Is This Working?

And Other Honest Questions Pastors Should Be Asking

There’s this relentless pace to pastoring. You know what I mean. There’s always another meeting, another message, another crisis, another "opportunity" (which usually comes dressed like extra work and an 11pm text).

If we’re not careful, the pace outstrips the soul. We veer from our values. We get caught in the machine instead of leading it. The old line becomes true: we’re working in it, not on it.

So here’s my nudge, let’s talk about reflection. If there’s one thing I’d do differently as a senior pastor (who knows, maybe I’ll be one again sometime), I’d reflect more. I’d slow down long enough to actually see what’s happening, not just feel it fly past.

Reflection is the ability to look at the past, in the present, to change the future.

Here are five questions every pastor should ask about the church God has entrusted them with. Ask them with God. With your spouse. With a coach or your leadership team. I guarantee they’ll stir something.

1. Is This Working?

No, really, is it?

We’ve all done it. Ten people visit, one gets saved and sticks. We celebrate, and we should. But why didn’t the other nine return? What systems aren’t bearing fruit? Which leaders are thriving, and which are just… there?

We tend to see one exception as confirmation that the system’s fine. But it’s not. As they say: the system you have is perfectly designed to give you the results you’re getting.

So: what’s not working? And what needs more than just tweaking, it needs a total rethink?

2. Are We Leaning Into What God Wants Us to Lean Into?

Here’s a confession: I used to come back from conferences like a spiritual tornado. New ideas, new models, new vision decks. I’m sure my team braced for impact every time I landed.

But this question is different from “Is it working?”

Some things work, but they’re not ours to do.

Another church is reaping a huge harvest doing X, Y, Z. Great, bless them! But God might have you in a sowing season. It’s not flashy, but it’s faithful. And obedience in the right season matters more than metrics.

Are we emphasizing what God is emphasizing? Forget the crowds. Forget the pressure to keep up. What is God actually saying to you? And are you attending to it?

3. Are We Teaching the Full Counsel of God?

Sound doctrine isn’t just about avoiding heresy, it’s about bringing weight to what God gives weight to.

Have hobby horses taken the reins? Has an over reliance on topical preaching left big sections of Scripture gathering dust? Are we skipping spiritual leg day?

Teaching exegetically, even sometimes, will force you to feed your church the full meal, not just dessert.

There’s a strange echo chamber out there. Certain themes go viral across the Christian metaverse. Maybe it’s the Spirit. Or maybe it’s something else. Either way, let’s be thoughtful. do the work in the scripture and make sure we are dishing up a robust diet.

4. Do We Have the Right People in the Right Seats?

Two parts to this one: Right people. Right seats.

Which means you can have the wrong people in the wrong seats (yikes), or the right people in the wrong ones (fixable).

Who’s thriving? Who’s stagnating? Who’s misaligned? And maybe even more subtly, who’s right, but in a life season where they need a different pace or pressure?

Team dynamics shift constantly. Don’t be afraid to ask honest questions and make gentle moves.

5. Are We Doing Too Much?

The enemy of great is usually not evil, it’s just “pretty good.”

There’s so much we can do as a church. But should we? Your no is what blesses your yes.

If a ministry, program, or system no longer serves the mission, or just needs to breathe for a season, hit pause. That doesn’t mean failure. Sometimes it’s just pruning.

There are plenty more questions you could ask, but these five are a good start. Reflect with God. Reflect with people you trust. Whether it’s a coach, your spouse, or your exec team, I promise you’ll surface new insight and stir some fresh courage.

The Church is worth leading well.
Start by slowing down long enough to ask the right questions.

Call to Action

What question do you need to sit with this week?

Maybe you need to make sometime to talk these questions through with your team and see what comes up.

Grab a coffee.
Open your journal.
Ask it honestly, with God.
You might be surprised what rises to the surface.