Open Bible Churches
Pastor Review Guide
Form P-5
The purpose of a biennial, lead pastor review is to identify and affirm the lead pastor’s leadership
effectiveness, identify areas for growth, and collaborate on a plan for continued pastor leadership
development. The following assessment is designed to be self-administered by the lead pastor,
independently completed as a group by the governing board, and jointly discussed by pastor and board.
The Board’s Responsibility
Effective use of this pastor review is founded upon a premise that the lead pastor and members of the
governing board are committed and accountable to the priority of servant leadership and have yielded
personal agendas for the greater cause of Jesus Christ. A pastor review assumes members of the
governing board are motivated by love to affirm their lead pastor’s strengths, respectfully offer honest
assessment of leadership concerns, and support their pastor by helping to identify opportunities and
avenues for growth. Prayerfully submit this review to the Lord, determining that He will be glorified in
every way through what is said and how. Variations that this review may reveal between lead pastor and
governing board provide an opportunity to glorify the Lord by helping one another in a scriptural manner:
“As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend” Proverbs 27:17 (NLT). In like manner, members of the
governing board must be introspectively open to review by and discussion of their leadership
effectiveness with the lead pastor.
What to do with the Results
The biennial pastor review shall be conducted confidentially between the lead pastor and governing
board. Although church members shall be invited to offer written input to the governing board regarding
the lead pastor review, the evaluations and discussion specifics between the lead pastor and governing
board shall not be divulged to members. At the conclusion of this process, the governing board shall
complete and submit the “Pastor Review Verification to the regional executive director, confirming the
review has been completed and the lead pastor’s call to serve has been reaffirmed. The governing board
shall also reaffirm their support for the lead pastor to the membership. Should this review reveal major
conflict or irresolvable differences in evaluations and interpretations between the lead pastor and
governing board, the governing board and/or the lead pastor shall consult with the regional executive
director to request assistance. For churches where the pastor’s appointment was initially ratified by the
regional board of directors or an approved, apostolic council, copies of the review forms shall be
submitted to the regional executive director.
This Review and Verification
The following review is a tool to assess core leadership competencies of lead pastors. It is not intended to
be exhaustive, covering every gift, talent, and skill of a pastor. Rather, certain key, leadership
competencies are identified for analysis and discussion of strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for
growth. The second part of the review is validation to the regional executive director that the review, as
required by church by laws, has been completed.
Open Bible Churches
Pastor Review Guide
Form P-5
Date: ____________
The intent of this evaluation is to build and encourage the pastor in continuing to build a strong church for the
glory of God. The mutual exchange between the pastor and board will build a much clearer trust and form a
greater loyalty within the church.
We will use the scale of 1-4 with this measurement placed upon each numerical figure
1. Poor 2. Needs improvement 3. Good 4. Excellent
We will evaluate the pastor in the following areas: preaching, pastoral care, outreach, leadership, relationship
with Open Bible.
____ The sermons have clear Biblical instruction.
____ The sermon gave a clear application so that all could understand.
____ The communication of the message was clear.
____ The manner of the delivery.
____ The illustrations were appropriate.
Strengths, weaknesses, and comments:
____ The pastor is a good listener.
____ The pastor is aware of the needs of the congregation.
____ The pastor responds in a timely fashion to requests.
____ The pastor is kind and considerate when making hospital visits.
____ The pastor is good at resolving conflicts in the church.
____ The pastor carries a positive attitude with all the people.
Strengths, weakness, and comments:
PASTORAL CARE
PREACHING
____ The pastor shares stories of his own evangelism efforts.
____ The pastor preaches on evangelism regularly.
____ The pastor challenges the church members to reach out to the community.
____ The pastor is himself involved in community events.
____ The pastor can lead people to Christ in a comfortable manner.
Strengths, weakness, and comments:
____ The pastor is well prepared for every event he oversees.
____ The pastor is regularly training others to lead well.
____ The pastor has strong spiritual disciplines.
____ The pastor consistently grows in leadership by attending conferences/classes.
____ The pastor models with his family a balanced lifestyle.
____ The pastor handles both church and personal finances with great integrity.
____ The pastor has a strong prayer life.
____ The pastor demonstrates an ability to release people in their giftings.
____ The pastor is able to cast vision for our church regularly.
____ The pastor oversees the boards/committees of our church in an orderly fashion.
____ The pastor regularly takes a day off each week.
Strengths, weakness, and comments:
OUTREACH
LEADERSHIP
____ The pastor promotes Mission Venture Plan (MVP) and cooperation with 5%.
____ The pastor speaks highly of his relationship with other Open Bible Pastors.
____ The pastor assists the congregation in cooperating with Open Bible Churches’ projects.
____ The pastor is able to articulate the value of the covering Open Bible Churches affords.
Strengths, weakness, and comments:
Please complete and email one copy of the Pastor Review Verification form (see next page) to your
r
egional executive director. Only one Verification form needs to be submitted per church board.
RELATIONSHIP WITH OPEN BIBLE
Open Bible Churches
Pastor Review Verification
To: ______________________________
Church: ______________________________ City, State:_______________________
1. We, the church governing board, completed a biennial, senior pastor review of
[name]_________________________ on [date] _________________.
We used form ___________ as our guide. We have prayed and counseled together
afresh with our pastor about the mission and vision of our church and how our pastor
leads us. We have also reviewed our pastor’s compensation package and have
done the following regarding compensation:
2. Please check at least one:
We affirm our pastor’s continued call to serve and lead our church.
We request assistance.
We have concluded that our pastor’s call to serve and lead our church is
completed.
3. Names and contact information of all participating governing board members:
Name
Email
Phone Number
4. Copies of our review forms are enclosed, if required. enclosed
If the pastor’s initial term of service was approved by the regional board or was appointed by an
apostolic council, copies of the review are to be submitted to the regional executive director.
5. Submitted by: _______________________ phone:___________________