Ethical Self-Examination For Clergy

Toward God

• Do I have the witness of the Spirit that I am a child of God?
• Are there any unfruitful habits that God has been gently exposing in my life?
• Do I give a full and daily effort to the study of the Bible and to prayer?
• Is there any way that I could be taking greater advantage of the means of grace such as worship, the ministry of the body of Christ, and Scripture?

Toward My Calling

• Do I consistently take God’s Word, apply it to my own life, and share it faithfully with others?
• On a scale of 1 to 10, how would I rate my daily striving for excellence in all that I do?
• Is there reason to believe that any of my personal or professional relationships are improper?
• In what ways am I consistently “loving God with all my heart” and “loving my neighbor as myself”?
• Have I been willing to compromise occasionally in the area of doing what is ethically right?

Toward My Church

• Is the quality and quantity of spiritual care and instruction in God’s Word that I give in my ministry adequate for sustained spiritual growth?
• Am I faithfully following and communicating on a regular basis the vision that God has given to me for His church?
• Am I seeking and using opportunities to personally lead people to a relationship with Jesus Christ?
• Is my personal integrity at a level that invites respect and trust from people in my church? My community? My family?

Toward My Family

• What percentage of quality and quantity time do the members of my family receive from me during the week?
• Is my home a “dumping ground” for my frustrations with other people?
• What am I doing to show love to my children and to develop a godly relationship with them?
• What am I doing to deepen and enrich my love relationship with my mate?

Toward Other Ministers

• Do I ever see other people in the vocational ministry as competitors?
• What comments have I been willing to make about those who preceded and those who followed me in my ministry?
• What is my attitude toward those who are appointed in ministry over me?
• What have I really learned from other ministers with more experience than I have?

Toward My Denomination

• Have I proactively found ways to affirm and support the ministries and the mission of my denomination?
• Have I found myself speaking negatively about my denomination?
• Is the authority of the church over my ministry something I easily accept?
• In what ways have I actively shown my commitment to my district?

Toward My Community

• What have I done or said that reflects the fact that I have adopted this community as my own?
• What organizations and activities am I personally involved in that demonstrate the love of Christ and open doors for the gospel?
• In what ways am I being an ambassador for Jesus in my community?
• Am I taking a responsible biblical position in political and social issues of significance?

—Dr. Ken Heer, Rev. Kerry Kind, and Rev. Wayne Richards, The Wesleyan Church. Used by permission.