Negative feedback is better that none. I would rather have a man hate me than overlook me. As long as he hates me I make a difference. – Hugh Prather

Does your ministry regularly seek out feedback from the people it’s serving?  How are you looking for ways to learn from your people, leaders and community about the impact of the ministry you are leading?

Last night I got a call from AT&T asking about their service in the wake of Hurricane Sandy … and it reminded me again about the value of asking for feedback. Not only do you gain valuable insight into the operation of your organization but you also buy goodwill from your people because you are seen as listening.

Here are quick and simple ways to gain some feedback this week on the operation of your ministry:

• Online Forms // Use these to quickly pull together feedback from your people. Ask your first time guests how they rate the experience and the likelihood that they would be to invite a friend of theirs to attend your church.  Ask parents of your student ministry how you could improve your communication with them.  Google Drive Forms are simple and free.  We use Form Stack all the time because of some of their advanced features. If you are looking at surveying large numbers of people something Fluid Surveys is super slick.
• Regular Feedback Meetings // Have you created a regular space where key leaders at your church can voice their opinions about what they think is happening at your church? This can be a great release valve because you are able to catch issues when they are small and address them.  It can also be a way to build consensus on recurring issues.  For us we have a weekly Monday morning meeting where we talk about what happened the day before.  You can read about what happens at this regular meeting in a previous post.
• Wander Around // I am a fan of management by wandering around.  All though it’s not a new or revolutionary idea, it is an incredible tool for gaining insight into how things are actually happening in your church.  When was the last time you just popped in on a kids environment at your church and asked the small group leaders about how you could improve the ministry there?  What if you showed up randomly at your band rehearsal to appreciate what they are doing and also ask them what they’ve loved that we’ve done in the last 6 months?

Don’t worry if you hear something you don’t like … it’s just an opportunity for your organization to grow and be better.  Take time this week to seek feedback and I think you’ll be amazed what you learn!