Clergy Evaluation: "Brilliant orator, but he gets on our nerves..."

James Howell, senior pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, wrote quite an article on Clergy Evaluation on Duke Divinity's Call & Response blog.

He brings up some great points that are worth exploring. He also shows a great deal of humor that I wanted to share:

Historical musings pop into my head. How would the Constantinople folk have ranked John Chrysostom on preaching? "Brilliant orator, but he gets on our nerves, and so we vote for exile!" Martin Luther on his relationship with his denomination (which my form now asks about)? "F-!" Julian of Norwich on caring for the poor? "She's in a room and hasn't come out for a decade." Jesus' annual assessment of Peter would have been dismal, although Jesus himself didn't rank well with messianic expectations.