One way to carry out leadership self-assessment effectively is by answering a questionnaire. We have found that it helps you ask yourself important things you might otherwise brush over. If you are looking for a volunteer or employee self-assessment questionnaire for use within the church environment, you have come to the right place.
Send these four questions to the leaders at your church to help them effectively assess their strengths, weaknesses, and how they can improve going forward.
Do I live a life of Godliness?
This question may sound difficult to quantify, but the answer can be found within. While definitions "godliness" may vary, we know in our deepest soul whether or not we have lived a life according to His wishes.
Ask yourself how you live your life when you step outside the church doors. Is God more than just a career path for you? Living every second of your life in the knowledge that God is watching is vital to being a genuine leader.
Tip: To strengthen your bond with God outside of the church, try incorporating more time outside in nature. Pray in moments when it's only you and God, and consider the barriers that are standing in your way.
Did I hit the goals I set for myself last year?
This question is vital, as it helps you to reflect on the year just passed, as well as the year to come. Use this point to consider how successful your previous goals have been and how realistic your aims are going forward.
Think about why you may not have reached the goals you set, and reflect on how not reaching them made you feel. Disappointing ourselves is an awful feeling, but knowing that we have disappointed the kids who attend our ministry is even worse.
Tip: Setting achievable, realistic goals is key to success. When you are overworked and exhausted, your ability to do God’s work is limited, so don’t be too harsh on yourself. Make a realistic plan, and enjoy reaching your goals.
What did I do to support my volunteers?
As a leader, you may have several church volunteers working for you. How you treat these people who are here to help you is a major tell-tale sign of how successful you are as a leader. Support the helpers you have, as they could be the next leaders.
This question could include sub-topics like: How did I respond to any problems they had?; Did I make them feel supported?; Did I take their feedback on board? Self-assessment in these areas is tough as we have limited awareness of how others feel.
Tip: For a powerful experiment, why not combine your self-assessed answer to some volunteer questionnaires too? This would offer you the chance for some genuine feedback from your hard workers while helping you see how in-tune you are to their needs.
Am I constantly expanding my knowledge of God’s love?
It can be tempting as a church leader to feel like we’ve "made it." When in a position of authority in the church, it can feel like you have already done all the studying and work you need to do. It can feel like this is the time of your life to educate others.
While this is somewhat true, and educating others is vital, we must never forget the value of continued learning. You will find that leading becomes easier and more genuine when you practice what you preach and live a humble life filled with growth.
Tip: This doesn’t have to mean extended Bible study. Any area of your life can lead you closer to God when you invest your time in it. Dedication, commitment, and drive are all valuable qualities of any church leader.
Did I report back to and support my superior effectively?
How you support your volunteers is important. But how you interact with other members of the church says a lot about your leadership skills too. Think about how proactive you have been when assisting those in higher roles in the church than you.
Do you anticipate problems before they arise, or do you wait to be informed of them by your manager or boss? A crucial difference between a leader and a volunteer is seeing a 10,000-foot view of the church to help it run smoothly.
Tip: You may not think how you interact with your boss affects your skills as a leader, but it does. Your actions can either help or hinder the running of the church as a whole, so make sure it's the former.
What is self-assessment? It’s the ability to critically assess your skills without the sometimes demoralizing impact of peer evaluation. Whether you are responsible for deciding on the children’s ministry curriculum or organizing volunteers to help out at your church event, being a good leader is vital to having a healthy, happy church. So, get your leaders clued in to how they’re doing with this questionnaire, and keep your kids’ ministry curriculum thriving.