How often have you greeted someone with the question: “How are you doing?” and had no intention of having that question taken seriously. Alternatively consider how powerful it is for someone to genuinely want to listen to you as you respond to that question. Questions that are asked and then seriously listened to are powerful ways to help us get beyond the superficial. Good questions help us probe beneath the surface and clarify our own thinking.
Good questions can be a helpful tool in evaluation. They should be open-ended and designed to avoid making a person defensive. For example, what are three or four satisfying experiences of ministry that you have had in the past several months? What have you learned from some challenges or frustrations that you have experienced? What is something you would like to do but haven’t felt time or conditions have allowed? What are ways in which the Session can be more supportive in your ministry? Where have you experienced genuine joy and fun recently? What is one of the bigger pressures that you are experiencing?
Questions can also be an important way that a pastor and session can think about the future of their ministry together. More on that tomorrow.
