10 Questions for Easy Church Evaluation
Some churches shy away from consistent church evaluation because it can be boring, tedious, and downright depressing at times. But the way you frame your meetings can be the difference between a constructive conversation and negative nitpicking. We have compiled a list of simple and useful meeting evaluation questions to make this process seamless.
Evaluation is a must for any church on the up, so follow these ten questions and get your team in gear.
1. How Many People Were in Attendance?
This is one of the first questions asked at church evaluation meetings, but it isn’t always a sign of a sermon’s success. Think about it – people are already there before they know how well the day will go. Instead, the data collected is useful to predict future attendance forecasts and track trends in your congregation’s behavior.
2. Who Was in Attendance?
Assign someone to track demographics to get a deeper insight into who your church appeals to. For example, noting how many newcomers were in attendance is useful when knowing how successfully you have widened your reach. When there is a sudden spike in newbies, consider what the precursor was to assess the success of your church's social media strategy or media campaign.
3. What Went Particularly Well?
Starting reflections with positivity is a great way to set the mood, and offering a thank you to everyone at the meeting lays the groundwork for gratitude. It can be helpful to walk through the service in chronological order, focusing on the successful elements and highlighting what you would like to keep or maintain for future services.
4. What Could Be Improved?
Follow this by going through the service again and noting things that went wrong. Although it's no one’s favorite part of the day, constructively assessing setbacks offers the chance to make essential changes. Follow these tips by Vantage Circle on giving and receiving constructive criticism, like using the sandwich method to gently encourage, and focusing on the situation rather than the person.
5. How Would You Describe the Energy?
This question is a little more complex and is hardly quantifiable, but it opens the door for more personal expression about the sermon. Discuss how you felt the vibe was in your church, and you might be surprised just how much intuition your church team has. Maybe they noticed general tiredness, excitement, or even awkwardness, but writing down one or two adjectives on your church evaluation can help bring the notes to life.
6. Was There a Particular Subject or Focus? How Was It Received?
Think about how the theme or focus of your Sunday session may have impacted the mood. For example, a sermon on grief will bring out a different feeling than an uplifting sermon on gratitude and thanks. This is also valuable data when considering who attended – holidays always attract more attendees, but which weeks brought in the most families?
7. Was Anything Missing?
Direct reflections towards improvement by asking your team if they felt like anything was missing. You may find that there weren’t enough church volunteers in the welcome team, or maybe there were issues with resources like insufficient prayer books. Write a list of the things you need to get to ensure the smooth running of future services.
8. Did People Get Confused?
Connection with the community relies on mutual understanding, so confusing moments muddy the potential for genuine bonding. If your pastor uses language too complex for the average layperson to understand, your congregation might seek a new community they don’t feel so distant from. Use a pastoral evaluation tool to check in with your preachers.
9. Is the Ministry Stuck in Any Area?
Open the floor to each section of your ministry to discuss what’s preventing them from improving one by one. This gives leaders of your church the chance to express what they think is holding them back from thriving and progressing. Conversations like these are essential, as they maintain the momentum and support each of your church sectors needs to thrive.
10. Does Anything Need to Be Pruned?
Next, see what needs to be cut out for the good of your ministry going forward. Divine pruning makes space for new and positive energy by clearing out the cobwebs and cutting what no longer serves you. Asking this question frequently will keep your church active, dynamic, and changing with the times as it needs to.
Positivity Is Everything
Remember from our blog on energy types that as a church leader, your energy has a powerful impact on the rest of the team. Embrace positivity and joy through your meeting styles and see the knock-on effect it has on the rest of your workers. Sitting through a meeting that only focuses on the bad stuff will damage morale, so keep up the praise throughout.
The Harvard Business Review found that the most successful teams have a ratio of 5.6:1 for positive to negative feedback, so try and offer six positive comments for every negative one when conducting worship team evaluations. Make your Monday church evaluation meetings a happy time for sharing the joys of the week before, and you will enter each week feeling refreshed and ready.