LeaderScore for Pastors: Why to Take It and How to Use It With Your Team

Nobody ever handed me a scorecard for how I was leading.

I started leading at 18 or 19 as an assistant manager at a hotel front desk. Since then I’ve led in a hotel, a hardware store, a college and a church. In every one of those places I got feedback when something went wrong. Maybe a little praise when something went right. But a clear picture of how I was actually doing as a leader? Almost never.

Pastors have it even harder. Seminary taught us theology. Church taught us to show up. Very few of us were ever taught how to lead people, and almost nobody measures it.

If you’re a pastor, you know exactly how loud the criticisms can be. People give us feedback on our preaching, our pastoral care (or lack thereof, in their opinion) and even our clothes. If we aren’t careful, those criticisms can begin to shape the way we assess how we’re leading.

The truth is, though, that those tend to be very narrow views, and they’re often given without much context. The people who give us feedback mean well, but they aren’t an accurate picture of how we’re leading.

I remember someone telling me after a sermon that I used the wrong name for the person from the Bible story I was sharing. It’s an easy mistake to make. But the criticism felt like they were telling me I don’t know the Bible well enough. That started a long process of me giving myself a low score in self-evaluation.

What I needed was a clear tool that didn’t have a hidden agenda.

So I built one. It’s called LeaderScore™, and it’s free. It takes about 10 minutes. Here’s why I think every pastor should take it.

3 reasons pastors should take the LeaderScore

1. You’ll get a real starting point. You shepherd everyone else. Who’s measuring you? LeaderScore gives you one number and one level, so you know where you stand today. No guessing.

2. You’ll see your blind spots before burnout does. Every leader has them. Your report shows your lowest area and gives you a simple first step. Ministry is a marathon, and small course corrections early save you a lot of pain later.

3. It’s private and it’s quick. No judgment. No wrong answers. Answer the way you actually lead, not the way you wish you did. (Yeah, I know. That’s the hard part.)

The 8 areas, and where they show up on Sunday

LeaderScore looks at eight areas of leadership. Here’s how I think about each one in ministry:

• Vision. Could a first-time guest hear where our church is headed from any volunteer?
• Communication. Do our people know what’s expected of them? What conversation are we avoiding?
• Character. Do we do what we say we’ll do?
• Team. Are we raising up leaders, or just doing everything ourselves?
• Mindset. Where do we talk ourselves out of what God is asking us to do?
• Resilience. Can I lead without running on empty?
• Growth. Am I still learning? Do I have a mentor or a coach?
• Execution. Does our calendar match our calling?

Let’s face it, most of us can name the area we’re strongest in. It’s the lowest one that tends to surprise us.

How to use it with your team

Here’s where it gets really good. Taking the LeaderScore alone is helpful. Talking about it with your team is where things start to change. Here’s a simple plan you can use with your staff, elders or volunteer leaders:

1. Take it yourself first. Go first, and be honest about your own result.
2. Invite your team to take it. Tell them up front that this isn’t a performance review. It’s a way to see how you lead so you can serve better.
3. Meet for about an hour. Everyone shares their level and one strength. Then look at the eight areas together and ask where most of you are strong and where several of you are stuck.
4. Pick one focus for 30 days. One area. One action together. One action each person will take on their own.

To make this easy, I created a one-page tool called After the LeaderScore: Team Conversation Guide. It includes a 60-minute meeting plan, a ministry question for each of the eight areas and a 30-day commitment page. You can download it free on my Free Resources page, under Ministry Resources.

As iron sharpens iron, a team that can talk honestly about how it leads will get sharper together. That’s the whole idea.

Ready to find out where you stand?

Take the free LeaderScore™ today. It takes about 10 minutes. Then grab the Team Conversation Guide and bring your team into the conversation.

Which of the eight areas do you think will be your lowest? Take it and tell me in the comments. I’d love to hear. And if you know a pastor who needs this, please share it with them.