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UU SGM Network
32 Stevenstown Rd.
Litchfield, ME 04350
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c/o Rev. Helen Zidowecki
the UU Small Group
Ministry Network
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Evaluating Small Group Ministry and Covenant Group Programs
This Compilation
In early May of 2006 I asked our Covenant Group News readers to share how they evaluate their programs. Their responses have been compiled below. This question was in response to a visitor to our website (Ray) asking if we had any evaluation forms. We did not, though M'ellen Kennedy wrote an article on the topic for a previous issue of our member journal, the SGM Quarterly.
The responses to the evaluation question are posted in the order they were received. Note that some extra lines have been removed. Other submissions are welcome. Just email me. Peter Bowden
Submitted by Paige Getty
Mid-year evaluation email
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia
7246 Cradlerock Way
Columbia, Maryland 21045
From the I&U Small Group Ministry steering committee (Names...):
In establishing a small group ministry program at CHURCH, we stated, "Intimacy and Ultimacy is a network of small groups designed to give participants regular opportunities to lift up their horizons from the mundane details of daily living. Its goal is to care for each other-to encourage participants' spiritual growth, and meet their needs for affirmation and acceptance. Through the groups, people develop deeper and wider connections within the congregation."
Now that you've been participating in a group for several months, we'd like to know whether your experience is fulfilling these goals, and your needs. Please respond to the following questions as briefly or extensively as you wish, and return your responses to NAME by DATE at EMAIL ADDRESS. She will share them with the steering committee and offer general feedback to the group facilitators.
Thank you,
NAMES...
1. In your I&U group, how (if at all) are you lifting up your horizons from the mundane details of daily living?
2. How are you experiencing affirmation and acceptance, and experiencing spiritual growth?
3. What evidence is there that your relationships within the group are growing deeper? Or, if relationships are not growing deeper, how do you know that?
4. What evidence is there that your relationships with the congregation are growing broader and deeper? Or how do you know that these relationships are not changing?
5. Please rate your overall level of satisfaction with your I&U group:
Excellent -- Good -- Fair -- Poor -- Unsatisfied
6. Other comments:
Submitted by Paige Getty
END OF YEAR EVALUATION FOR I&U
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia
7246 Cradlerock Way
Columbia, Maryland 21045
What has the experience of being an I&U group member meant to you?
What would you change about UUCC's I&U program and why?
How has your I&U participation changed your relationship to the larger CHURCH NAME community?
Do you expect to participate in next year's I&U program?
Would you be willing to write or present a brief "testimonial" about I&U to help promote next year's program? (please be sure to include your name if you say yes!)
What question do you wish we were asking you on this questionnaire?
Please include here both that question and your answer to it. Thanks!
Name (optional):
Submitted by Suzelle Lynch
Peter,
Attached are our forms for participants and facilitators. Our Small Group Ministry program is called UUnity Circles. Our Coordinating Team will gather all the forms and "crunch" the data into a report that will go to the Board (via my minister's report) and will decide what to change and when and how.
Blessings to you,
Suzelle
Participants Feedback form 2005-06
Facilitators Feedback form 2005-06
The Rev. Suzelle Lynch, Minister
Unitarian Universalist Church West
Submitted by Sue Nauman
CHALICE CIRCLE EVALUATION
All things the same, would you like to continue being in your Chalice Group?
(If your preference for day or time has changed, please indicate
desires.)
Now is the time to change groups or take time off. Please indicate if that is you preference.
What did you enjoy about your Chalice Group Experience? What went well?
What could be improved? (Format, Topics, Structure of meeting)
Did your facilitator fulfill his/her covenant with your Chalice Circle? (Be specific)
Would you like to be a facilitator in the future? (There will be a four week training program in the Fall as well as an application and interview process.)
Would you like to be a facilitator-in-training or co-facilitator? (Same four week training program in the Fall, application and interview process.)
How do you see the Chalice Circles benefiting/enhancing the ministry of Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation? (Now and in the future)
Please sign your name. This information is not confidential. It is needed
for future planning. If you have something confidential to add, please contact NAME, Minister of Small Group Ministries. (PHONE)
NAME_____________________________
Submitted by Susan Holliser
Questions used at Small Group Ministry Dinner with Feedback Session
What has been most positive about your group experience?
Which topics have produced the best discussions?
What other topics would you like to be the focus of some future sessions?
Do you feel within your group you've grown in intimacy? If so, what has helped this happen? If not, what could be done differently to promote intimacy?
Are there any changes you'd like to see in the format or content of sessions?
How can you and your group help the small group program develop?
Submitted by J. P. DeMeritt
Greetings!
At Bay Area UU Church, the short answer to your question is, "no." That, however, requires some clarification.
During one of our recent Covenant Group Leaders' Covenant Group meetings, I brought up the subject of evaluation as our program. We talked about how each of us evaluates our groups and came to consensus that we need to continuously evaluate our programs. We also agreed that the best evaluation was probably the sense we get of the group's bonding through the discussion.
If a group is sharing deeply and people feel free to speak, the group is probably doing well. If the facilitator notices that one or more people are dominating the group's time, something needs to change.
With this in mind, I'd suggest that a form or checklist might be a good tool for a new facilitator to remind him or herself of things to watch for going into a meeting. The form might also remind facilitators to review their experiences after meetings. But our experience seems to be that the best evaluation comes from being immersed in the meeting and getting a feel for the group and the processes at work between members. That comes only from active participation and the consciousness of process that experience brings.
That said, I'd suggest a few criteria for evaluating a whole program:
- Numbers of groups: is the number of groups your congregation supports changing? If so, are the numbers increasing or decreasing?
- Numbers of members participating: is the number of individuals participating in covenant groups changing? Are the numbers increasing or decreasing?
- Number of people participating in multiple groups: are people active in only one group, or do some people participate in many? Here at BAUUC, we have a number of "covenant group junkies" -- people who simultaneously participate in several groups -- and a number of "hoppers" -- people who rotate among several groups, depending on their needs and time available.
Depending on how you count those people, total numbers of participants may be inflated.
- Rotation rates: how long are people staying with groups? If the groups are designed for limited periods, do people keep their commitment to the end? If groups are designed to be indefinite, do people stay with them until other circumstances force them out?
- Leadership rotation rates: at what frequency do facilitators change in groups? Facilitators changing frequently may indicate problems with a group, while facilitators staying in a position for more than one to two years may also indicate problems.
Along with these qualitative measures, I think some qualitative measures may be appropriate. Ask individual group members about their experiences and satisfaction with their groups. Ask newcomers what they've heard about covenant groups. And if you're in charge of the program for the entire congregation, ask groups if you can periodically sit in on their meetings -- then do so.
I'm sure that others will come up with many other ways of evaluating programs. I look forward to seeing more information in the next Covenant Group News!
Sincerely,
J. P. DeMeritt
Submitted by Jay Wolin
We used these surveys/questionnaires when we "shuffled" the groups this past February.
First we sent out the anchor questionnaire, to gauge their opinions. The responses to those questions required more of descriptive answer.
Our goal with the member questionnaire was to keep it to one page with scaled or yes/no responses where we could, to encourage responsiveness.
Some of this was adapted from samples in the back of Rev. Hill's Book.
I hope this is of some help.
Jay Wolin
First Unitarian Church of Orlando
Submitted by Alicia Hawkins
Here are the questionnaires we have sent out in spring of 05 and 06.
1st UU Church, Albuquerque, NM
Covenant Group Questionnaire2.pdf
Submitted by Mary Beth Averill
Hi Peter,
We have found that [many people] are not very good at filling out and returning paper evaluations/surveys. Instead here is what we do for SGM evaluation:
1) We have a meeting with facilitators toward the end of the year and ask them to talk about how it's gone--highs and lows, ideas for next year, etc.
2) We have an ending session in June with SGM members (in their groups) where we talk about endings in general, and endings of this year's group in particular. We ask facilitators to pass along comments from group members to the SGM planning team.
We also try to find out who might be interested in serving on the SGM planning team next year and who is interested in facilitating or co-facilitating.
On the whole, this process that has evolved during out four years of SGM, seems to be a good one. I have found both the group meetings and the facilitators wrap-ups to be very wonderful.
Cordially,
Mary Beth Averill
Submitted by Lynn Ungar
Covenant Group Questionnaire used by the Church fo the Larger Fellowship.
Covenant Group Questionnaire
Submitted by Betsy Tabor
Here's what we've sent to our seven covenant groups at South Church in Portsmouth, NH ~ Betsy Tabor
Submitted by Marty Adler-Jasny
Peter,
Our minister, Jake B. Morrill, Oak Ridge TN Unitarian Universalist Church, suggested that you might be interested in this.
Attached is the survey we used for all the small group ministry members at the end of our first six month session. It seems to have worked well, but it would have been useful, since we had few men, to include a question of some sort as to whether they were comfortable, preferred not to be the single male, etc.
Marty Adler-Jasny, Compassion Team Leader
Submitted by Diane Banta
Dear Peter, your request for a cov group evaluation tool was forwarded to me
Attached is the evaluation tool we developed to help us keep on track. It works well just to help leaders review main goals but has also stimulated discussion within whole groups
We are very new at this at Prairie Circle ( we are a new congregation) but as the result of this form one group is doing a worship service for the congregtion and another has picked a service project. i would suggest having the leaders use it 4-6 months after the group has started. They can then decide which parts to take back to the whole group.
I'd be interested in knowing what other churches do?
Diane Banta
DRE Prairie Circle UU Congregation
Grayslake IL