I’ve sat across from hundreds of ministry leaders over the years. Ask them about theology and they light up. Ask them about supervising a staff member and something closes.

Most were never taught how to do it. Not in seminary, not in their first pastorate, not anywhere. They learned preaching, pastoral care, perhaps a little conflict resolution. Supervision was assumed, never trained.

So they default to one of two postures. Either they avoid it entirely, hoping good people will simply flourish if left alone, or they import a corporate model that treats staff like production line workers needing quotas and reviews. Neither works in a ministry setting. Neither is faithful to what supervision actually is.

Here’s the deeper problem. Many leaders believe supervision interferes with their calling. They see it as an administrative tax on the real work, the spiritual work, the work God actually called them to. I understand the instinct. Nobody enters ministry dreaming of performance conversations. But that’s not what supervision is. That’s a caricature of it.

Supervision is Shepherding

Good supervision is a form of shepherding. It’s stewardship of the people God has entrusted to your leadership, not just the mission you share. When a leader neglects supervision, they aren’t protecting their calling. They’re abandoning part of it. The people on your team are as much your ministry as the people in your pews.

I think of supervision less as management and more as a rhythm of presence. Not surveillance. Presence. A structure that says: I see you, I’m paying attention, and I want you to flourish here, not just produce here.

Supervision Questions for Direct Reports

That’s where a simple set of questions comes in. Not a form. Not an annual review. A conversation, ideally weekly or every other week, that a leader has with each direct report. Six questions. Nothing complicated. But asked consistently, and asked well, they do more for a team’s health than any policy manual ever will.

1. Do you need any decisions from me?

Why ask it: Staff often sit on decisions because they don’t want to bother you, or because they’re unsure it’s their call to make. Left unasked, those decisions stall. Projects stall with them.

What to listen for: Hesitation before they answer. If someone pauses and says “well, actually,” that’s usually the real answer. Listen also for decisions they’ve been quietly making without authority, a sign either of a gap in your delegation or a leader ready for more of it.

2. Do you have any problems I can help you with?

Why ask it: This gives permission. Many people won’t volunteer a problem unless directly invited to name one, especially in a ministry culture where “everything’s fine, praise God” can become a defence mechanism rather than an honest report.

What to listen for: The difference between a problem and a complaint. Problems have shape and edges. Complaints tend to be vague and repeated. Also listen for what they don’t mention. Chronic silence about a particular area, a relationship, a task, a person, often signals more than an open complaint would.

3. Do you have any plans we should discuss?

Why ask it: This surfaces initiative before it becomes a surprise. You want to know what someone is building or proposing while it’s still forming, not after they’ve already committed to it publicly.

What to listen for: Ownership language. “I’m thinking about” versus “I’ve decided.” Both are fine, but they tell you where someone is in their process and how much input they actually want from you.

4. What progress have you made?

Why ask it: This keeps accountability warm rather than cold. Asked regularly and kindly, it removes the need for a dreaded quarterly review where six months of drift gets confronted all at once.

What to listen for: Specificity. Vague progress reports (“things are going well”) often mean stalled work or low clarity on what actually counts as progress. Ask a follow-up if you get a vague answer. Don’t let it pass.

5. How are you doing personally?

Why ask it: Because the person is not the role. Ministry teams are especially prone to conflating the two, expecting staff to run on mission alone while their marriage, health, or finances quietly fall apart.

What to listen for: The gap between their tone and their words. “I’m fine” said flatly is not the same as “I’m fine” said with energy. Give it room. Don’t rush past this question to get back to the task list.

6. How can I be praying for you?

Why ask it: This question does what the others can’t. It moves the relationship from supervisor and employee to soul friend and colleague. It reminds both of you that you’re not just managing output, you’re walking together.

What to listen for: What they ask for reveals what they’re carrying. Sometimes it’s the request itself. More often it’s what’s underneath it, a need for provision that sounds like a prayer for guidance, a need for peace that sounds like a prayer for patience.

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Six Questions

Six questions. Twenty minutes, maybe thirty. Asked with genuine attention rather than as a checklist, they will tell you more about your team’s health than any dashboard you could build.

So are my questions for you: when did you last ask your people these things, and actually waited long enough to hear the real answer? Do you have another suggested question you would like to see added to these?