Eleven Questions for Getting to Know a New Congregation by Robert A. Harris
I believe that one of the most important gifts a new pastor can give to the congregation in the first year and beyond is to be clear about not knowing. Be open and curious. Lead with questions. Learn as much as you can.
A method I have used is to interview congregational leaders and others who wish to be interviewed. Using this simple interview process really helped me understand a new congregation. It is important to interview a broad representation of leaders using the same or similar questions. Note that I say interview them. Use the interview as a springboard for conversation. There is nothing like a face-to-face conversation to get to know people and help them get to know you. You will see their body language, sensing the emotions behind their responses. They will see that you are really interested in their perception of their congregation and their suggestions for you. Further, you can ask good follow-up questions or skip questions as appropriate.
I have found that people like being interviewed. Most people like to give the new pastor their take on things. Interviews demonstrate that you are genuinely curious about this congregation and its people. You want to get to know them and what makes them tick. You aren’t someone who has dropped in with a pat formula to improve them. You’re not punching a time-clock. You are really interested in them.
What’s a broad representation of leaders? In smaller congregations, it might be ten people, but in larger congregations, I encourage interviewing at least 25 to 35 leaders. Start by interviewing the governing board. Tell the congregation that you can be most effective as their pastor when you get to know them in some depth. Invite people to ask you to interview them. Take notes while you are listening; it affirms to your interviewees that you are really paying attention.
I have typically interviewed people one at a time, but have sometimes interviewed couples, and in a few instances, I have met with adult education classes and existing small groups. Stress to individuals and couples that their answers will be confidential. Remember, your primary purpose is to get to know them. However, explain to them that their responses will possibly be compiled with others’ responses into a report or series of reports to the board and congregation.
Trust me. Doing these interviews really works. The key to using the 11 questions below or your variations of them is to be relaxed and curious. Trust your instincts, relax, and enjoy the conversation!
Tell me about a time when you felt especially proud of some members or leaders of your congregation, when you felt they were really following Christ. What makes this incident stand out in your mind?
Whom do you especially respect as leaders? Why do you hold them in high regard?
Tell me why you’re glad you are a member of this congregation. Why did you join this congregation instead of another one?
How has being part of this congregation helped you and members of your family grow in faith? Please give me some examples of experiences or classes that made a difference. How did you change?
Tell me a story about when congregation members resolved a conflict or difference effectively. What do you think the congregation learned from this experience? How effectively do leaders and members handle differences now?
What have you especially valued about your pastors and other congregational staff? (Be specific.) Do any sermons, initiatives, or attributes of your previous pastors come to mind?
Tell me about a time when you were disappointed with members or leaders. What happened?
Complete this sentence: “God is calling this congregation to be …”
What do you think God wants your congregation to emphasize in the next three to five years?
What else do I need to know in order to thrive in this congregation and community?
Do you have any other concerns or suggestions?
Robert A. Harris is author of Entering Wonderland: A Toolkit for Pastors New to a Church (Rowman and Littlefield, 2014) available though Amazon.
This article is adapted from material in that book and used by permission of the author and publisher.
Your Building Has More Signs Than You Think by Molly Phinney Baskette
A method I have used is to interview congregational leaders and others who wish to be interviewed. Using this simple interview process really helped me understand a new congregation. It is important to interview a broad representation of leaders using the same or similar questions. Note that I say interview them. Use the interview as a springboard for conversation. There is nothing like a face-to-face conversation to get to know people and help them get to know you. You will see their body language, sensing the emotions behind their responses. They will see that you are really interested in their perception of their congregation and their suggestions for you. Further, you can ask good follow-up questions or skip questions as appropriate.
I have found that people like being interviewed. Most people like to give the new pastor their take on things. Interviews demonstrate that you are genuinely curious about this congregation and its people. You want to get to know them and what makes them tick. You aren’t someone who has dropped in with a pat formula to improve them. You’re not punching a time-clock. You are really interested in them.
What’s a broad representation of leaders? In smaller congregations, it might be ten people, but in larger congregations, I encourage interviewing at least 25 to 35 leaders. Start by interviewing the governing board. Tell the congregation that you can be most effective as their pastor when you get to know them in some depth. Invite people to ask you to interview them. Take notes while you are listening; it affirms to your interviewees that you are really paying attention.
I have typically interviewed people one at a time, but have sometimes interviewed couples, and in a few instances, I have met with adult education classes and existing small groups. Stress to individuals and couples that their answers will be confidential. Remember, your primary purpose is to get to know them. However, explain to them that their responses will possibly be compiled with others’ responses into a report or series of reports to the board and congregation.
Trust me. Doing these interviews really works. The key to using the 11 questions below or your variations of them is to be relaxed and curious. Trust your instincts, relax, and enjoy the conversation!
Tell me about a time when you felt especially proud of some members or leaders of your congregation, when you felt they were really following Christ. What makes this incident stand out in your mind?
Whom do you especially respect as leaders? Why do you hold them in high regard?
Tell me why you’re glad you are a member of this congregation. Why did you join this congregation instead of another one?
How has being part of this congregation helped you and members of your family grow in faith? Please give me some examples of experiences or classes that made a difference. How did you change?
Tell me a story about when congregation members resolved a conflict or difference effectively. What do you think the congregation learned from this experience? How effectively do leaders and members handle differences now?
What have you especially valued about your pastors and other congregational staff? (Be specific.) Do any sermons, initiatives, or attributes of your previous pastors come to mind?
Tell me about a time when you were disappointed with members or leaders. What happened?
Complete this sentence: “God is calling this congregation to be …”
What do you think God wants your congregation to emphasize in the next three to five years?
What else do I need to know in order to thrive in this congregation and community?
Do you have any other concerns or suggestions?
Robert A. Harris is author of Entering Wonderland: A Toolkit for Pastors New to a Church (Rowman and Littlefield, 2014) available though Amazon.
This article is adapted from material in that book and used by permission of the author and publisher.Your Building Has More Signs Than You Think by Molly Phinney Baskette
Your building has way more signs than you think it does: The locked front door, the boxes piled up in corners that assault the newcomer’s gaze, the messy Sunday school rooms, the nursery with dangerous or broken toys, the bulletin boards with ancient announcements, the mold growing all over the women’s bathroom. (Yes, that happened at my own church this past very humid summer.) All these signs send the message: We’re depressed. We’re not ready for you. We’re not healthy. We don’t want you, and we don’t understand what your children need at all.
If you’ve been at your church for a while, you might not see what’s not working. Ask a friend, preferably someone who is great at being very honest and who has never set foot in your church, to come over. Don’t meet them out front — have them find their own way in, with the church how it usually is on Sunday morning — same doors locked/unlocked.
Have them write down everything they notice and all the obstacles to entry and to finding their way around easily. I once went to a job interview at a church and had to try four separate exterior doors before I picked the right one! It was humiliating. If it was humiliating for me, who had a definite purpose and invitation to be there, how must it feel to a shy person who has never been to church before and doesn’t know if they really are welcome?
Walk around with your friend, once in the building, but let them lead the way. Have them pretend they need to use the bathroom, or they have children to drop off at Sunday school, or they are coming into worship ten minutes late. Can they easily find what they need? How many decisions/wrong turns do they have to make to find the sanctuary? What do they see along the way? How would they, as maybe slightly critical newcomers, judge what they see? Is there room for them at the back in worship when they sneak in? Is there still someone to hand them a bulletin if they are ten minutes late? The bulletin itself is a form of passive signage.
Make sure the interior signage is easily visible and navigable. Don’t use coded language. Don’t point the way to the “Narthex” or “Sacristy”! Put up paper signs and arrows for a while and vet your name and place signage through several other people to crowd source the best possible configuration before you buy your permanent interior signs.
Molly Phinney Baskette is lead pastor of First Church Somerville UCC in Somerville, Massachusetts. This article is an excerpt from her book: Real Good Church: How Our Church Came Back from the Dead, and Yours Can, Too, © 2014, used by permission from The Pilgrim Press.It is available from Cokesbury and Amazon
.
Connect
Learn 50 Ways to Improve Pastoral Transitions
The latest free resource in our popular 50 Ways series provides effective strategies for pastors concluding ministry in one setting and beginning in a new one. Topics include: maintain good successor relations; plan for appropriate goodbyes, grief, and closure rituals; learn about the new church and community; spend time with people and build relationships; and honor your predecessor’s ministry. Read and download this and other free 50 Ways resources today.
The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
When a new pastor arrives, it can sometimes be frustrating to hear church members talk so much about their previous pastor and even earlier pastors. It is as if the congregation wants to focus backwards just when the new pastor is trying to guide things toward the future. But progress usually grows out of heritage and shared values. Rather than being defensive regarding talk of predecessor pastors, the new pastor can use this request to reveal much about the congregation:
Editors: Lovett H. Weems, Jr., and Ann A. Michel. Production: Carol Follett
Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary.
4500 Massachusetts Avenue NW
If you’ve been at your church for a while, you might not see what’s not working. Ask a friend, preferably someone who is great at being very honest and who has never set foot in your church, to come over. Don’t meet them out front — have them find their own way in, with the church how it usually is on Sunday morning — same doors locked/unlocked.
Have them write down everything they notice and all the obstacles to entry and to finding their way around easily. I once went to a job interview at a church and had to try four separate exterior doors before I picked the right one! It was humiliating. If it was humiliating for me, who had a definite purpose and invitation to be there, how must it feel to a shy person who has never been to church before and doesn’t know if they really are welcome?
Walk around with your friend, once in the building, but let them lead the way. Have them pretend they need to use the bathroom, or they have children to drop off at Sunday school, or they are coming into worship ten minutes late. Can they easily find what they need? How many decisions/wrong turns do they have to make to find the sanctuary? What do they see along the way? How would they, as maybe slightly critical newcomers, judge what they see? Is there room for them at the back in worship when they sneak in? Is there still someone to hand them a bulletin if they are ten minutes late? The bulletin itself is a form of passive signage.
Make sure the interior signage is easily visible and navigable. Don’t use coded language. Don’t point the way to the “Narthex” or “Sacristy”! Put up paper signs and arrows for a while and vet your name and place signage through several other people to crowd source the best possible configuration before you buy your permanent interior signs.
Molly Phinney Baskette is lead pastor of First Church Somerville UCC in Somerville, Massachusetts. This article is an excerpt from her book: Real Good Church: How Our Church Came Back from the Dead, and Yours Can, Too, © 2014, used by permission from The Pilgrim Press.It is available from Cokesbury and Amazon
. Connect
- Quotable Leadership: A constituent confers authority on the leader, not the other way around.[James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner]
Learn 50 Ways to Improve Pastoral Transitions
The latest free resource in our popular 50 Ways series provides effective strategies for pastors concluding ministry in one setting and beginning in a new one. Topics include: maintain good successor relations; plan for appropriate goodbyes, grief, and closure rituals; learn about the new church and community; spend time with people and build relationships; and honor your predecessor’s ministry. Read and download this and other free 50 Ways resources today.
The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
When a new pastor arrives, it can sometimes be frustrating to hear church members talk so much about their previous pastor and even earlier pastors. It is as if the congregation wants to focus backwards just when the new pastor is trying to guide things toward the future. But progress usually grows out of heritage and shared values. Rather than being defensive regarding talk of predecessor pastors, the new pastor can use this request to reveal much about the congregation:
- Tell me about some of your favorite former pastors and why you remember them so fondly.
Editors: Lovett H. Weems, Jr., and Ann A. Michel. Production: Carol Follett
Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary.
4500 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016 United States
lewiscenter@wesleyseminary.edu
lewiscenter@wesleyseminary.edu |
Lewis Center for Church Leadership
lewiscenter@wesleyseminary.edu |
Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Wesley Theological Seminary
4500 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016 United States
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