Something strikes me really weird about 25 - Are you satisfied with your calling. I could see "Are you satisfied with your ministry" or "I believe I am doing the work to which God called me". But ... "Are you satisfied with your calling" makes me feel like God just may not truly understand me and perhaps he could call me to something else.

20. Making it more personal might strike home more. Ask, "How has your leadership impacting the fostering or raising up of leaders within your church/ministry"?

21. I like the idea of this question as it would indicate that the church is a good source for leadership/mentoring/accountability.

22. Could you simplify this as "be in vocational ministry" so as to include missionaries, church planters, and other full-time ministerial capacities?

23. Nice.

The rest are definitely on the right track. If I were asking 5-10 questions to pastors of protestant faiths, I would want to know...what do you see as the largest ills affecting the raising of equipped and qualified leaders? What are you doing about it? And, How do we get there?

20. The church does a good job fostering and developing new leaders.

somewhat dis

21. If I had a friend who wanted to make a difference, I would encourage him or her to do so through the church.

strongly agree

22. I will still be a pastor / minister in 10 years.

strongly agree

23. I am currently in a season where I am living out my calling and making a difference.

strongly agree

24. Ten years ago, I would NOT have expected to be in the ministry I am today.

strongly dis

25. I am satisfied with my calling.

strongly agree

26. I am intentionally investing in leadership that will emerge over the next ten years.

strongly agree

27. I expect to be in a very different role ten years from now.

strongly agree

28. I expect my current church to look very different ten years from now.

stronly agree

Like the questions and Andy's comments on question 25.

I'm not a pastor but I'll answer it anyway. If it's useless, ignore me. I used to ignore-ance. :)

20. The church does a good job fostering and developing new leaders. Strongly disagree.

21. If I had a friend who wanted to make a difference, I would encourage him or her to do so through the church. Strongly agree

22. I will still be a pastor / minister in 10 years. N/A

23. I am currently in a season where I am living out my calling and making a difference. Strongly agree.

24. Ten years ago, I would NOT have expected to be in the ministry I am today. Agree.

25. I am satisfied with my calling. Strongly agree

26. I am intentionally investing in leadership that will emerge over the next ten years.In my experience, strongly disagree.

27. I expect to be in a very different role ten years from now. I'm 71 years old. Mixed feelings; under normal circumstances, Agree

28. I expect my current church to look very different ten years from now. Agree

No, no, no.

Don't take the survey.

Comment upon it. Make suggestions. Make it better.

Ed

20. The church does a good job fostering and developing new leaders. - This question is deceptive, to a degree. The first issue I see is that all pastors, even those who don't know leadership development, will immediately say they do it. Because, ya know, that's what we're supposed to be doing, right? Maybe instead use a wording like, "The church does a good job reproducing well trained leaders."

21. If I had a friend who wanted to make a difference, I would encourage him or her to do so through the church. - I like this question because I would imagine that it will be almost universally true regardless of a person's view of their specific church.

22. I will still be a pastor / minister in 10 years. - Yes, you probably will be, but you might be a bitter withered shell of a human being.

23. I am currently in a season where I am living out my calling and making a difference. - Good question. I think it's got enough flavor to get some truth.

24. Ten years ago, I would NOT have expected to be in the ministry I am today. - Same as the last one, I like the emphasis given how many men I have known in ministry and how they would answer this.

25. I am satisfied with my calling. - Good thing this isn't an essay question.

26. I am intentionally investing in leadership that will emerge over the next ten years. - Fantastic question!

27. I expect to be in a very different role ten years from now. - A question that tells way more than the respondent actually thinks it does.

28. I expect my current church to look very different ten years from now. - Same as 27.

I think the majority of the questions are very good.

I believe Question 26 could use some clarification. Investing in what kind of leadership? Personal leadership? The ability of others to lead within the congregation? Training pastors for church planting?

A question I would consider:

I try to balance excellent Biblical teaching and "Seeker Sensitive only" messages.

Comment: In one of my former careers, I did employee reviews of 3 offices I managed. We used a form similar, in a secular way, to what it seems this one may look like. Difference: we gave the same form to the boss and to the employee so both could assess employee performance. The comparison of the forms was always fascinating.

We had an assessment form for the bosses too. The boss and the employees filled them out, so when the two of them assessed the employees, they also assessed the bosses. THAT was fascinating, also.

Said all that to say when you have pastors fill in the forms, have some seasoned members answer the questions as to the pastor's performance .. for those questions like 20, 26, 28.

I also agree with G. Posey and perhaps this dual-answering would deal with that. I've never met a pastor who I think would ask his members "How'm I doing?"

If you could ask 5-10 questions of 1000 pastors that would help understand their views of leadership....

1. My lay leaders would say that our church does a good job of producing leaders.
2. The leaders (non-staff) in my church do a good job of producing new leaders.
3. Leadership Development is a job best done thru training and conferences.
4. Leadership Development is best done through setting an example worth following.
5. Leadership Development is a staff responsibility.
6. Leadership Development is a small/core/care/ministry group leader responsibility.
7. Leaders are chosen by me and/or our staff.
8. The Leaders in our organization are the people that have been there the longest.
9. I look for feedback from a mentor on specific ways to continue to grow my leadership capabilities.
10. My staff members have a Mentor (this is not the same thing as a supervisor).
11. Our organization creates a support structure to provide individualized feedback to our non-staff leaders.
12. My staff participates regularly in a leadership development program.

How about a question about mentoring? Such as: I am directly mentoring at least three people in our church.

#26 kind of touches on this, but is really broad. It would be pretty easy to rationalize that one is somehow "intentionally investing in leadership" and answer with SA.

I know you're asking pastors and the questions focus on churches but in question 20, my thought would be leaders "where?" Leaders in the church is the assumption, but need it be the only one. Certainly the church needs to develop new leadership, but I also think that may have been the main focus and keeping it within the church. But if we are to "equip the saints for the work or the ministry," even if the work is in the context of the local church, the work is out in the world. And should we not also be helping develop leaders in other areas. I have several students who plan to be teachers. Shouldn't it also be a part of my responsibility as their minister to help them to develop as leaders in their field. For the most part I think they will also eventually be leaders in the church in some capacity, but I don't think we need to limit the focus of leadership development to just leadership within the church.

A thought on question 26. The ten year thing. Perhaps it might be better to ask if they were intentionally developing leadership that emerges on a regular basis to meet leadership needs or when initiating new ministry focuses. I think, depending on where that particular question may fall in the survey, that some of these guys might think they have been meaning to do it and they could see how some of what they have currently going on could be seen as leadership development, but they could certainly work on it more in the next ten years.

I see children and student ministries partnered and vital growth as a growth engine of our church. How will this progress in the next 5 years with you leading this church?

Sharon is spot on! The idea of "leadership" and "developing leadership" is inherently fuzzy (thus the problem, I would add). Sharon's tack of getting to the heart of what developing leadership is in concrete ways will help make this survey more useful. Knowing THAT leadership development is/isn't happening is not nearly as useful as knowing what methods are currently being used (and how effective those methods are).

All questions we wrestle with. I think #25 is a good question. If I had to change it I would word it: I am satisfied with the way I am currently fulfilling my calling.

#20 is a no brainer. I would like to know who is doing a good job.

#21 makes me weep. That question hurts. I wonder how many will answer honestly, and not hopefully. That will be a hard question to interpret statistically. You may need to word it: I believe the best way for my friends to impact the world is through "my" church. or through "the Church.

What about asking: I believe that as my church is running now it best represents my philosophy of ministry. That would be a telling question.

Also maybe ask: I actively engage my world outside the planed activities of my church.

God bless you work Ed.

I really like what you're showing here. Seem to be getting at the heart of the matter.

Not sure I like the use of the word "emerge." Unfortunately it has developed a bad connotation in many circles. "Come to maturity" might be a better way to put it.

Understanding that I'm not seeing the first 20 or so statements/questions, is "making a mark" defined anywhere? Maybe a question asking the interviewees how they would define "making a mark" or "mature believer."

I look forward to seeing what the responses are and the conclusions that can be drawn from them.
Doug

My concern is about the "in ten years" questions. Longevity is a good thing, and it seems like you're pressing for an answer that gives some insight into job satisfaction and persistence and that kind of stuff. But... just thinking about my dad here.

He's been pastoring the same church for almost 25 years and is approaching retirement age. When he and my mom retire (probably in less than ten years), they are looking at taking one of the many tiny, pastor-less, evangelical churches in Europe. So obviously he would answer those "in ten years" questions in the affirmative, without it having any reflection on his contentment in, or sense of calling to, his current ministry position. Dig?

Now if the survey has an information section that asks questions about age, length of ministry, expected retirement, etc., that would somewhat allay that problem, but you'd still have slightly skewed stats, I think.

21. If I had a friend who wanted to make a difference, I would encourage him or her to do so through the church. Make a difference how? Through the church where I minister? Through The Church as a whole? This reads, to me, like a question about your local church's effectiveness in mercy ministry, but that may not be what it's about at all. Clarity, please!

Also, I think it's as important to the development of leadership for a pastor to be the recipient of accountability and mentoring relationships as it is for him to be the leader of those relationships.

I don't see any questions about the results of one's leadership.
1. How many people are you, personally, teaching to follow Christ?
2. How many of those you have taught to follow Christ are teaching someone else to follow Christ?
3. How many friends do you have that do not know Christ as their savior?
4. Do your programs foster friendships with those who do not follow Christ?
5. Do people follow your direction or the direction of the Holy Spirit?
6. Are new leaders coming from "the harvest?"

22. I will still be a pastor / minister in 10 years.

I think I know why the question is written this way pastor/"minister". Is it because this survey is only going to those that are ministering as a staff person at a local church? I struggle with the word minister being used along side of pastor, only because I've been told by a "minister"/pastor that every Christian is not a minister, but the "ministers" are Ministers and than everyone else just does "ministry", but they are not 'ministers". This statement was made in response to a Lifeway curriculum called, "Every Christian a Minister." I think the seperation between the clergy and the laity is what is killing our churches. According to Eph. 4, I thought the pastor/teachers were supposed to EQUIP the saints for the work of ministry. Which makes me ask a few other questions?

Do most pastors believe that the ground is really level at the cross? Do they believe that the grounds is really level when we stand up and serve? Does the pastor/teacher see himself as a chief among equals and is that what the Bible teaches? Aren't we all in the "ministry" and all "ministers"?

I know someone needs to be in the leadership position, but having been a wife of a pastor/teacher for 7 years and a lay perrson for the last 12, what I am "catching" in the pew is this:

The "MINISTERS" (pastor/teachers), they are the co-laborers with Christ; however, the laity is to co-labor with the "Ministers". In other words "we work for the ministers".

I don't expect anyone to agree with me; however, this is how I have been treated over the last 12 years. I will continue to respect those in leadership, but ultimately my loyalty is to Christ and Christ alone.

I am not saying most pastors set out to have their congregations revolve around them and I am not saying they ALL have a "hired hand" mentality, but what I have experienced in the last 12 years and what I have heard others experience is this:

I am being paid to do........(from Clergy)

That's what we are paying YOU for...(from laity)

My last question is: "How did we get here?"