SPE is us!

It's been two years since the Asian-American Pastoral Ministry had been a peer learning group. And not just for any purpose - but specifically to grow in and sustain pastoral excellence.

Unlike the team of penguins (in the animation film titled "Madagascar") trying to appear 'cute and cuddly' when faced by adverse situations, AAPM pastors and their spouses want to be authentic servants of God deep within, not just putting up a nice facade as Christian workers. Inside and outside, we want to be a team of real people who are redeemed and equipped ambassadors of Jesus Christ. 

To make sure we are learning and doing what we are supposed to do, AAPM did a self-assessment last February. To achieve a fair amount of objectivity, the group used a web-based survey program to gather answers to multiple-choice questions that assessed the group's peer learning process, content, and performance. And in this one instance, AAPM members learned to use some of today's tech tools to further pastoral excellence.

Here are some key results of our self-assesssment:

• Asked what we experienced and did as a group that best reflected our group purpose, we ranked the following high on our list: shared or team leadership; participative or collaborative decision making; intentional teamwork and servant leadership; mutual respect (regardless of age!); and lots of good, friendly, wholesome jokes and laughter.
• Asked if we accomplished what we were supposed to do, our top answers were that we learned more to: give and receive mutual encouragement and prayer support; develop lasting friendship; help strengthen and grow our churches; learn from our peers; increase knowledge and skills for effective pastoral work; exercise spiritual accountability and discipline among peers; know and adapt what works best in other Asian churches.
• Asked if AAPM is worth continuing, ALL of us answered yes.
• Asked if AAPM should be expanded to invite the other Asian CRC pastors/churches, ALL answered yes but acknowledged the difficulties of doing it.
• Asked if each would commit to continue as an active member of AAPM (even if SPE grant support ends), ALL but one (with good reason) said yes.

Read more about the results of our self assessment in the "Raw Results" and the "Summary of Results."

If you have questions about this, please email Fernando who designed the survey questionnaire by using an easy to use and free web-based program available at www.Zoomerang.com. More versatile survey tools are available for an annual fee. For AAPM's limited purpose, I only used the free basic program. (By now, you know a lot more about me... a lover of free stuff, of which top on my list is eternal life!) 

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