This article was transcribed from portions of the Building a Healthy Ministry: Evaluate, Then Evaluate Again webinar. You can watch the full video here.
Evaluating our children’s ministries can feel tedious. It sometimes feels time consuming and isn’t glamorous. But while it’s hard work, it’s also a key to having a successful, healthy ministry.
Success doesn’t mean that everything is going to go smoothly all the time, rather it’s about aiming to achieve the goal that you’ve set. And it’s about walking toward the mission and vision that you have set. It’s important to notice when you are heading in the right direction, and to be curious when you aren’t.
Here, we’ll be talking about the who, what, when, and how of evaluating your children’s ministry.
When you hear the word ‘evaluate’ what do you think of?
If you associate evaluation with shame and how you don’t measure up, I’m asking the Lord right now to erase those lies. That is not what this is about. You will never be able to effectively evaluate your ministry if you get stuck in a shame cycle. And I know it’s so easy.
Evaluation is a tool for helping, not a weapon, although there are those who choose to weaponize the tool.
Or maybe you associate evaluation with only hearing negative feedback. I believe to my bones that feedback is a part of evaluation, but it’s not the whole. It’s not only looking externally but looking internally too. Evaluation should be grace-filled. It should be about the bigger picture of what the kingdom of God could be.
Evaluating Your Children’s Ministry
The best evaluations will help you ask questions as you look for where God is working and moving. You measure what you care about and care about what you measure. So, when evaluating, make sure you are caring about the right things. And remember, numbers are great, but they don’t always equal health.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- Am I being curious or critical?
- What would it look like to take a second look?
- How do I view evaluation?
- How does my definition of evaluation need to change?
- What is God asking of me right now?
The best evaluations will help you ask questions as you look for where God is working and moving.
Who
The first person that should be evaluating is you. And I don’t mean self-evaluation. As the ministry leader, it is up to you to take the first look at how what you are doing aligns with your mission and vision.
From there, you’ll want to bring in your team and key volunteers to help you evaluate. They will help you see the things that you can’t (or don’t). And there are tools to help!
We’re so much better together, and our teams will help us evaluation more wholistically.
Next, you should bring in the parents and guardians of the children in your ministry. They will have another perspective to offer you as well!
What
Be sure to ask for both wins and opportunities for improvement. You want to get a full idea of the perceived positive and negative aspects of your ministry.
So, what are the things we should evaluate? The list includes:
When
Next, we have when. Will you evaluate weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly? Or all the above?
I suggest all the above. We are going to evaluate a lot!
Weekly Self-Evaluations
- What are you celebrating?
- What do you want to do better?
- Where and how do you see the Holy Spirit moving?
Monthly Team Evaluations
Take time each month to get everyone on the same page, to debrief, celebrate together, and to seek opportunities to help one another. Meeting like this will help you evaluate and be aware of one another’s needs as you serve.
- What are we celebrating? Where are we hitting the mark?
- What do we want to do better? Where are we missing the mark?
- What do we want to do differently?
- Where and how do we see the Holy Spirit moving?
- Are there things we need to fix?
Quarterly Parent Feedback Evaluations
Whether through phone calls or surveys, create opportunities for parents to evaluate what your ministry has been up to. Let them speak into your ministry and share insights from their perspectives.
Yearly Evaluations
This is where we will look at vision alignment, context, goals, and strategies. If you need to time it out, you can make it a rhythm every January or maybe after you finish VBS in July! Find the time that feels best for you and your team to evaluate these big-picture things to make sure they still work.
You measure what you care about and care about what you measure.
How
First, there’s no better thing to do than to stop, pause, and pray. No matter what evaluation you are working on, prayer needs to be central. Let go of what you can’t control, let go of the self-criticism, and look with fresh eyes at your ministry.
Next, review your vision and mission statements together. Make sure they align with the overall mission and vision of your church. Break it down and determine what works and doesn’t. Work with your team to realign as needed or even adjust the statements all together. Determine why you exist and what you want children and families (and volunteers) to gain from your ministry.
The next step is to name your goals that will help you accomplish your mission. Remember your unique ministry context in this. Your goals have to also align with your people. Don’t make goals that won’t make an impact where you are. If you already have goals, take a look at what they are and see how you’ve measured up. And remember … you will measure what you care about and care about what you measure.
Then, what are the strategies you will put in place to help you accomplish those said goals? What is working and what isn’t working? This will also help you establish what’s working and what isn’t.
Go Deeper
We encourage you to go deeper into this topic by watching our Building a Healthy Ministry: Evaluate, Then Evaluate Again webinar, where Kirsten goes further into the evaluation process.
So, what is God asking you now? What might be your next step for evaluating so that you are continuing to build a healthy ministry with God? We are grateful for all the work that you do within your churches and your ministries. And God is doing a tremendous work in each of you. Don’t shy away from how He’s wired you or what He’s doing within you.
