Service reviews – what they are, what they do, and how to do them
Practical Shepherding is a blog you should read. It’s full of , well, practical posts for pastors and church leaders. Here are a few recent posts on service reviews, which I got to see first hand at a 9Marks Weekender at Capital Hill Baptist in DC.
What is a service review?
Service review takes place as a round table discussion with one primary facilitator to evaluate the public gatherings for that Lord’s Day. For our church, it works best to have this time 15 minutes after our evening service with duration of forty five minutes – one hour. There are two main benefits: First, everyone is already at church to meet before going home for the day. Second, the gatherings for that Lord’s Day are fresh on everyone’s minds and hearts, which produce a more engaged evaluation. This time also provides wives and children the option to stay and fellowship with one another while the men meet. Sensitivity to families waiting is why this meeting should last one hour maximum. Anyone is invited to attend, but is primarily attended by those men who participate in leading and preaching in the public gathering, or aspire to do so. Those leading and preaching that day, as well as current pastoral interns are required to attend.
What is the purpose of a service review?
The primary role of service review is two fold: First, service review is a safeguard to maintain biblical fidelity within the public gatherings of the church. Secondly, service review is a tool to cultivate the skill of giving and receiving sincere, helpful, and godly criticism, which does not come naturally. It must be learned, taught, and molded into believers. Within these two chief purposes, there are several other purposes to be accomplished in setting this time aside to evaluate:
- To provide an opportunity to speak words of encouragement as well as correction if needed into the lives of those who led and preached in the public gathering.
- To create a culture of evaluating the public gatherings, not by preference or style, but biblically, theologically, pastorally, and practically.
- To create an environment to evaluate critically what is important and what is not important in regard to sermons and services.
- To create an environment for those participating and observing to learn, grow, and mature in the various roles discussed.
- To learn discernment in what are helpful, instructive comments—and what are not.
- To create an environment of humility, trust, fellowship, and openness with our lives to those present.
What is the process of a service review?
The facilitator’s role is much like a moderator or chairman. He is to keep the discussion progressing in a helpful direction and protect the group from digressing in a negative manner. The facilitator asks a question about the service or sermon and goes around the table soliciting thoughts and comments about that particular question. Here are a few examples:
- Did the service run on one continuous theme that led into the preaching?
- What encouraging comments do you have for those who led the service?
- What could have been done better?
- Any theological concerns with the songs chosen?
- Did the congregation seem to sing well? Why or why not?
- What was one truth prayed in the service that was particularly meaningful to you?
- Was the Lord’s Table administered in a biblically appropriate way?
- Were there any distractions that need to be mentioned?
- What connections did you see to the scripture readings and the sermon?
- What is something new you learned in the exposition of the text?
- What application from the sermon was particularly meaningful to you?
- Was there any portion of the sermon that you would suggest amending?
- Were there any errors spoken, or clarifications that need to be made by those who led or preached?
The facilitator can also use this time to have a short discussion about a topic if he feels it would benefit the group. Topics could include approaches to preaching a certain text, factors in determining songs, methods of applying texts edifyingly and faithfully, good templates to think through when praying publicly, and techniques for communicating effectively (e.g., voice inflection) are useful conversations to have with those leading, preaching, and aspiring to do so in your congregation.
This approach should leave those involved challenged to think through different issues in regard to the public gatherings of your church, but ultimately this time should encourage those who labored in leading and preaching, unless a particularly poor job was done. If you find these meetings have a more critical feel than mutual edification, you need to consider whether this time has taken too critical a direction and adjustments need to be made.