A Year-End Personal Evaluation

By Dr. Brian Simmons

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

A Year-End Personal Evaluation

2025… This past year was another BIG one for our family. We have experienced several significant transitions in life and ministry. We now have 15 grandchildren! Bonnie’s dad went to heaven, and Jared and I are working closely together to establish Lakeside Christian Academy scheduled to open in the Fall of 2026. I completed a very rewarding year as interim head of school at King’s Ridge Christian School where Tony Fajardo is now serving as head of school, and I am now serving for 11 months as interim head of school at Augusta Christian School.

Time for a simple self evaluation…here is a simple exercise…

What has God entrusted to your care?
What has He put you in charge of?
What are you to do to ensure that God will grant you success in everything you do? (Joshua 1:8)
What is God shaping in you through this (wigsiytt) ie what you have experienced this past year? 4th quarter. Press on. Trust in God & His plan for my life as my life purpose plays out as one small piece of His overarching plan. Do not dwell on the past. But, do remember God’s blessings (especially those with a name).
Think of your stewardship roles… your vocational realms… write them out…
On a scale of 1-10 for each area, rate your faithfulness to your Master.
- Are you happy with this score?
- Why did you give yourself this score?
- What can you do to improve your stewardship?
- What should you keep doing? Quit doing? Why?

It is sobering to realize that one day we will all give an account for how we have lived our lives to our Creator, God. Here is the best advice I have to offer… It is a good idea to think about what you will say on judgement day before that day occurs! The good news is that if you have areas where you need to do better, there is still time because you are still kicking!

Year End Steward Leader Assessment

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him!” Psalm 24:1. God is the Creator. Since He created everything and everyone, He alone retains the rights of ownership for all He has created! It is His prerogative, alone, how much or how little He chooses to entrust to the care of His stewards. He lives in the realm of rights. As His stewards, we live in the realm of responsibilities. As His stewards, our responsibility is to faithfully use all He has SO graciously entrusted to our care to fulfill His purposes. This brings meaning and purpose to our lives. Of all that the Master has entrusted to our care, relationships are the most precious!

Directions: Watch this video… https://youtu.be/EnvNMtBRjYc

List your stewardship roles (ie vocational realms). On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest) rate your effectiveness in each of your roles this year.

Stewardship Roles Rating (1-10)	Comments	Commitments
Husband
Father
Grandfather
Friend
Interim hos
Executive Coach
Mentor
Neighborhood Leader
Consultant
Christ Follower
LCA founding hos
Non Profit Leader

So, how are you doing? Take some time to get alone and think through this assessment. As you assess each of your stewardship roles, ask yourself “Am I happy with this score?” If so, great! If not, don’t despair because 2026 offers a new opportunity for improvement! Once you have rated your effectiveness in each of your vocational realms, add comments about what went well and what didn’t in the past year. Finally, conclude with commitments for 2026. For example, for an area with a high score your commitment could be “keep going!” For a low score, what will you do differently in 2026?

Conclusion

Life is a stewardship. It is temporary. You are accountable! -Andy Stanley

“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.“. I Corinthians 4:2.

Here are a few reflections I wrote after visiting Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth and Thessaloniki on Bonnie and my Greek Island cruise earlier this Fall.

Bottom line is this… as steward leaders we love and serve God by loving and serving others. At the end of the day what matters most is the lives of those we have touched with the good news of the Gospel. My deepest desire is to one day see ALL of those I love in heaven and spend eternity with all of them! They will be my crown and joy! What does not matter at all inlight of eternity are the failings of various aspects of the organizations I have served or the fallible people in each along the way.