Free Ministry Priorities Evaluation Guide
How clear are your church's priorities? Find out in 45 minutes.
A diagnostic tool for senior leadership teams to assess organizational clarity across Mission, Values, Purpose, and Strategy — the four elements that align everything else your church does.
Most churches have priorities. Few have alignment.
Your mission statement is on the wall. Your values are on the website. But when you ask five leaders to explain them, you get five different answers. That gap between what's stated and what's shared is where churches get stuck.
It doesn't mean something is broken. It means something hasn't been built yet. The Priorities Foundation is the bedrock that everything else sits on — your people strategy, your processes, your performance metrics, your plan. Without alignment here, everything downstream drifts.
Is this your church?
- Your team would describe the mission differently if asked separately.
- Values exist on paper but don't shape real decisions.
- There's no shared language for why your church exists in your specific community.
- Ministry strategy feels reactive instead of directional.
- New ideas get added, but nothing gets evaluated against a clear framework.
If three or more of these resonate, this evaluation will show you exactly where the gaps are — and which ones to address first.
The Priorities Foundation
Four elements that align everything else.
Clearway's 5 P's Framework starts with Priorities because weakness here affects People, Process, Performance, and Plan. This evaluation measures each element.
01
Mission
The one sentence that orients every decision.
Do your leaders know it, believe it, and use it to make real choices?
02
Values
The shared convictions that shape your culture.
Are they lived out in hiring, conflict resolution, and resource allocation — or just on a poster?
03
Purpose
Why this church, in this place, at this time.
Can your team articulate a purpose that connects your unique identity to your specific community?
04
Strategy
How your ministries move together in one direction.
Are your ministries aligned around shared direction — upward, inward, outward, and withward?
What's in the evaluation
Everything your team needs to diagnose what's clear and what's not.
Not another generic church health survey. A focused diagnostic built from real engagements with churches navigating the same challenges.
40 Diagnostic Questions
Ten questions per section, rated 1-5 by each team member. Designed to surface real gaps, not confirm assumptions.
Team Discussion Format
Built for 4-6 senior leaders to complete together. The most valuable output isn't the score — it's the conversation.
Gap Detection
When two leaders rate the same item more than 2 points apart, that gap reveals something important about your alignment.
Scoring Summary
Section-by-section scoring with clear thresholds: Strong Foundation, Developing, or Needs Attention.
Next Steps Guide
Practical guidance for what to do with your results — whether you work with Clearway or not.
Discussion Prompts
Notes sections after each area to capture what surfaces. The insights that emerge in real-time are the ones that matter.
How it works
45 minutes that change how your team talks about priorities.
The process is simple. The conversations it starts are not. That's the point.
Gather your team
Lead pastor, executive pastor, board chair, and 3-6 key decision-makers.
Rate independently first
Each person scores every question before discussion begins. Honest, uninfluenced.
Compare and discuss
Go section by section. Where scores diverge, stop and talk. That's where the real work is.
Calculate your totals
Use the scoring guide to see where you're strong and where you need to build.
Decide your next step
Address the weakest foundation first. Priorities before people. People before process.
Why it matters
A church came to us convinced their problem was staffing. After working through the Priorities evaluation, they realized their team couldn't agree on the mission — let alone align around it. Six months later, with clarity on Mission and Values, the staffing issues resolved themselves. The real problem was never people. It was priorities.
After the evaluation
Now you know where the gaps are.
This evaluation gives you clarity. The next question is what to do with it. Clearway works with churches to build the foundations that turn honest assessment into real organizational change.
1:1 Coaching
Work directly with a Clearway coach to address your weakest foundation first. Structured, accountable, confidential.
Team Workshops
Bring your leadership team together for a facilitated session that builds alignment in real-time.
Strategic Planning
Ready for a comprehensive approach? The Wayfinding process builds your full strategic roadmap.
Get the free evaluation
Ready to find out how aligned your team really is?
Download the evaluation guide free. Work through it with your leadership team. Or, if you want a facilitator for the process, book a conversation with Clearway.
No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest look at where your church is and what the next step might be.
Or book a free conversation →