"Listening Nights" — A Practical Tool for Current Reality Assessment
In my third year as pastor of this church, I realized it would be almost impossible to visit with all the members in their settings. Yet, I wanted to know how effective our ministry plan was and, in general, how people felt about our church. In FaithQuest language, "What was our current reality?"
I invited groups of 25 people to a series of listening nights I called "A Night with the Pastor." A comfortable setting and refreshments made the evening pleasant. Two familiar FaithQuest evaluation questions (slightly altered for the situation) were asked: (1) "What do we do well as a church?" and (2) "What could we do better?" Then we asked a third question: "What one thing, if it were possible to do, would significantly change our church for the better?"
The listening provided very helpful information. Some of it reinforced our expectations, and some challenged us to rethink our current reality as we perceived it. A side benefit for members was a new feeling that the church and pastor cared enough to ask these questions and listen thoughtfully to the answers.
Listening, however, is more than data gathering. Listening behind the words to the real issues can make all the difference in the world in building a shared vision — especially to those of us who believe that "God plants a vision in the hearts and minds of God's people" and that to discover that vision takes some listening.