A regular review of the local church senior pastor is a valued part of denominational polity. Reviews are important to the growth of the pastor in their role while also affording the church leadership opportunity to address any concerns related to performance. Accordingly, the senior pastor will be subject to regular schedule reviews in consultation with their team leader.

Pleas note that reviews for other church staff are the responsibility of the senior pastor working in conjunction with the local congregational leaders. This document only refers to the senior pastor of each local congregation. 

The first designated denominational review of a senior pastor will occur on the third anniversary of the commencing of employment and after that every four years. However, the local governing board and denominational leadership reserve the right to initiate a review at any time of their choosing or to alter the frequency of these reviews.

The team leader will initiate the review and will work with the governing board to oversee the review process. All meetings are called and chaired by the team leader and decisions regarding the employment status of the pastor must be approved by the  team leader. Pastors must be in contact with their denominational team leader regarding intentions and/or concerns of continued service prior to contacting the governing board. The team leader shall direct any communication related to the review of the pastor with the congregation.

REVIEW OBJECTIVES

1. To provide the pastor with a spiritual check-in while reflecting on the calling to their assignment.
2. To give the pastor an opportunity to share their vision and  goals related to their assignment and professional growth.
3. To provide constructive feedback to the pastor.
4. To afford the church leadership opportunity to share concerns about job performance and develop, in dialogue with the pastor and the team leader, and action plan for addressing these concerns going forward.
5. To review and update ongoing growth plans addressed in previous reviews.
6. To address any concerns regarding remuneration or employment circumstances in order to foster improved performance and a better work environment.

REVIEW PROCESS

1. Nearing the anniversary of the beginning of a pastor’s employment with the local congregation, the team leader will be in touch with both the pastor and governing board chair to schedule the review and set up a review meeting with the committee. The team leader will dialogue with the pastor.
2. The review overview documents will be circulated to the pastoral committee through the board chair. A pastoral review survey will also be sent to be completed by all pastoral committee members plus a number of selected people who are active participants in the life of the congregation. The number of people surveyed will be determined by the team leader after consultation with the committee.
3. The team leader will request the pastor to complete the self review report. This report will be circulated to the pastoral committee for discussion at a meeting with the team leader.
4. At the review meeting the team leader will summarize the process and then lead an interview with the pastor based on their self-review report. The congregational survey results will also be reviewed. The pastor will be asked to absent themselves from the meeting at some point so the committee can discern in private. The committee will develop directives for the pastor which will be presented both in person and in writing. The committee may complete this in one evening or elect to convene another evening to complete the review. The secretary of the governing board shall also serve as secretary of the pastoral committee and shall minute all decisions of the pastoral committee.
5. The team leader will summarize the review and any directives in writing for the pastor coming out of the meeting and build these findings into the ongoing supervision of the pastor.

If in any event the pastor decides to resign or seek another assignment, this should be communicated to the team leader first who will then communicate with the governing board. Details regarding end of service will be negotiated by the team leader in conversation with the chair of the governing board.

Should the team leader at any point sense distress in the congregation regarding the pastor’s ministry, the team leader may choose to intervene and alter the process from the normal pattern in the interest of the long term health of the congregation.