‘Shepherd Barometer’ Allows Congregations to Rate Clergy Online
The social networking craze reached German churches Wednesday, when a new website for rating clergy, Shepherd Barometer, launched.
A congregation can now rate its pastor based on his performance on working with youth and seniors, worship, and engagement with current issues. The ranking consists of sheep colored from white to black, including shades of gray.
"Hello Sheep!" a sign welcomes visitors entering the website. "Review the work of your pastors and see what others think of the work of your favorite sheep-herders. Constructive feedback and dialogue at eye level – the shepherd's barometer!"
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Pope Benedict XVI only received a gray sheep and an average score of 3.81 out of 6, with youth work and engagement with current issues being his weakest point, said the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
"The idea behind Hirtenbarometer ("Shepherd Barometer") is that pastoral work should be and often is qualitative," Andreas Hahn, one of the website's founders told PC (USA). "We wanted to create ... an open platform for dialogue between priests and the members of congregations."
The idea was born a year ago, out of a need for feedback felt by the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). Church member Folkert Fendler said feedback is essential in order to improve the quality of the worship service.
But not everyone is enthusiastic about the idea. Pastor Holger Schmidt, who ranked very high, earning a white sheep along with the description: "a very charismatic, talented and modern young shepherd who finds a way into every heart," is still critical.
"It's not open, it's anonymous," said Schmidt, who was described as "a very charismatic, talented and modern young shepherd who finds a way into every heart,"
"Such conversations must be open, and then the priest can answer comments,” he said in the interview with PC (USA).
Christiane Bertelsmann, a press spokesperson for Protestant Churches in Berlin, said it's better to trust one's own experience rather than a website.
"If you move to Berlin and you don't know anyone, and you try to find a Christian community where you feel good, this Web site [sic] could be used as a kind of orientation," he told PC (USA). "But you really need to go to a service and see for yourself," he added.
The website has already attracted more than 500,000 viewers.
