Thoughts on ministry after our annual evaluation...

Tonight I met with my church council to discuss our work together in ministry:  part of the conversation was an assessment of our hits and misses re: last year's goals; another part had to do with my professional work in spiritual nurture, worship and administration; and the last part was an open conversation about our mutual goals for the up-coming year.  It was holy ground for me - and I am grateful.

+ First, rather than a written evaluation, this was a group conversation.  Nuance and body language could be discerned, deeper questions could be explored and the gestalt of our ministry team could ripen and find shape and form.  As a whole, we mostly hit our 2012 goals - and we had a chance to question one another about the places where we missed the mark.  I was reminded - again - how important it is to keep my leaders in the loop of my thinking - especially when it comes to where I sense I should put my energies.  After all, if I refused to engage in mind-reading, I need to be equally explicit with my ministry partners. I learn about my blind spots in conversations like these and value them even when they make me a little uncomfortable. I was also able to carefully explain how sometimes there just isn't any "juice" for a project we once thought was important, so I let it die its natural death.  Having my leaders better understand my internal evaluation process was a very good thing. 

+ Second, it is helpful to review what worked during the past year. Not only do we all too often only comment on our problems, but life moves so quickly that we often forget the blessings that have been shared, too.  So we took the time to say out loud how vibrant and creative our worship celebrations are each week - how powerful the music ministry is now that we can combine contemporary and traditional sounds in a cooperative rather than fearful way - what a treat it is to have a growing Sunday School and the importance of helping each member share their deepest desires and gifts with a wounded world. We took the time to discuss some of the ways we all might help one another be more effective in our respective ministries.  And we noted that a few times our goals had to be scrapped in order to address more pressing concerns. 

+ And third, we prayerfully spoke about where we believe God is calling us to act during the next year.  We must continue getting our financial house in order - and outlined some steps to make that happen. There are a few ministry teams that need a new vision that celebrates compassion and creativity rather than carping about a lost past -- and we'll give attention to this, too. And we have to deepen the work of Christian formation not just for children, but also for adults and families of all sizes and configurations. 

On my ride home I thought to myself: time and again, my life and sense of hope is enriched by spending time with my church council.  They are people of faith, humor, humility and integrity.  This is not always the case - and we've all tasted the alternative - and honor the blessings we currently share.  Thankfully we began the evening by eating dinner together.  This makes a huge difference, yes?  So often our eyes and hearts are opened when we break bread together.  Afterwards we were ready to work through the evaluation - a process that helped me - and also included the whole leadership team.  I feel both encouraged and blessed... so now the rest of Advent can unfold.