The By-laws of Chalice state: “The Board is responsible for the Senior Minister’s evaluation which shall be conducted every 3-5 years….” Reverend Sharon Wylie was last evaluated on June 19, 2015. A Board of Trustees Task Force for Ministerial Evaluation was appointed consisting of Nancy Bowen, Deb Coon, and Marshall Fogel and their report was delivered to the Board in Executive Session on January 8, 2019.
A customized evaluation form was created after searching the literature consisting of 8 categories of ministerial responsibility and within these there were 44 tasks. Eighteen congregants were asked to complete the form and 16 did so. Most were signed and included ample space for comments – many of which were shared with Rev. Sharon without identifying the authors. Evaluators were chosen by the Task Force, not Reverend Sharon, and included Board officers, paid staff, chairs of key committees, longtime volunteers and additional congregants of varied backgrounds. The Task Force chose congregants who either had first-hand experience working with Reverend Sharon or who were longstanding congregants. Rev. Sharon also carefully and thoughtfully completed a self-evaluation.
Overall, Rev. Sharon was rated as Proficient (Performance that is expected of an established minister) or Expert/Exceptional (Performance demonstrates exemplary Ministry; the Minister may be considered a role model to other Ministers) in virtually every category.
Rev. Sharon was especially pleased to receive high ratings in the categories of ‘Works in a confidential manner’ and ‘Sets healthy boundaries for herself’ as these are hallmark items of an ethical ministry.
Like any good professional appraisal, the evaluation tool identified several areas for improvement. With humility and grace, Rev. Sharon plans to address them assisted by the Ministerial Support Team as needed.
The Ministerial Evaluation process was thorough and in keeping with our Board covenant. The Task Force for Ministerial Evaluation was pleased to confirm that our settled minister is doing an excellent job.