Defining Success

After spending hours with over a 100 pastors the past 3 years a dialogue usually erupts regarding the definition of success. Unfortunately pastors have gotten caught up in the same components that exist in the secular arena; such as bottom lines like numbers, budgets, baptisms, and other tangible results. Consequently the church continues to hold up the success stories and gurus of the faith as our role models of success.

As I was contemplating this blog, God showed me 4 measurements of success that could define anybody's ministry without the bottom line being the paramount issue. Here they are:

1. Operating in, understanding and accepting our giftedness. When we fail to operate and understand our giftedness we end up spending our time on compensating for our weaknesses and thus exposing our insecurity.

2. Maintaining honest intimacy with God. We must continually allow God to transform our lives from the inside out. Remember that Joshua's success was based on the meditation of God's word.

3. Being intentional about the Great Commission and Great Commandment. When we lose sight of the simple calling of God in our lives we have missed the target. Success is hitting what we are aiming at.

4. People's lives are being transformed. This is where we need to be alert to those individual lives that are being touched. Even though numbers are not the issue there should be signs of tangible fruit.

I truly believe if we keep these four principles of success in mind a "well done thou good and faithful servant" will be waiting for us. What do you think?

Anonymity

I recently received this email with a quote from Dr. Dan Rotach:

When did anonymity get sanctified? I met with a pastor who was told recently that "a number of people" in the church had concerns about his ministry. When he tried to discern who these individuals are with the hopes of communicating with them, He was dealt with the evangelical trump card: "These matters were shared in confidence." Once again, I found myself asking the question. : When did anonymity get sanctified?

Confidences (code for secret and often destructive communication) are appropriate when they involve destructive personal matters of the heart, or when the leadership is wrestling through tough matters that are not to be disclosed to the congregation. But the rule of thumb in the Scriptures is this: I must own my conversation. Further, I am called to "speak the truth in love " for in doing so I am contributing to the health of the Body (Ephesians 4:15). Yet, I find that many of our churches have spiritualized a very destructive pattern of communication, that is, it is okay to speak negatively of one another without owning it, and without going straight to the source of the communication. those who write about systemic health believe anonymity to be one of the most counterproductive practices to healthy church life.

As a pastor, how have you proactively handled this kind of destructive behavior in your church?

Living in Hope

Jeremiah had a very unique opportunity presented to him to purchase a tract of land in his hometown just a few miles from Jerusalem. At the time of the offer he was in prison and the Babylonians were about to completely destroy the Holy City and send all the Jews into exile. (Jeremiah 32:17,24-25)

Jeremiah, from a human standpoint, made a very foolish decision. He went ahead and purchased it for just 17 shekels. At the time it didn't make a bit of sense, but he was banking on a promise that was given to him by God. That promise included the fact that someday God would restore Israel to its homeland and once again prosper.

Jeremiah defines to us what living in hope is all about. It is about making investments for the future based upon God's promise in present.

Healthy pastors must learn to live in hope. If we constantly play it safe or yield to human wisdom or practicality, nothing would ever really be accomplished for the Kingdom.

So what investments are on your plate right now that demands you to live in hope.? Are you willing to take a risk even though the naysayers are out there saying how impractical it may be?