Peer power
Some years ago, medical researchers at Vanderbilt considered
how best to intervene with doctors whose patients had complained about their
unprofessional behavior. What worked in most cases, they
found (pdf), was not an official reprimand, but the "cup of coffee"
method--a one-to-one conversation with a peer, who simply pointed out to the
doctor what had been observed and urged them to reflect on it.
Learning excellence in the art of doctoring turns out to
have a lot to do with the influence of peers.
This finding is even more relevant when it comes to the art
of ministry. A decade-long project funded by the Lilly Endowment to support
pastoral excellence concluded
that pastors flourish when they have sustained, honest conversations with peers
in ministry.
