Hey, you guys! This post is really narrow in its focus but I’m throwing it out here anyway. It’s for anyone who happens to be in a similar position of leadership over a ministry or staff of similar size. Every Fall I start thinking about vision casting for the new year and what changes we need to make or new initiatives we want to implement. Last week I decided to create and send my 14 Living Proof employees (ages 21 through early 70s) an informal questionnaire that I hoped would allow me to gather some insight toward casting vision for 2018. I gave them several days to return it, printed out all their responses, put them in a notebook then started combing through them. My eyes got wider and wider. That notebook was a goldmine. Not only did they get a chance to speak to me confidentially about any frustrations or unfulfilled expectations. They got to tell me the dreams and visions for ministry residing in their own hearts. Mind you, we spend many lunch hours together and have ongoing discussions of all kinds. We’re a small staff and I hold none of them at arm’s distance yet I learned volumes from their responses. Among other things, I got to see some potential in each of those 14 people that I’d never have known to tap.  We had one of the best team meetings of our ministry existence today as I shared with them my general findings and opened the floor for discussion. Trust me when I tell you, we have some fun plans for 2018.

There’s nothing special about this questionnaire. I put it together quickly and didn’t stress over professional jargon. I plainly and simply asked them what I wished to know. I’m just sharing it with you in case it encourages you to create one of your own with the group of believers you oversee. I’m a teacher at heart and that means, among other things, that I can’t keep anything I find helpful to myself. Their answers were invaluable to me. So, here it is in full, including my introductory paragraphs, in case any part of it is useful. I sent it to them in a word document so they could modify the space between each question according to the length of their answers. Hope it encourages somebody. Leading is no easy task.

It’s an honor to serve you guys!

Autumn 2017 LPM Staff Questionnaire

I deeply appreciate the privilege of serving with you and highly esteem your insights. Your responses to these questions will be so helpful, particularly as I pore over each one then sit back from them all and ask God to help me perceive where overlapping passions exist and how God wants to maximize our effectiveness in the great work of Christ’s gospel. This is a season of significant transition and every change, I believe and trust, will be toward becoming more fruitful but this I know: it’s going to require fresh fiery faith. Egos have to diminish for vision to replenish. Let’s all become game for change, not in job description in most cases but in vision, motivation, mission and goal-setting. Good days are ahead.

Please feel completely free to express yourself, including your hopes and dreams and disappointments. I know you love me and you know I love you. This is not personal. This is missional. We can’t walk by faith into the future on our tiptoes so step into this questionnaire with boldness. Everything (personal) you share will be held in confidential trust between God and me and treated with prayer and meditation and petition for much wisdom. I have only one desire greater at LPM than for each person to thrive in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is for the locomotion of all our individual thriving to be harnessed one direction on a train track that carries bona fide supernatural freight into the future to exalt God’s great name and spread the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Name: ___________________________________________________

How long have you been on staff at LPM? __________________________

What was your hope for your job when you were hired?

Was that hope fulfilled?

In what areas have you felt unfulfilled?

Do you feel free to speak and heard when you speak?

If you’ve been at LPM long enough for this to apply, how has your holy passion changed over time?

What do you wish you could do that you don’t have – or have not yet had – an opportunity to do?

In an ideal world where you had time to do volunteer work and you could take your pick of any kind, what nature of volunteer work would you do? In some respects I’m asking the question to get at an answer to this: What would you do for free? Better yet, what would you practically pay to do? That’s where you’ll find your truest present passion.

Anything else pertaining to this subject matter that you’d like to add?

That was it!