As we enter into the new ministry season….
“If you know you are the Beloved, you can live with an enormous amount of success and an enormous amount of failure without losing your identity. Because your identity is that you are the Beloved… The question becomes ‘Can I live a life of faith in the world and trust that it will bear fruit?’” –Henri Nouwen
Recently I read a letter that I have not been able to get off my mind. It was written by a pastor to the editor of a Christian magazine and it said, “I retired a year ago from one of several consecutive positions as associate or senior pastor. I retired not because I didn’t love the people, the missions, the act of preaching and the way weekly preaching shaped me…No, it was because I was never able to navigate through the expectations of my church, both at the local level and from the hierarchy, that I would attract more and more money and bring in more and more members.
“By the time I decided to retire, these two components of ministry became the only validations of effective ministry in my denomination. Conducting ministry by such a method was mind-numbing and soul-draining. I tried my best, and in the end I left. Today I guest preach and lead retreats only occasionally. Mostly I spend my time in utter joy, compiling my journal entries and letters from my first year as a solo pastor in England. At long last, I have time to reflect.”
“Never Quite Sure if I’m Measuring Up”
This pastor is not alone in the experience of being driven from ministry by false measures of success. A recent survey reports that over 17,000 pastors leave ministry every month. 17,000! According to a recent article on these statistics, this staggering number includes some of the brightest, most inspiring pastors in the country. Not surprisingly, several of the top reasons pastors leave ministry too soon have to do with discouragement and a sense of failure around how they measure success, how they compare themselves to other pastors and ministries, and how those around them measure success and critique them on that basis.
Even leadership conferences, which are designed to be helpful and empowering, can contribute to this sense of not measuring up. As one young pastor shared with me, “I find leadership conferences to be very exciting on one level but there is something darker that happens as well. Sometimes they leave me feeling competitive towards other churches and what they are accomplishing. I leave the conference feeling dissatisfied with my own situation—my own staff, my own resources, my own gifts and abilities. My ego gets ramped up to do bigger and better things and then I go home and drive everyone crazy. Three months later, the conference notebook is on a bookshelf somewhere and I have returned to life as usual with a vague feeling of uneasiness about my effectiveness as a leader, never quite sure if I am measuring up.”
Great Expectations
I suppose clergy and Christian ministry leaders have always been subject to the subtle temptations of the ego as it relates to the call to ministry, but there are aspects of this phenomenon that seem to have their own unique expression in our day. When I was growing up as a pastor’s kid my dad’s responsibilities as a pastor were, in some ways, very simple. He preached on Sundays and in some cases Wednesday evenings. He visited the sick and counseled those in need of pastoral care. He sat with the elders and they made decisions together regarding the ministries and business aspects of the church. That was about it and that was enough!
These days, however, the pastoral/ministry role is much more complicated than that. Now, in addition to those basic responsibilities, many are expected to function like CEO’s of large corporations. They are expected to be strategic thinkers and planners. They are expected to be good managers. They are expected to preach sermons that are culturally relevant and contribute expertise and innovative ideas regarding production and programming. They are expected to lead fundraisers and capital campaigns. They are expected to be skilled at interpersonal relating but also command the attention (or draw the attention) of large crowds. Such expectations can create inner confusion about what true success really is.
Faithfulness that Leads to Fruitfulness
Just to be clear: I am not advocating mediocrity, lack of excellence or laziness in ministry. Anyone who works closely with me knows that I have my own issues with perfectionism and the drive for excellence; in fact, on days when I don’t keep that part of my personality in check, it can make us all crazy. But I also know that there is a difference between valuing excellence—the quest for beauty, accuracy, and effectiveness—and allowing the outcomes of all that to define me and us and our success. It is a difference we do well to pay attention to.
As we head into a new ministry season, I am convinced that one of the things we can do to save our souls in ministry is to re-think our definition of success and to be vigilant in rejecting the subtle seductions of the ego in this regard. Mother Theresa’s perspective helps me to stay grounded in the deepest truth about what success really is; it rescues me from my own inner strivings when I need rescuing. She says,
I was never called to be successful;
I was called to be faithful
and in my striving to be faithful
my life will be fruitful
and because it is fruitful
you could say I am successful.”
Amen and amen!
©Ruth Haley Barton, 2012.
Ruth Haley Barton (Doctor of Divinity, Northern Seminary) is founder of the Transforming Center. A teacher, spiritual director and retreat leader, she is the author of numerous books and resources on the spiritual life including Pursuing God’s Will Together, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Sacred Rhythms, and Invitation to Solitude and Silence.
How do you measure success?
Leave a comment below and/or follow us on Twitter (@transformingcnt) and join the conversation.
24 Responses to “Re-thinking Success”
I measure success by the number of lives I have touched with Christ’s love and His message and the way I have responded to the call of God on my life as I am able to perceive it.
Thank you for this article, Ruth – I needed it, my pastor needs it and it’s such a clear statement of the “something darker” that can accompany leadership teaching.
I’m thinking how often we leave Rom 12:3 out of the picture when we quote Rom 12:2. Part of not being pressured by the world and of knowing God’s will for me is having the right measurement of success as you’ve said so well, and a sane estimate of myself… His call and design for me. Personally, I err on both sides, aiming both too low and too high.
Agur asks two favors before he dies (Prov 30:7-9) – God’s help to never lie, and “neither poverty nor riches, but just enough to satisfy my needs”. “For if I grow rich, I may deny You” and forget I can’t be spiritually effective in my own gifts and management, but “if I am too poor, I may steal”, comparing myself and trying to imitate or borrow what’s worked for others while missing effectiveness and contentment with what He’s given ME, “and thus insult God’s holy Name”.
Thanks for your ministry and your ongoing input in my life thru these articles. May I translate this for use with pastors and missionary candidates here?
Another wonderful articulation of the same idea. Thank you! And yes, feel free to translate this for your setting and then share it with us so we can perhaps use it. We often have requests for our materials translated into Spanish. Blessings on you faithful and fruitful ministry.
I have been a spiritual director with pastors and their spouses for years and my husband is a congregational developer in our denomination. Too often congregational developers are mistakenly thought of as “numbers guys” who are trying to turn every church into a mega-church. This is not so. Evangelism and “success” for each church as it honors it’s own gifts and limitations while bearing God’s light and love to its unique community should be measured by fruitfulness within its context. What a blessing to see pastors and laity alike excited about the fruitfulness of lives transformed and neighborhoods blessed by God’s love made tangible through their new and revitalized churches. It saddens me to see other denominational officials judge such ministries’ viability and success by numbers alone. Too many are too impatient for ministry growth, and prematurly judge, or even shut down, fruitful ministries. I think in an effort to hold pastors and churches accountable, too often “success” is measured by attendance, membership, and monitary contributions to the denomination. I am encouraged that some are talking about different ways of measuring success. As a “half-time” pastor (no such thing) of two small churches, I feel the pressures you have described so well. Thank you for your words of encouragement and guidance. Your ministry is life-giving to pastors.
You’re welcome! I like your phrase that the “success” of community should be measured by “fruitfulness within it’s context.” Indeed.
Thirty-four years ago when I graduated from seminary I heard Dr. Vernon Grounds in his Commencement address warn us of bowing down to worship (quoting William James’ characterization) ‘the bitch-goddess Success.’ That jolting phrase etched itself on my consciousness and on my ministry value system. It simply reflects the values of Jesus who calls us to lose our lives for his sake, not be successful for our sake. For 15 years in ministry I succumbed to the wiles of the success goddess. However, I must confess that I was not a victim. I chose her over Jesus. The ambition, envy, pride, and avarice in my heart made me an easy target. Sadly, I had no personal or ministry mentors warning me of those deep vices that can easily co-exist with an exterior facade of ministry success, the appearance of righteousness, and egoism disguised as self-sacrifice. As pastors, teachers, and ministry leaders we must learn, as Eugene Peterson encourages, to do our work not just in the truth of Jesus, but in the way of Jesus. This may mean a small, obscure, faithful ministry rather than a successful, glamorous one that has lost its soul.
Howard:
Wow! Your transparency is courageous. Your self-awareness is inspiring. Your wisdom is priceless. Your perspective is needed.
I hope you are able to mentor those young guys in ways you were not privileged.
Your new admirer,
Dave
Howard, when you write of “the values of Jesus who calls us to lose our lives for his sake, not be successful for our sake,” your words reach far into the places where our Lord continues to do a mighty work in me.
I am recovering from a dreadful case of intransigent bipolar disorder which has knocked “success” as I was pursuing it in my 20′s entirely out of reach. I am now, through God’s powerful mercy, living in a state of restoration and stability that is allowing me to spearhead a ministry to hurting people within and beyond our church walls. It is particularly important for those of us who have been knocked out and off our paths to be constantly reminded our work is for him who restored my soul, and not for us to reclaim lost and unfulfilled dreams of “success.”
I thank you for that reminder.
Your cogent words will help me keep on track.
Thanks for your wise words Howard, and for your faithfulness in living them out.
Well said, Howard! Thank you for offering the wisdom of your experience to this conversation. Blessings.
This is a timely and refreshing article. Thank you, Ruth. Along the way, this quote from Brennan Manning has also been helpful to me… “Time has been given to us to cause love to grow, and the success of our lives will be measured by how delicately and sensitively we have loved.”
Amen. Love often gets lost in the shuffle of our drivenness in ministry–a sure sign that we are not being “successful” in the truest sense of the word. Thank you.
This is a great writing; thank you Ruth, and very timely for people in ministry at the beginning of a ministry year. We have a retreat center where people come to encounter God and work with the issues you raise here as well as other concerns. In many ways the church has followed the culture..rather than than standing in sharp relief to the pace of the culture and saying there is another way to be considered.
Yes. I suppose it would be good clarify that one of the subtle temptations contained within our attempts to be culturally relevant is that we could also become culturally influenced and cease to be any kind of true alternative to what the culture in espousing.
I remember years ago when the pastor of a church on skid row in Los Angeles told me about his need to redefine success. For him, his ministry was a success if one out of 20 in his church–5%–eventually “made it” and continued to follow Christ. Listening to his heart and experiencing his willingness to live and minister where no “worldly” success would ever be visible was a huge encouragement to me, as an inner-city missionary. I have reflected many times on his words when I have tried to explain to others exactly what I do, or when I have felt the pressure to prove to supporters (or to myself!) that what I am doing is worthwhile. It seems I have to relearn time and time again to be content to be faithful to God and to His calling on my life, and leave the results/fruit completely up to Him.
I agree that this lesson about how we measure success is something many of us need to learn over and over again. The evil one knows how to lure us into increasinly subtle versions of temptation–even using the good and holy things of God (like ministry!) to do so. Lord have mercy!
Excellent. Thank you very much!
It is a good day when we are able to measure forever more our personal value according to Biblical scriptures which declare our Fathers’ love for us unconditionally and with never ending pursuit. From that day forward our success is never measured, but simply shared in overflowing volumous amounts of His love with everyone we encounter and everything we touch.
Thanks, all, for contributing to this very important conversation. May God help us to spur one another on to good thinking about the true nature of success and good deeds that are deeply faithful and truly fruitful.
Just came across this quote from Richard Rohr that I think connects well with what you wrote, Ruth. I struggled with Rohr’s writing in TC4, but now welcome him as a prophetic voice crying out in the wilderness.
”Christianity is a lifestyle—a way of being in the world that is simple, non-violent, shared, inclusive, and loving. We made it, however, into a formal established religion, in order to avoid the demanding lifestyle itself. One could then be warlike, greedy, racist, selfish, and vain at the highest levels of the church, and still easily believe that Jesus is “my personal Lord and Savior.” The world has no time for such silliness anymore. The suffering on Earth is too great.”
~ Richard Rohr
This is so true! Thanks for connecting these dots.
When I read this I substituted “generic ministry leader” for pastor and changed the details accordingly. Two years ago I was let go as executive leader from a moderately-sized Christian high school. While officially I was RIF’ed, I also know that board discussions in executive session revolved around metrics of enrollment, fundraising, etc. We all understand accountability and, in hindsight, my board did what it needed to do. I so appreciate Ruth’s post and the conversation here as I continue to struggle with the changes in my life and to embrace the new opportunities for ministry that the Lord has presented to me.
Thank you Ruth for this article. This is such a big struggle for many of us guys who get so easily caught up in worldly measurements of success when we are called to a different standard. The problem is exacerbated when our Christian sub-culture just mirrors the world in measuring success- often superficially… and it doesn’t help either if jealousy/envy of our false self also gets involved!
Well said! Your comments rightly point out that the issue of how we measure sucess is very layered. It is about how the Christian subculture mirrors secular values and it is also about that which is false within us that is capable of being hooked by it all.