Over the past few weeks, I have been visiting several district assemblies across our great field of the Philippines. I enjoy listening to pastors’ reports, although these have been significantly shortened over the years to just a few minutes. It is difficult to say much in a report in a few minutes. Every once in a while, a pastor will tell about all budgets paid or an increase in giving. I have even seen some districts give awards to the churches with the greatest increase in giving or membership gains. There is nothing inherently wrong with numbers because hopefully they represent lives that have been touched. But one of the subtle things that happens for some pastors is a sense of guilt for not meeting goals or of pride for going over. I felt pride creep in one year when my church got an award for the highest percentage on the district for mission giving. This creates a form of competition between pastors. Pastors will not say this out loud, but they like to have their names or churches mentioned as “successful” churches.

There are other ways that pastors feel the need to be successful. To some degree, pastors are people pleasers. Part of our self-esteem is wrapped up in our ability to perform and be effective in ministry. All preachers like to hear that their messages made a difference in people’s lives. This provides a strong motivation to work harder and longer, to polish up skills, and to be well-liked by the people in our church. Our ministry becomes connected to ourselves. The problem is that at any point, many of these things can disappear. Our pursuit of excellence can become misguided by pride. Our effort to make a difference can become centered on our ability to be the difference makers.

How can we measure success in ministry? I suggest we look at the times that are  intangible to the world’s perspectives but count in God’s kingdom. Sometimes, I will admit, that the line between these is subtle and difficult to discern. There are things that show success in God’s kingdom that can look successful from the world’s perspective also. For example, how many new converts a church has or the number of baptisms. Those are important kingdom matters, but if viewed from the wrong vantage point, can be sources of stumbling in pride. Since pride keeps coming up in my thoughts, it makes me think that success from God’s kingdom must be measured from the opposite direction. Success must begin with and be supported by humility. If we take seriously our faith, we must choose to empty ourselves of self and follow in the footsteps of our Servant Leader, Jesus, as Philippians 2:5-11 states.

Pastors must become strong inside from the strength of the Lord that comes only through humble worship. This inner strength becomes our life source for self esteem. Success is measured more from humility before God than our human abilities. The strange thing is that God can use the humble person more than the one with many human gifts and abilities. This is the paradox of God’s kingdom. As we humble ourselves, we will find that we are able to tap into the strength of the Creator. We find ourselves strengthened and more equipped to do God’s will. That is our goal as pastors in the first place. We just sometimes stumble by going about it in the wrong way!

For more pastoral reflections, click here.

 
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