

1. Job evaluations must be biblical. The roles and responsibilities of any pastor will be found within the pages of the Bible.

2. The expectations of a pastor must be practically performable and based upon each pastor's unique calling and gifting. With some flexibility, he or she must only be expected to be and do what God has created him or her to be or do. An evaluation must be based upon who the pastor is and not upon who the congregation would like him to be. One rabbi was asked what he would tell God when asked why he was not like Moses. The rabbi said that God would not ask him why he was not like Moses but rather why he was not more like himself.

As a consequence, however, it is important that pastors should seek congregations whose needs match their gifting. The same is true for congregations: They should seek pastors whose gifts match the congregational needs and vision.

3. The expectations upon which evaluations are conducted must be clearly and concretely communicated. Ideally these expectations will be written in a job description and will be in place during the pastor's candidacy. This will more easily determine a good pastor/congregation "match" and save both parties from many unnecessary problems. However if no job description exists when the pastor is hired, or if changes to an existing job description are made afterward, expectations will need to be negotiated.

Why Evaluation?

Given these guidelines, there are three reasons why I, as well as other clergy, must undergo evaluations.

1. Humanity
We are human. Everyone, including pastors, can lose vision, focus and drive. Everyone, including pastors, makes mistakes. Pastors, like their congregations, sin. Therefore, as human beings, we are also in great need of encouragement, enlightenment and exhortation. We, too, need discipline and discipleship. We need the fellowship of the saints, acting as the rod and staff of God, to keep us personally and professionally "on task".

The Apostle Paul clearly illustrates this truth. Apart from the active role which he played in disciplining and discipling others (as when he needed to publicly rebuke Peter for hypocrisy), he also needed to be reminded of his own humanity. In one situation, Barnabas defended the usefulness of John Mark to a rather stiff-necked Paul. Paul would not bend on this issue, and, as a result, Barnabas and Paul parted company (Acts 15:37-38). Later, Paul would "eat" his poor opinion and, in fact, give John Mark high marks for Christian commitment. Paul was wrong and needed to be corrected.

Elsewhere we read that the four daughters of Philip the Evangelist warned Paul by the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:7-11). Again, Paul refused to listen. In consequence, he was imprisoned and sent to Rome (Acts 22-27). That God redeemed the situation is irrelevant. Paul refused to listen, and it cost him his freedom. Refusing to listen to an evaluation may also exact a high price from us--as well as from the church in which we have responsibility.

2. Accountability
Clergy, like everyone else, like to hide. Being exposed, even if done with the utmost of Christian charity, is not pleasant. However, it is also necessary. Recently an elder from the church which I am currently pastoring told me that I lacked some leadership skills which he believed the church needed. I did not like hearing this, but nevertheless needed to heed his concerns. As a result, some positive changes are beginning to take place which, I trust, will be pleasing to God, better for me and healthier for the church.

Everyone has "blind spots", areas which desperately need divine and human insight. The more intimate the relationship, the more poignant and painful an evaluation will be. I may be able to hide my foibles from the world. Hiding will be far more difficult with my church, even harder with my elders and almost impossible with my family. Therefore I need to be made accountable to those with whom I most intimately live my life. Accountability to a group of professional pastors is good. However, this is far less personal than direct, church-based, accountability.

3. Wisdom
We would also be wise to reflect upon the example of Jesus. Even as God in the flesh, He made Himself accountable to family (Luke 2:51; John 2:1-12), friends (Mark 1:30-31) and even foreigners (Luke 7:1-10). He listened to, and at times acted upon, the initiative of others.

The book of Proverbs suggests that is foolish to separate oneself from others. Pastors must not seek to separate themselves from, or set themselves above, others by refusing to undergo a process of evaluation. We are made of the same "stuff" as our congregants and, as such, are in need of the same disciplines. It is wise to listen and learn.

Donald P. Richmond is senior pastor of Southdale Community Church in Winnipeg, as well as an author and counsellor.

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