What Is Success in Ministry?
What is Success in Ministry?
A few weeks ago I was working out at the gym when two young men made their way across the room toward me.
I hardly recognized them! Both were sporting facial hair and were much taller than when I had them as eighth graders (and, if I’m honest, they’re quite a bit taller than I am now!).
It was such an encouraging experience hearing their stories, and what they remembered about our time together when they were just teenagers.
They shared several memories. Some were things I figured they would remember—like me randomly singing, “Has anyone told you they love you today?” in class, greeting them at the door with a question or encouraging comment, or, of course, my infamous toenail collection.
But some of their memories surprised me.
Like the time I called them at home when they had been home sick for a few days just to check in. Personal notes I had written and left on their seats for them to read when they sat down. The way I cried when we finished To Kill a Mockingbird.
After spending nearly 30 years in education, these encounters with former students never get old.
There were many days I left the classroom discouraged, wondering if anything I said was making a difference. Like most teachers, I planted seeds without knowing whether they would ever take root. My hope was always that these young people would develop a love for learning and become successful human beings, but I rarely got to see the fruit.
That unexpected conversation at the gym got me thinking about the pastors, ministry leaders, spouses, and families we serve through Romans 12 Ministries.
Our goal is to help pastors, ministry leaders, and their families move toward health, restoration, and renewed strength. But what does success really look like?
Is success a pastor remaining in ministry?
A marriage staying together?
A church conflict ending in reconciliation?
What about when those things don’t happen?
What if a pastor steps away from ministry after years of struggle?
What if a marriage ends despite months of counseling, a marriage intensive, and hard work?
What if a church ultimately divides after every effort toward reconciliation has been exhausted?
From all outward appearances, these look like utter failures but are they in God’s eyes?
There are times I find myself grieving outcomes that don’t look the way I hoped and prayed they would. But over the years, God has been showing me that success isn’t measured by outcomes, but by our faithfulness.
Sometimes all we can do is show up, be obedient, and get out of the way so God, in His perfect timing, can work on softening hearts. We can’t (and shouldn’t) manipulate or control outcomes, but instead trust God is working in ways we can’t see and He is in control of the process of healing and restoration.
One of my heroes in the faith is Charles Colson, the former aide to President Richard Nixon. Colson lived a wild life marked by ambition, influence, and achievement. Following the Watergate scandal (and a prison sentence), God radically transformed his heart.
For the remainder of his life, Colson devoted himself to ministry, prison outreach, and calling believers to live faithfully according to a Biblical worldview. He was a strong man of God who constantly challenged the Church to be light and salt to the world.
The man who once viewed his entire life through the prism of worldly success famously placed on his desk a placard that read:
“Obedience over success.”
In his book, Loving God, he shares a story about visiting a prison. While waiting to speak he realized the legacy of his life wasn’t defined by his varied roles in government, scholarships and honors; it was defined instead by his greatest failure. It was that failure that God used to bring glory to Himself.
He writes:
“It is not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us. God doesn’t want our success; He wants us. He doesn’t demand our achievements; He demands our obedience. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of paradox, where through the ugly defeat of a cross, a holy God is utterly glorified. Victory comes through defeat; healing through brokenness; finding self through losing self.”
As much as I love celebrating and sharing stories of restoration and reconciliation, I’m constantly reminded that our role is not to produce outcomes but to faithfully steward the opportunities God has given to us.
Just like the pastors we serve, sometimes we are blessed to see dramatic restoration; other times the fruit may not be visible for years (or even in our lifetime). But we have to trust that God is always at work.
Success in ministry may simply be this: faithfully showing up, speaking words of truth in love, walking with people through their darkest hours, and letting go and letting God do what only He can do.
For His glory,