JEFFERSON CITY – “If you’re a pastor, we want you to succeed.” That’s the message Dustin Burdin received when he moved to Missouri to pastor full-time at First Baptist Church, Webb City. The support from his association and from the Missouri Baptist Convention spoke immediately of a nurturing culture unlike anything Burdin had experienced before.
Integral to that support was a mentorship with Kirk Baker, the Director of Missions for Spring River Baptist Association. That mentorship was enabled through tools like the Pastoral Readiness Assessment and a certification program that taught Baker how to coach pastors. Both are available because of a partnership the MBC shares with Corpus, a ministry dedicated to providing products and services to aid churches.
Shortly after Burdin came to Missouri, Resound Network MBC hosted a New Pastors Retreat. Baker asked Burdin and his wife to come. At the time, one of the prerequisites for the retreat was the Pastor Readiness Assessment.
Burdin was tasked with choosing five to seven individuals to evaluate him on the categories of preaching, relationship, stability, and ministry.
“The process [of the assessments] was simple,” Burdin says. “It was easy to work with.” He chose individuals he trusted to give him honest feedback, including his former pastor and his current chairman of deacons at FBC Webb City.
Once they were finished filling out the assessments, Corpus received and compiled the information into a report. Then, at the New Pastors Retreat, Baker went over the results with Burdin and talked about an action plan for addressing his weaknesses.
The report answered questions from the perspective of the assessors such as: How well does the pastor seek God and lead people? Does he have communication that inspires? Does he cast vision and implement strategy? How does he care for, love, gather, and influence people? How does he correct misplaced values?
“It was pretty eye opening,” Burdin says, explaining that he was humbled by the perspectives of others. The assessment not only helped him see where he could improve but also where he was being too critical of himself.
To Burdin’s surprise, he scored lower than expected in some areas while scoring higher in areas he believed to be weaknesses.
One particular weakness that Burdin was surprised by was communication, especially in relation to sermon illustrations. He didn’t use them much, and, therefore, his messages weren’t connecting with people as well as they could have been.
“He wanted the Word to stand on the Word,” Baker says, indicating that it was a good instinct. “We all want that, but at the same time, you want to be able to communicate and be relatable, and that often happens through illustrations.”
Burdin humbly accepted that his congregants needed more application and relatability in his sermons. He became more aware of those who have different learning styles.
After the retreat, Baker coached Burdin through their action plan, meeting once a month for six months and then maintaining an abiding friendship afterwards. The Pastoral Readiness Assessment and the report served as a foundation for their coaching relationship.
Burdin says the weekly time commitment for the coaching sessions wasn’t overwhelming at all. He read short, easily understandable books between monthly sessions to prepare. He jotted down notes, and then they talked about the topic represented in his readings.
Of Baker, Burdin says, “He was very good at perceiving what I needed to work on next, but he had such a way of weaving it into our conversations. He met me where I was, and then he moved me slowly… to where I needed to develop.”
Burdin received resources, for instance, about how to include effective illustrations in his sermons. Baker also helped Burdin assess his improvement by attending a few services, listening to Burdin’s sermons, and evaluating growth. Through coaching and the feedback of his coach, Burdin believes that his sermons connect better with his congregants.
In addition to his communication skills, Burdin improved in his ability to cast vision and implement strategy. Trust between himself and his deacons and his congregation increased as they all felt they were “rowing in the same direction.” Together, the entire church “bought in” to a vision of a bright future.
Burdin recommends the Pastoral Readiness Assessment coupled with coaching to pastors everywhere, especially pastors newer to ministry or pastors who need to connect better with their congregation. Even experienced pastors may discover that the assessment lends them fresh perspective, opportunity for self-reflection, and guidance toward adaptation to the needs of their congregation.
“If you can,” Burdin says, “it would be best to do both the coaching and the assessment together. I mean, why not? You’re able to get your skills assessed and then have the coach walk you through those and tailor a plan based on that.” The mentorship in some ways forced Burdin to take the assessment more seriously; the application of the information gained through the assessment was enhanced by his relationship with Baker.
Baker adds that the assessment and coaching program may benefit pastors who aren’t personally engaging nonbelievers, pastors with communication issues within their churches, pastors who would like a mentor, and pastors who would like a new perspective on how they might grow in their ministries and in their skill sets.
Burdin encourages pastors who are preparing for the assessment to choose individuals who will give constructive feedback. He recommends avoiding both the overly critical person and “fans” as neither are likely to give objective opinions. Instead, pastors should look for those who care enough to deliver honest criticisms graciously.
“A person who goes through these processes,” Burdin advises, “needs to be thick-skinned enough and mature enough to take criticism. I have never had anyone in this process cut me down… You have to be willing to be told you’re not doing something as great as you think you are. You have to take that on the chin and [acknowledge] they could be right.”
Burdin and Baker recommend pastors interested in the Pastoral Readiness Assessment and the coaching process contact the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Resound Network. There, pastors can find access to the same support and nurturing environment Burdin found.
To learn more about the assessment process and cost, contact Resound Network at resound@mobaptist.org or visit resoundnetwork.com/training.
