Resources on Evaluation and Vocation from the Congregational Resource Guide

Block, Peter. Stewardship: Choosing Service over Self-Interest. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1996.

Congregational leaders might expect a book entitled Stewardship to focus on fundraising and financial pledging, but this book defines "stewardship" as a choice "to preside over the orderly distribution of power” so that partnership replaces dominance and accountability replaces dependency. Grounded in the view that each of us longs to invest energy in things that matter, Stewardship calls us to move beyond self interest and make service the centerpiece of our corporate lives. Author Peter Block outlines key steps toward stewardship-based organizational transformation, discussing compelling challenges for church and synagogue leaders and boards as they grapple with questions of purpose, control, mission, planning, and responsibility.

Block, Peter. The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting on What Matters. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2001.

This book compels us to attend to those ideals and commitments that truly matter. Peter Block points out that we often divert ourselves from our ideals by endless attention to "how" questions: "How do you do it?" "How long will it take?" "How do you measure it?" Such questions emphasize task to the exclusion of purpose and are ultimately disempowering. More appropriate questions, Block says, concern values, purpose, and context, such as "What commitment am I willing to make?" or "What’s my contribution to this problem?" This book is for persons who are open to a new perspective as they reassess personal vocation and mission.

Cahalan, Kathleen. Projects That Matter: Planning and Evaluation for Religious Organizations. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2003.

In organizational life, so much is done simply because it was done before. But Kathleen Cahalan helps readers to stop and ask, "Why are we doing this?" She also urges leaders to grasp that the necessity of posing the question rests in a particular understanding of stewardship. Alluding to Luke 6:48, she states, "As elements of Christian stewardship, planning and evaluation are ways in which Christians care for, monitor, and ensure both a strong foundation and a decent house." Readable, thorough, and immensely practical, Projects That Matter helps readers to recognize that time and patience are necessary for both good planning and helpful evaluation. Less organized leaders will find the step-by-step format and worksheets helpful. Other leaders will appreciate Cahalan's pragmatism and find affirmation as well as some new ideas in her work.

Friend, Howard E. Recovering the Sacred Center: Church Renewal from the Inside Out. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1998.

The author draws on his experiences as a minister and founder of the Parish Empowerment Network to show how churches can meet the new ways of society. To recover the sacred center, he says, individuals and congregations must create a sacred space and must act in response to the question "What do you long for?" Churches have in the past brought disarrayed lives together; now they must risk overcoming rigidity by letting things come apart and reassemble in a new way. Suggestions for action are included.

Hudson, Jill M. Evaluating Ministry: Principles and Processes for Clergy and Congregations. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 1992.

Start with this slim volume if you are designing an evaluation process for clergy already in place or a contract provision for clergy soon to be called. Author Jill Hudson sees ministry as mutual and collaborative between congregation and pastorate, so she believes any evaluatioln process should be applied to both clergy and congregation. To evaluate the ministry only of clergy, she claims, is to deprive both clergy and congregation of the full opportunity for growth and development. Case studies, sample forms and processes, summaries, and references to denominational guides are included.

Hudson, Jill M. When Better Isn’t Enought: Evaluation Tools for the 21st Century Church. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2004.

In When Better Isn’t Enough, Jill Hudson compellingly argues that the old ways of doing and evaluating ministry don’t work anymore, and she proposes new models and processes to bring churches into alignment with the new ways of the postmodern world. Following a brief and readable sketch of the historical shifts that have led to the postmodern culture and an insightful description of its essence, Hudson presents a description of the characteristics of effective ministry in today’s world and outlines an evaluation process based on these characteristics that emphasizes the mutual ministry of clergy and congregation and the discernment of the actions necessary to enhance the church’s success.

Jacobsen, Dennis A. Doing Justice: Congregations and Community Organizing. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001.

Doing Justice is a primer on the theology of, and rationale for, congregation-based community organizing for urban ministry. Dennis Jacobsen, a Lutheran pastor with more than 14 years experience in this field, covers such topics as the roles of power, money, and self-interest in community organizing, and explores how to build and sustain ministries that promote justice. His book includes an index of organizations involved in congregation-based community organizing and a study guide for use by groups. The book would be helpful to congregations exploring the possibility of doing community organizing.

McMahill, David C. Completing the Circle: Evaluating the Church’s Ministries. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2003.

Completing the Circle is a short and readable book providing a spiritually grounded model for clergy performance evaluation. McMahill's approach to evaluation is based on a simple feedback and reflection process designed to elicit congregants' experience of various aspects of congregational life. As McMahill points out, part of a minister's job is to challenge church members to reach beyond what is comfortable, so the likes and dislikes of parishioners are not the best measure of a minister’s performance. Instead, he argues, the basis for clergy evaluation should be the purpose and mission of the church. In McMahill's model, much of which is described through the experiences of an invented, composite congregation, congregants are provided opportunities to describe their own experiences, to experience being heard, and to hear others describe their experiences. In this safe and honest communication environment, McMahill suggests, respectful, constructive, and helpful evaluations can occur.

Palmer, Parker. Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2000.

This exploration of vocation seeks enlightenment through self-understanding rather than aptitude testing. Palmer advocates finding one’s true "calling" within rather than externally, while simultaneously stressing the role one’s community can play in developing inner work. He describes the value of Quaker "clearness committees," and imparts other Quaker wisdom as well (the book's title is Quaker advice). The book also offers practical guidance, especially in the face of warning signs (such as burnout and depression) that one is not pursuing one's vocation. An ideal resource for any groups or individuals who seek authenticity and the fulfillment of their "calling."

Peterson, Eugene. Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992.

Issuing a major challenge to clergy, author Eugene Peterson urges a paradigm shift from pastor as program director to pastor as spiritual director. He demonstrates why we should not think of pastoring in the current management terms of "efficiency," "outcomes," or "the bottom line." Drawing on both the biblical story of Jonah and his own 30-year pastoral journey, Peterson explores the urge to exert one’s will rather than surrender to God’s will (choosing Tarshish); the temptation to pursue a "career" (experiencing the storm); the understanding that through prayer and contemplation one may reclaim one's vocation (learning from the whale's belly); the awareness that the places and conditions to which God calls us are not incidental (finding Ninevah); and the need to avoid enslavement to "programs" so that one may discover the holiness of one's vocation (hearing God's voice under the withering plant). This book will benefit not only clergy, but also anyone involved in creating new pastoral job descriptions, shifting responsibilities among church staff, or calling a new pastor.