The Biblical Basis of Supervision

Following up on the States of Supervision, my friend Glenn Prescott developed this study as an example of Jesus modeling the different states of supervision.

Jesus was intent on equipping men and women to make a significant impact throughout the world they were called to touch.

  1. Structure provided the foundation out of which all ministry would grow.
  2. Cooperation provided the understanding that ministry was conducted within the boundaries of the community of faith.
  3. Fellowship provided the understanding that ministry was nourished in the depth of a personal relationship with the Master.
  4. Partnership provided the understanding that ministry should be taken to the next level and that there would be no limitations on what could be accomplished.

Jesus provided the biblical basis of supervision as He poured His life into the lives of His disciples. As supervisors, we should pour our lives into those we are privileged to serve.

(Focal passage: Luke 9:1-6, 10, Other passages: Mark 6:6-13, 30-32, Matthew 10)

1. Structure – equipped, authorized, sent out – Luke 9:1-5 (also see Matthew 10)

  1. Calling – Jesus called – they accepted (Luke 9:1)
  2. Gifting – Jesus gave – they received (Luke 9:1)
  3. Commissioning – Jesus sent – they went (Luke 9:2)
  4. Instructing – Jesus told – they listened (Luke 9:3)

2. Cooperation – teamwork, united ministry, sent out by 2’s – Matthew 11:1, Mark 6:6-13

  1. Working on a team
  2. Working with direction
  3. Working with a partner
  4. Working under authority

3. Fellowship – report, spend time together, rest – Luke 9:6, 10, Mark 6:30

  1. Disciples worked – Jesus blessed (Luke 9:6)
  2. Disciples returned – Jesus received (Luke 9:10)
  3. Disciples reported – Jesus cared (Luke 9:10 and Mark 6:30)
  4. Disciples and Jesus withdrew – They rested and refueled (Luke 9:10 and Mark 6:31-32)

4. Partnership – evaluate, results, go on their own, duplicate – Luke 9:1, 10

  1. What did I do?
  2. How did I do?
  3. What did I learn from this experience?
  4. What do I do to take this to the next level?
  5. Where do I go from here?
  6. What do I do to encourage others to follow (not just you)?

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The Supervisory Conference

This regularly scheduled supervisory conference provides the routine that will bind much of the anxiety which normally occurs in a supervisory relationship. It is not a staff meeting. It is a one-on-one conference where each party helps develop the agenda.

Before the Conference Preparation: (independently for both supervisor and supervisee)

  1. Review written notes from previous meeting
  2. Set goals and priorities
  3. Develop your agenda

The Conference:

  1. Break the ice – small talk
  2. Negotiate the agenda – yours and theirs
  3. Review any carryover items from last meeting
  4. Work through the prioritized agenda
  5. Preview next meeting – what needs to be carried forward
  6. Calendar time and place of next meeting

After the Conference:

  1. Take notes for future sessions (independently for both)
  2. Debrief the meeting (for supervisor)
    1. Facts – observations
    2. Feelings – Impressions
    3. Future issues needing work

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The States of Supervision

The states of supervision describe the development and quality of working relationships between the supervisor and the supervisee.

The States of Supervision

People in working relationships pass through four states in this order: structure, cooperation, fellowship and partnership. They cannot decide arbitrarily to start out in the second, third, or fourth state. They must begin in the first state. A person cannot set dates to be at certain states, but can recognize a move from one state into another. The states are not absolute but are mixed so that after leaving state one, a person may revert to it (consciously or unconsciously) from time to time. People who are conscious of the states can move through them more quickly than they might do otherwise.

The states are bound by task/personhood. For example, in state three, the fellowship state, supervision focuses on personhood. In this state, personhood, not tasks, is the primary concern.

Many supervisory relationships stop prematurely in one of the first three states. People may find a particular state productive and refuse to change patterns, or they may find one especially comfortable. Each state matches the experience, history or natural inclination of the supervisor. It may take diligence for the supervisor and supervisee to move through the states appropriately. A problem may develop when people have an idealized concept of states. They may see supervision as what they experienced in their families or in an earlier vocation. They may idealize the supervisory relationship as being non egalitarian or autocratic. The supervisory relationship is never egalitarian, because the supervisor is always held accountable for the supervisee and must, in turn, hold the person accountable. However, since there are various levels of non egalitarianism, it does not have to result in an autocratic style.

The Structure State:
This is a task/task state, which has high structure. It is characterized by the supervisor outlining responsibilities, resources, and methods for doing the work. It is a “tell” state in which the supervisor tells the person about the tasks. Getting locked into this state is tempting when it is productive. However, if the person is to mature in the work and demonstrate initiative, supervision must move out of the structure state. This state is good for a beginning, or short term (a week or so), responsibility or for a person who is not ready to function independently. If the person is capable of growth and responsibility and the task is ongoing, the work relationship should grow beyond the structure state.

The Cooperation State:
This is a task/personhood state, where the supervisor moves from telling in the structure state to asking in the cooperation state. It is a “sell” state where the supervisor must determine if the supervisee is buying into the system and if he/she understands his/her role. In this state, the supervisor begins to take the personhood of the supervisee into consideration. By this time, the person has learned about the structure and the responsibilities and has demonstrated commitment to the work. The cooperation state allows him/her to take more direct responsibility.

The Fellowship State:
This state is bound by personhood/personhood. Leaving the cooperation state for the fellowship state may be difficult because the fellowship state is very person oriented with a tendency toward intimacy, and intimacy may be especially difficult when it is part of supervisory relationships. This is the “jell” state where the relationship between the supervisor and supervisee really starts to come together. The fellowship state may be the idealized state that many ministers envision about any relationship. The fellowship state is a productive time of planning and evaluating tasks. Only when the choice has to be made between person and task will there be an impediment to the task.

The Partnership State:
The partnership state goes back to personhood/tasks. This is not regression, nor is it the same as the previous task/personhood state. Because the person has been highlighted in the fellowship state, there is increased respect for and trust of the person when entering the partnership state. This is the “swell” state where this trust translates into increased responsibility for the supervisee. The partnership state is not the cooperation state revisited. In the partnership state, the supervisor makes the person a partner in the project, not simply someone who cooperates. The new partnership state makes the person a partner who has a voice in decisions and has greater ownership of plans and actions. Sometimes supervisors in the fellowship state fear moving into the partnership state because they must give away some control.

Using the States to Supervise:
When a new person arrives, begin the structure state with the highest structure you will ever need. This is an opportunity to help the person define roles and responsibilities. It is unrealistic to expect the person to begin in any other state. When a friend becomes your assigned supervisee, you can still have a close personal relationship, but you should define your supervisory relationship carefully. A problem develops with the states of supervision when the supervisor has several supervisees. Because of different levels of maturity, training and previous relationships, they may move through the states at varying paces. New supervisees will take more time to move than supervisees with tenure.

A person in an early state of supervision who does not understand the dynamics of the states may think the supervisor is playing favorites or may feel inadequate. When supervisees interact with each other, they can take into account the states of supervision and help new people move through the states. A situation or a crisis may necessitate moving back into an earlier state, even to the structure state. When the crisis is over the supervisory relationship can return to its previous state.

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The Covenant Process in Supervision

This post will serve to guide supervisor and supervisee through the covenant development process.

  1. The first section, Covenant Worksheet, will provide answers to the questions that must be asked prior to the writing of the covenant. It will take a few days or weeks for the supervisee to understand his/her assignment well enough to complete the form. As this understanding comes, the answers to these questions will become apparent.
  2. The next step will be to transfer the information from the worksheet to the pages of the covenant itself. The second section, Covenant Outline, will include the personhood and task elements in which the supervisee has identified and asked to be held accountable.

 



The Covenant Worksheet:

Covenanting is a process. It is a way through which we can together agree upon the specifics of your role during your term of service. Together, we will negotiate this role. Together, we will change it as situations and needs change. Together, we will evaluate it.

In establishing our covenant, please be ready to discuss the following questions:

1. Why am I here?

2. What are my expectations?

3. What are my personal needs at this time?

4. What goals need to be set in order to meet these personal needs?

5. What tasks should be developed to meet these personal goals?

6. How and when will we know we have accomplished my personal needs (evaluation)?

7. What are the work needs at this time?

8. What goals need to be set in order to meet these work needs?

9. What tasks should be developed to meet these work goals?

10. How and when will we know we have accomplished our work needs (evaluation)?

 



The Covenant Outline: Personal


Supervisee and position:

 


Supervisor:

 


Goal #____:

 


Tasks to accomplish goal:

 


1.

 


2.

 


3.

 


4.

 


Evaluation:

 


Goal #____:

 


Tasks to accomplish goal:

 


1.

 


2.

 


3.

 


4.

 


Evaluation:

 


Goal #____:

 


Tasks to accomplish goal:

 


1.

 


2.

 


3.

 


4.

 


Evaluation:

 



The Covenant Outline: Work


Supervisee and position:

 


Supervisor:

 


Goal #____:

 


Tasks to accomplish goal:

 


1.

 


2.

 


3.

 


4.

 


Evaluation:

 


Goal #____:

 


Tasks to accomplish goal:

 


1.

 


2.

 


3.

 


4.

 


Evaluation:

 


Goal #____:

 


Tasks to accomplish goal:

 


1.

 


2.

 


3.

 


4.

 


Evaluation:

 



 

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The Covenant Within Supervision

“Covenant” is a word that has been used to described numerous relationship between people throughout history. People still make covenants today. In many states, a marriage license is called a “marriage covenant.” Covenants are necessary for good supervision.

Covenants are not job descriptions. A job description relates only to task issues not personhood issues. A job description is generic inasmuch as it applies to whoever accepts the job. A covenant is personal since it relates to a specific person who has a responsibility. An employing agency develops a job description, but a supervisor and a supervisee negotiate a covenant. Both the job description and the covenant are compatible and important. A job description always contains more duties than a person can work on at any one time. A covenant helps define responsibilities, designated by the job description, that the person will work on during a specific period of time.

Types of Covenants:
There are three types of covenants: formal, informal and tacit. Each provides ways for supervisors to relate to the supervisee.

  1. Formal Covenants: Formal covenants are written agreements. They include conditions, responsibilities and expectations of the parties agreeing to the covenant. Formal covenants are intentional; they set out specific expectations.
  2. Informal Covenants: Informal covenants may be as intentional as formal covenants out are less likely to be written. They may be adequate for short term and non-developmental transactions. However, oral covenants are subject to game playing disclaimers, such as “I didn’t say that,” or qualifications, such as “But that is not what I meant.”
  3. Tacit Covenants: Tacit covenants include hidden conditions that one or both parties do not want to admit. The tacit covenant usually benefits one party to the detriment of the other. It can be changed without notice. A tacit covenant may exist alongside a formal or informal covenant. The reasoning goes like this: “We have this formal covenant, but what we will really do without telling anybody is….” A tacit covenant creates suspicion and confuses accountability. Avoid this type of covenant.

Goals in Covenanting:
Goals provide one of the most important parts of the covenant. They serve as a road map for the supervisee in relating to others, especially the supervisor. Goals are not static and may need to be revised. The covenant should be dated, and a review time should be designated for revising the goals when new situations arise or self awareness increases. The supervisor and the supervisee will have goals to enter into the covenant beyond the goals of the systems. These goals may deal with relationships or areas of the person’s personal growth. The goals should be reviewed carefully to ensure they are reasonable. The supervisee must not be caught between conflicting goals set by the system and the supervisor.

What to Include in the Covenant:
Four areas should be covered in the covenant: needs, goals, activities and evaluation. Different organizations use a variety of technical phrases to describe these areas, but the process is the same.

  1. Needs: First, determine what is needed. Write down a need followed by the goal it produces, the activities required to achieve the goal, and the evaluation process. Then write down the next need and repeat the process. The need serves as the overall “big picture” for the work.
  2. Goals: Goals should be a response to the need. While the need is general, goals should be specific. Goals should be attainable. It is tempting to set goals that are idealistic but unreasonable given the time, situation and resources. The goals should also be measurable. Personhood goals are often more difficult to measure and may need different criteria than task goals.
  3. Activities: Each goal will need multiple activities; actions designed to reach a specific goal. This is where you will outline the responsibilities and roles for accomplishing the stated goal.
  4. Evaluation: Each goal requires an evaluation process that includes a date set to accomplish the goal. The criterion for evaluation is as necessary as the process. How do you know they did what they set out to do?

Other Considerations in Covenanting:
Expectations:

  1. Time: The covenant should specify a time frame. An important time concern is the number of hours per week the person should spend at the task. The person may consider 40 hours per week a normal expectation, while the supervisor may expect 60 or 80. Personal time is also important. The emotional demands of a work setting may exact a toll that can be dealt with only by adequate personal time for renewal. The wise supervisor will be concerned about not only the task time, but the person’s time for study, family and spiritual renewal.
  2. Work: The type and intensity of work also should be defined in the covenant. The person may not see paperwork or other activities as relevant even though the system may require them.
  3. Behavior: Supervisors sometimes have been surprised by the behavior of their supervisees. The surprises may involve dress, personal habits or language of supervisees who were not aware of cultural differences, taboos or expectations.

Roles and Relationships: The supervisor and the person should covenant their relationship and roles. When the supervisor is program oriented and the person is person oriented, difficulties can arise. Differences in age, gender and culture can heighten these problems.

Renegotiation: Circumstances and relationships may require the covenant to be re evaluated and rewritten. A time for renegotiation should be included in the original covenant. This gives the covenant a chance to work and prevents change on a whim. Renegotiation, as part of the original covenant, is done by mutual consent of the supervisor and the supervisee.

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The Models of Supervision

Supervision has many models, some of which are appropriate to one context but not to another. Moses had a crisis model until his father-in-law taught him the administrative model (Exodus 18:13, 14, 17-18, 19-23). David used a military model, Nehemiah was a great administrator. Jesus used the intern model. The point is that there is no one biblical model. We must find a model that fits the situation and the person we are supervising.

Family Model: Parents closely supervise an infant’s food, sleep, and time spent awake. As the child grows, parental supervision becomes less intense, and the child makes more decisions as he/she moves toward adolescence and adulthood.

Industry Model: Supervision in industry is basically related to production. The supervisor relates to employees in a manner to oversee the production line and job performance in order to maximize production.

Business Model: The boss apportions work to employees, sets deadlines, and serves as a kind of “answer person.” The boss gives the authority to do the task.

Military Model: Chain of command supervision is close rank discipline and straight line authority. Commands are given, and strict compliance is expected. Thinking on the part of the subordinate is not recommended in this model and authority is not questioned.

Craft Model: Craftsmen (electricians, plumbers, and carpenters) have developed a system of teaching by example. The master demonstrates the work for the apprentice who learns through actual example and hands-on experience.

Prison Model: In this controlled environment, the warden instructs the guards, who in turn, enforce the rules and regulations on the inmates, allowing for minimal freedom and movement.

Academic Model: In this professor/student relationship, the instructor supervises students in order to facilitate learning through assignments, labs, and other learning activities.

Clinical Model: The medical profession uses this model as young interns participate in the treatment of patients with the writing of reports regarding the patient’s condition and possible treatment, for submission to the supervising medical doctor.

Orchestra Model: The conductor’s responsibility is to guide an orchestra of professionals into a faithful interpretation of a musical score. The conductor may not be able to play the instruments, but is ultimately responsible to organize, correlate, and bring together individual performances to one great performance. He keeps everyone on the same note.

Marriage Model: Goals shared by a husband and wife, mutually strengthen their love and help them to develop and support one another. Each is enhanced by the give and take of the other.

Athletic Model: The coach prepares the players for the game. While direction and guidance are given during the actual playing of the game, emphasis is placed on the practice and “coaching” done prior to actual play. Coach may be a better word than supervisor. Sometimes there is the player-coach, which suggests a high level of partnership. The coach develops the game plan and helps each player to know his role on the team

Mentor Model: The mentor model is dependent upon a relationship as well as an official responsibility. These pledge to work together in a relationship of learning. There is guidance, teaching and accountability.

Biblical Models: Scripture is loaded with examples of dealing with people. In the life of Jesus alone, we see numerous times when He used different models to achieve different ends. Review the following list and discover other models as you research and study:

  1. Shepherd – Pastor: the ancient practice of tending sheep, keeping them from danger, providing for their needs. The shepherd risks himself for the well-being of the sheep.
  2. Counselor – Support: the counselor points out problems to avoid and possible actions to help the supervisee. The person must submit oneself to this relationship.
  3. Friend – Relationship: like the counselor but there is a personal relationship. The friend stands by and talks through the issues, making suggestions.
  4. Servant – Deacon: the apostles handed over the daily tasks to others who took ownership, and accomplish the work with assuming little or no supervision.
  5. Teacher – Disciple: Jesus took a group of twelve unorganized men and transformed them into men under the influence of the Holy Spirit, ready to carry out the Great Commission.
  6. Master – Authority: we see this in many parables where there was a person considered to be a steward, one who cared for the estate of the owner.
  7. King – Leadership: throughout the kingdom we see this sort of model, some were abusive and others were not; but the king was large and in charge.

The best supervision occurs when the supervisor uses the model that best fits the situation. Supervisors often function with a model they have observed elsewhere, and the supervisor should avoid the temptation to use one model exclusively. A supervisor with military experience might use that model at the exclusion of all others. The supervisor should examine each supervisory situation separately to determine the needs of the supervisee and implement the best supervision model needed. Then the model should be adjusted as the person develops.

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The Art and Science of Supervision

There are good and poor supervisors. The best supervisors have good positive personal qualities and follow the proper roles that make them good supervisors. Many books on supervision have reported surveys about the characteristics of good supervisors. Usually these have some characteristics in common and others are different.

I read a story about Doran and Gloria McCarty, who took a group of students to Belize on an overseas project. One Sunday morning they spoke at meetings in the city and in the afternoon went into the rural area for an afternoon service. Because of the distance, road conditions, and having to take two ferries each way, they were late returning to Belize City that evening where Gloria was scheduled to sing. She had only one copy of the music and had no time to reproduce another. A local member assured Gloria that the pianist would be able to play the song if she would go through it with her once. Gloria was skeptical. After a brief rehearsal on only a portion of the music, Gloria took the songbook and the pianist played the song perfectly.

The pianist playing was a beautiful example of the art of music. Since she did not have a copy of the music, she could not exercise the science of music, but rather she demonstrated incredibly the art of music. We refer to it as “playing by ear.” The art of music represents the natural gifts a person possesses. The science of music refers to the music structure and the laborious hours of practice required.

The art of supervision refers to people who are especially good at building relationships and understanding human behavior without specialized supervisory training. Their sensitivity enables them to discover and deal with issues. Supervision as an art is done through intuition. Intuitive supervisors follow their hunches.

The science of supervision offers supervisors training in diagnosing issues and assisting supervisees in dealing with issues. Since supervision is a human enterprise, a person should utilize all of his/her abilities in the art of supervision. Yet the supervisor’s perceptions, even if generally correct, are not always accurate. They need a system to check out their perceptions.

The science of supervision offers a way to check those perceptions, a scientific backup. A medical doctor may have the uncanny ability to diagnose a condition, but no one would want a physician to operate until he/she had passed the necessary tests. Through good supervision training, the supervisor will gain a heightened sense of the art of supervision and have at his/her disposal the tools of the science of supervision.

Regardless of the helpfulness of science, there is always the subjective element in supervision. Value judgments have to be made. This is important because people cannot be transformed into things to be quantified. There are some qualities of supervisors that help them to become effective. McCarty points out these twelve characteristics:

  1. Faith: which reflects the image of God
  2. Health: emotionally and spiritually
  3. Care: the essence of the support system, there is no reason not to care
  4. Courage: facing hard tasks and issues rather than avoiding them
  5. Growth: if it doesn’t grow it is diseased or dead
  6. Authority: using the wrong type in the wrong situation
  7. Preparedness: the supervisor needs training to be good at it
  8. Insight: inner vision to understand what’s happening
  9. Communication: listen and hear, clarify
  10. Flexibility: meet the demands of the situation
  11. Perspective: keep the whole situation in mind, not just while in the trenches
  12. Relational: we work with people, don’t forget it

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The Definition of Supervision

While there are many possible definitions of supervision, the following fulfills our unique perspective in Christian ministry: “Supervision is the development of a support system for the enrichment of the personhood and performance of task.” The definition has several important parts.

Supervision is developmental: It does not happen with full maturity from the first day. Each employee is a special person, and each task of supervision is different. Relationships between supervisors and supervisees must develop.

Supervision is support: It under-girds a supervisee’s needs. Caring supervisors who foresee disaster confront because they care about the person, as well as the work. Affirmation may be confrontation, as well as a pat on the back. The supervisor needs to make the system a support system which provides the necessary physical, intellectual, spiritual, financial, emotional, and personal support. A support system provides a way of affirming those being supervised.

Support involves two aspects: the enrichment of personhood and the performance of tasks. Both aspects are important for successful supervision. If the emphasis is entirely on the performance of tasks, the supervisee is treated as a “thing” rather than a person. Sooner or later he/she will “run dry” and be unable to perform tasks properly. Neither is the enrichment of personhood the only object of supervision. That would be a counseling relationship rather than a supervisory relationship.

Both the enrichment of personhood and the performance of tasks are needed in order to achieve successful supervision. Because fulfilling a task is an important way of growing, it is part of the enrichment of personhood. A good supervisor helps the supervisee conceptualize the task, plan for action, and execute the plan.

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The Work of Supervision

I used to work at the International Mission Board Office of Mission Personnel; mainly reading missionary wannabe applications, and then selecting and preparing candidates for overseas service. One main issue in sending short-term personnel overseas (two to three years) is the topic of supervision. Here is a lot of information out of Doran McCarty’s book called, Supervision: Developing and Directing People in Ministry. This post is an introduction.

Contents of this Series:

  1. The Work of Supervision (below)
  2. The Definition of Supervision
  3. The Art and Science of Supervision
  4. The Models of Supervision
  5. The Covenant within Supervision
  6. The Covenant Process in Supervision
  7. The States of Supervision
  8. The Supervisory Conference
  9. The Biblical Basis of Supervision

What’s the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear the word supervision? Answers range from “an administrative chore” to “a boss” to “controlling” to “time consuming” and the list seemingly goes on forever. It takes effort to change that type of thinking. However, if people are the focus of your work, remember that those you supervise are people, too.

Supervision is a work comparable to everything else you do. Supervision can strengthen the life of the person in your care through the attention and support you provide. Supervision extends your work. With appropriate supervision, employees are extensions of your work as you share your goals with them.

Some businesses point to their employees as their most important resource. Support personnel, undoubtedly, are important components of your system. They provide help in the work of the your team. If employees become burned out or used up, the team may suffer the loss: the loss when goals are not met and the loss of integrity because of a supervisor’s insensitivity to their needs as people.

The supervisor should ask, “What is the object of my work of supervision?” Is the object a program or a person? Every supervisor is either program oriented or people oriented. Balance is most difficult. An administrator administers a program but a supervisor supervises a person.

If the supervisor’s central focus is on the program, he depersonalizes the personnel and makes him/her an errand runner rather than a fellow worker. The supervisor’s work is helping the employee fulfill the task to which they have been assigned. Your focus is not on the task, but on the person. The employee’s focus on the task.

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