How do we assess the system of support for pastors in our care?

The work of a pastor is complex, and the nurture of a pastor’s ongoing development is multifaceted. Important elements include the following:

• The practice of the disciplines of the faith, including worship, Scripture study and prayer
• Experiences that spark imagination, including meeting interesting people, visiting new places and reading widely
• Opportunities for individual and group reflection on what is learned

Seasons of life and other transitions create opportunities to assess and adjust development plans to match the challenges that pastors, congregations and communities face.

The discipline of creating and monitoring a plan that attends to the many elements of development is easy to understand in theory but challenging to practice, because of the limits of time and attention. For those responsible for supporting several pastors, it is important to consider how the development of the entire group might contribute to each individual. One of the primary lessons learned in the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence  movement is that treating pastors as isolated professionals exacerbates the challenges of ministry.

The following sets of questions suggest the range of issues to be considered in developing a system of support for pastors.

Assessing the congregation and the pastor’s ministry

Consider the state of the congregation:

• What are the most exciting things that have happened in the life of the congregation in the last year?
• What are the most discouraging things that have happened in the life of the congregation in the last year?
• What opportunities and challenges face the congregation in the next few years?

Consider the ministry of each pastor:

• What do you appreciate about the pastor’s ministry?
• What concerns you about the pastor’s ministry?
• What do you hope for the pastor’s ministry?

Drawing from responses to these two sets of questions, inquire about how they interrelate:

• What are the connections and disconnections between the state of the congregation and the ministry of the pastor(s)?
• What does this assessment suggest about opportunities for development that the pastor should consider?

Finally, create goals for the pastor’s development that take into account responses to these questions.

Defining the activities that support pastoral excellence

The next step in a straightforward planning process is to define the activities in which the pastor will participate to meet these goals. The heart of a strategy to support pastors is to invite and encourage pastors to engage in activities that hold the promise of sustaining ministry over time. During each season of a pastor’s ministry, different clusters of activities will be more or less important.

Activities to consider:

• Reading widely across topics and disciplines
• Participating in a structured peer learning experience  
• Worshipping in community and individually
• Traveling
• Studying Scripture
• Reflecting through journals, coaching and spiritual direction

Questions to ask the pastor:

• When and with whom do you regularly worship, study Scripture, pray and reflect?
• With whom do you talk when ministry becomes challenging? How often do you rest, and what do you do that is restful?

Developing a strategy of support

One of the key findings in Sustaining Pastoral Excellence is that pastors need to have a high level of personal initiative in ministry and in their own support . Those who support clergy are responsible for creating the conditions that encourage and hold pastors accountable. How they encourage and support pastors depends on the nature of their role.

Examples of strategies:

• A lay personnel committee frequently is responsible for establishing and monitoring personnel policies. Those policies should be reviewed to determine how they encourage and hold accountable pastors in the core activities of pastoral excellence. 
• A denominational executive is sometimes responsible for the supervision of numerous pastors in various congregations. A strategy of support would include an evaluation process that asks the questions reflected above  and offers feedback on the pastor’s performance. Plans for improvement would include a system to monitor the results.
• A seminary or retreat center’s mission is to provide continuing education. The design of the educational program could include all the activities of pastoral excellence. Current  programs could be evaluated in light of these activities.