Feedback Culture
A safe, repeatable method for giving and receiving feedback. Formation, not evaluation. Always kind, always specific, always aimed at growth.
🎯 The Golden Rule (Spoken Aloud Every Time)
"We are responding to how God used this word to build the church — not grading the speaker."
This resets the room. It reminds everyone that we're looking for faithfulness, not perfection.
Core Assumptions
- God may have spoken even if the sermon wasn't polished
- Faithfulness > performance
- Clarity can be learned
- Character is protected
What This Prevents
- Comparison and ranking
- Performance anxiety
- Shame-based correction
- Focus on charisma over content
💡 Core Principle
Feedback in this team is never evaluative—it's formative. We're not grading sermons or ranking speakers. We're helping one another grow in faithfulness, clarity, and Christ-centeredness.
Feedback IS
- A spiritual practice of love
- Specific and actionable
- Rooted in Scripture and theology
- Given with humility and kindness
- Oriented toward the speaker's growth
Feedback IS NOT
- A performance review
- A platform to show off knowledge
- Vague or general comments
- Given with harshness or condescension
- About personal preference or style
🫶 The Affirm → Clarify → Form Method
Our feedback follows a three-step pattern, used both before and after practice:
1 Affirm — "Where did God clearly work?"
Begin by naming what's working. Where was Jesus clear? Where did Scripture come alive? Where did you sense the Spirit's presence?
Why this matters: Affirmation builds confidence and shows the speaker what to keep doing. It also protects against discouragement.
Feedback questions (choose 1–2):
- Where did you clearly hear or see Jesus?
- What part of Scripture came alive?
- Where did this strengthen or encourage the church?
- What felt faithful, even if imperfect?
Language guardrails:
- Use "I heard / I noticed / I was helped by..."
- No advice here
- No "but" statements
• "I heard a clear call to repentance rooted in the text."
• "The way you handled the passage helped me trust Scripture more."
• "Your humility redirected attention to God—that mattered."
2 Clarify — "What could be made clearer or tighter?"
Ask one clarifying question to help the speaker sharpen their message. This isn't criticism—it's curiosity that serves their clarity.
Why this matters: Questions help speakers think more deeply without feeling attacked. This is skill-focused, not identity-focused.
Feedback questions:
- Where did you feel most clear?
- Where did you feel slightly lost or unsure?
- Was the Big Idea easy to restate?
- Did the movement of the sermon feel ordered?
What this is NOT:
- Not about charisma
- Not about personality
- Not about "how I would have preached it"
• "I wasn't sure how this section connected to the main idea."
• "I think the transition here could be clearer."
• "The conclusion felt rushed—I wanted more connection back to Jesus."
Avoid:
• "You should..." (too directive)
• "That was confusing" (without explanation)
• "You lost me" (too vague)
3 Form — "What might God be shaping next?"
Offer one specific, actionable growth invitation. Focus on content, not delivery. Frame it as an opportunity, not a deficit.
Why this matters: One clear next step is more helpful than ten vague suggestions. This is forward-looking and hopeful.
Feedback questions:
- What is one area God may be inviting growth?
- What is one experiment to try next time?
- What gift do you see developing in this speaker?
Tone:
- Gentle
- Curious
- Non-urgent
• "I think your prophetic insight is strong—more structure could help it land."
• "You have a gift for naming the moment; next time, anchor it sooner in the text."
• "I see teaching emerging—maybe try fewer points, deeper explanation."
• "Next time, I wonder if you could slow down at the Jesus moment—maybe even pause for 3-5 seconds. That's the climax of the message, and it deserves space to breathe."
🛡️ Protective Checks (Non-Negotiable)
Before closing feedback, one person (facilitator) asks these questions aloud:
✔️ Faith Check
"Did anything in the feedback feel discouraging or heavy?"
If yes → pause, clarify, reframe. The team does not move forward until the speaker feels built up.
✔️ Identity Reminder
"Your worth here is not tied to performance."
This is said out loud, every time. It protects the speaker's identity in Christ.
🎭 Posture Check (Acts Warns Us Here)
Acts repeatedly shows speakers refusing personal glory. Your group can explicitly ask:
"Did anything in this pull attention toward the speaker rather than Christ?"
Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14)
"We are only human beings like you"—they refused to be worshiped and redirected glory to God.
Peter (Acts 2–3)
Redirects attention immediately to God after the Holy Spirit falls and after healing the lame man.
Stephen (Acts 7)
Forgives as he dies, keeping Jesus central even in martyrdom.
💪 What if the Sermon Was Rough?
This is where your system really matters. If content or delivery struggled, the group still:
1. Names Faithfulness
- Courage to speak
- Humility to try
- Teachability shown
- Christ-centered intent
2. Offers Specific Help
- "Let's work on structure together"
- "Can we outline your Big Idea more clearly?"
- "Would you like help finding your Jesus center?"
⏱️ Pre-Practice vs Post-Practice Feedback
Before Practice (Pre-Feedback)
Speaker brings:
- Passage
- Big Idea (1 sentence)
- 2–4 movements (outline)
- Where Jesus is clearest
Team offers:
- Affirmation of direction
- Clarifying questions on outline
- Forming suggestions to strengthen
After Practice (Post-Feedback)
Speaker delivers:
- 8–10 minute message
- Using the sermon spine
Team offers:
- Affirmation of strengths
- One clarity question
- One growth invitation
- Prayer for continued formation
🛡️ Feedback Guardrails
To keep feedback safe and formative, we commit to these cultural guardrails:
- One person at a time – No piling on; everyone gets space to speak
- Affirmation always comes first – Never lead with critique
- One clarifying question maximum – Don't overwhelm the speaker
- One forming suggestion maximum – Focus beats exhaustive lists
- No "but" or "however" – If you're affirming, affirm. Don't disguise critique.
- Focus on content, not delivery – We're forming theologians, not performers
- Speaker has final say – They can accept, adapt, or set aside feedback
🧑🏫 The Facilitator's Role
The facilitator is not an evaluator. Their job is to protect safety and keep the team faithful to the method.
Before Feedback Starts
- Remind the group: "Formation, not evaluation."
- Set the limit: 1 Affirm → 1 Clarify → 1 Form
- Invite the speaker to name what kind of help they want (clarity, structure, application, etc.)
During Feedback
- Stop "piling on" or spiraling into debate
- Redirect preference comments back to the text, Jesus, and the hearer's response
- End with prayer—thanking God for growth, not spotlighting flaws
Key Facilitator Actions:
- Keep the pattern: Affirm → Clarify → Form (and stop anything that breaks it)
- Prevent "pile-on": ensure one voice at a time, and cut off repeating points
- Enforce limits: one clarify question + one form invitation max per person
- Redirect preference comments: move from "style" to "clarity / faithfulness / love"
- Close with prayer: remind everyone we're forming servants, not performers
🗣️ Practice: How to Phrase Feedback
The goal is to be kind, specific, and actionable. Here are repeatable sentence starters that keep feedback constructive.
Affirm
- "Your Big Idea was clear because…"
- "When you connected the text to Jesus, it landed for me…"
- "The most helpful moment for me was…"
- "I heard a clear call to…"
- "The way you handled the passage…"
Clarify
- "Can you say that again in simpler words?"
- "What do you mean by ___?"
- "If you had one sentence for your main point, what would it be?"
- "Where did you want the 'turn' to Jesus to happen?"
- "Could you define that term in one sentence?"
Form
- "I wonder if you could tighten movement 2 by…"
- "What if you added one concrete example of…"
- "Next time, consider pausing longer at the Jesus moment so it can breathe."
- "Try pausing after the Jesus moment…"
- "Could you tighten this into one clear sentence?"
Good phrasing
- "The Big Idea was really clear. I could repeat it."
- "That Jesus moment landed—Scripture came alive there."
- "You handled the text carefully, and I felt built up."
- "What did you most want people to do with this?"
What to avoid
- "I didn't like…" (preference, not formation)
- "But / however…" (turns affirmation into critique)
- Long lists (overwhelms and discourages)
- "You should…" (too directive)
- "That was confusing" (without explanation)
📝 Quick Feedback Form
Use this when you want to capture feedback in writing (for practice messages, devotionals, or outlines). It keeps everything inside the same safe pattern.
💡 Tip: The "Email This" button uses your device's email app via a mailto: link. If it doesn't work, click "Copy Feedback" and paste into a text or email manually.
🎁 How to Receive Feedback Well
Receiving feedback is a spiritual discipline. Here's how to do it humbly and wisely:
Listen Fully
Don't defend, explain, or interrupt. Just receive. You'll have time to process later.
Assume Love
Your team wants you to succeed. Even if feedback stings, trust their good intentions.
Say "Thank You"
Even if you disagree, gratitude honors the giver and keeps your heart teachable.
Test It Prayerfully
Not all feedback is equal. Bring it to the Lord. Ask: "Is this true? Is this helpful?"
Act on What Resonates
If three people say the same thing, pay attention. The Spirit often speaks through patterns.
"Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise." — Proverbs 15:31
🚀 Ready to Practice?
Now that you understand the feedback culture, it's time to put it into action: