Accountability Pt 2

Dear Pastors

Most Pastors are hardworking people. They are diligent, conscientious and want to change the world through the local church. The question I want to briefly discuss this week is, what actual work then should a pastor be doing for 40-45 hours each week so that the mission and vision of the church is realised?

Last week I wrote about the importance for pastors to ask for accountability for your personal and private life. This week I want to talk about accountability for your performance and public life. In other words accountability for what you do for the 2000 hours or so you are at work every year and for which you get paid $1200 - $1400 a week ($60-$70K a year) if you are full time.

You might want to question why this is an important issue. When I reflect on my own pastoral leadership journey of 25 years coupled with my reading, conversations and observations with many pastors over the years it is pretty scarey how easily and quickly we can get distracted from our core work. Every job or ministry position has embedded in it core work that is normally clearly defined in the employees (pastors) Job or Position Description. A pastor is paid to deliver on that core work in exactly the same way a teacher or nurse or social worker is paid to deliver on their core work.

This being true, then the challenge before us is not whether we work hard enough or long enough but rather when we are at work are we doing the RIGHT work? As I have said pastors are hard working people but I can’t be as confident to say that they are doing the right work day in and day out, week in and week out. Here is where a regular accountability process can be ever so helpful. It helps us stay on track.

To this end I am an advocate for monthly ‘feedback’ opportunities and formal annual performance appraisals. Unfortunately I don’t know that these simple yet effective tools are widely used in local church life. And when they are they are often unhappy experiences. At this point there is a lot we should talk about but that is beyond the scope of this blog but suffice to say that performance appraisals have four basic functions:

1. To provide adequate feedback to each person on his or her performance.
2. To serve as a basis for modifying or changing behaviour toward more effective working habits.
3. To provide data to managers and/or boards with which they may determine future job assignments and work distribution.
4. To provide an opportunity for the ‘employee’ to clearly state his or her concerns about the job content and work environment……the good, the bad and the ugly.

Over the years I have been at both ends. I can say quite honestly that they have been very good experiences and I want to highly recommend them to you. To have two or three competent and experienced people sit with you and do a comprehensive performance review/appraisal is incredibly helpful AND empowering. It is also a very important stewardship responsibility of the Elders or Leadership Team of the church.

Blessings

Alan

P.S. Tom De Vries, President of the Willow Creek Association opened this years GLS with a 9 minute apology and explanation about the Hybels saga. Very good indeed and a good example of Accountability I think. You can also see a very gracious statement from Nancy Beach here.

Alan Vink is currently the Executive Director for LeadershipWorx. Prior to this role he has been the Executive Director of Willow Creek Association NZ (WillowNZ), a Baptist pastor (23 years), Bible College teacher, and church consultant.