updated April 2026
When you gather end-of-year feedback, don’t just ask your participants. Ask your leaders, too.
Your leaders see things you don’t. They know where discussion lagged, where relationships grew, where the homework connected, and where people quietly struggled. If you want to improve your ministry, leader feedback is one of the best places to start.
If you have a faithful team that serves year after year, you may not need a long survey. In fact, shorter is often better. But you do want to ask enough to learn what helped, what hindered, and what needs attention before next year begins.
Below is a sample leader evaluation I’ve used and revised over many years of ministry. It was originally designed for a Bible study with large-group teaching, small groups, and weekly homework. Adapt it however you need. Leave plenty of room for comments. The comments are usually where the best insight shows up.
Why Ask Leaders for Feedback?
Leader evaluations help you do at least four things:
- Spot patterns you might miss from the front of the room.
- Strengthen your training for next year.
- Care for your leaders as people, not just volunteers.
- Make better decisions about structure, curriculum, communication, and support.
A leader may tell you something a student never would. Another may confirm a concern you suspected but couldn’t quite name. Taken together, those responses can show you what needs to change and what is already serving people well.
Tips Before You Survey
A good evaluation is not just about collecting opinions. It is about learning how to serve people better. That means the way you ask matters.
Here are a few principles I’ve found helpful:
- Ask for honesty, but set the tone. Remind leaders to “speak the truth in love.”
- Keep rating scales simple and easy to scan.
- Ask open-ended questions that invite specifics.
- Leave room for comments after every major section.
- Do the survey while the year is still fresh in their minds.
- Read the responses prayerfully and look for patterns, not just isolated frustrations.
And one more thing: tell your leaders what you plan to do with the feedback. If people take time to answer thoughtfully, it helps to know their input matters.
Sample Leader Evaluation
General instructions: Please speak the truth in love so that we may continue learning how to serve God and you better. Use the back, or add another page, if you need more space.
How was your Small Group this year? (do not rate yourself, rate the group)
Mix of ages/backgrounds: 1-rewarding; 2-positive; 3-neutral; 4-awkward; 5-a disaster
Discussion quality 1-great; 2-helpful; 3-average; 4-not helpful; 5-confusing
Participation: 1-everyone; 2-most; 3-half; 4-a few;p 5-very few/none
Attendance: 1-very consistent; 2-regular; 3-average; 4-irregular; 5-very inconsistent
Open-ended Questions
The best thing about my small group this year was:
The most challenging thing about my small group this year was:
If you could change anything about the small group format, what would you change? Why?
If you could change anything about the small group format, what would you change? Why?
Did the teaching and the small group discussions work well together? Where did they connect? Where did they feel disconnected?
Were there any points in the year when group members seemed especially engaged or especially discouraged? What do you think made the difference?
Questions About Leadership Support
How helpful were our leadership meetings?
What part of leader training was most useful?
What topics would you like more training on next year?
How could we better support you as a leader during the year?
Were communication and scheduling clear? If not, where did confusion arise?
Would a leader retreat, workshop, or extra training day be helpful? Why or why not?
Looking Ahead
Do you plan to lead a small group next year?
If yes, is there anything you would like to do differently next year?
If no, is there anything you’d like us to know about that decision?
Is there anyone in your group who might make a good future leader?
Any other comments or suggestions?
Questions You Might Want to Add
Depending on your ministry, you may want to add a few questions that were less common years ago:
- Did the group connect outside the weekly meeting in meaningful ways?
- Did text, email, or online communication help your group stay connected?
- Did anyone in your group need more follow-up than we were able to provide?
- If your group included new believers or women new to Bible study, did they feel welcomed and able to participate?
- Did the pace of the year feel manageable?
These kinds of questions can help you evaluate more than logistics. They help you see whether your ministry is building understanding, community, and care.
What To Do With the Responses
Once the evaluations come in, resist the urge to react too quickly to one strong opinion. Instead, sort the feedback into categories:
- things to celebrate
- things to clarify
- things to improve
- things that need prayer and discernment
Look for repeated comments. If several leaders say the homework was too long, pay attention. If several say the training helped them feel confident, keep doing it. Not every suggestion should lead to a change, but every response can help you understand your ministry more clearly.
Leader evaluations are not just about fixing problems. They are a way to love your leaders well. You’re saying: I want to learn how to serve you better, so that together we can serve others better.
That’s a worthwhile conversation to have every year.
Please email me and let me know how this worked for you or ways you changed and improved it.
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Photo by Angelina Litvin on Unsplash
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