Measuring Success
Stuart Briscoe
One facet of success is to maintain a realistic but hopeful attitude.
—Stuart Briscoe When I was a young businessman in England, a group of church leaders got together in a major city to plan how they could sponsor an evangelist and hold meetings. An older gentleman, something of a self-appointed archbishop, rose to address the assembly. He gave a stirring speech decrying the idea of making plans to increase the number of believers. He ended with a rhetorical flourish: "God has called us to be faithful, not successful!" "Amen!" responded the assembly. The group then voted to scrap the evangelistic enterprise. They had mistakenly concluded that faithfulness and success are diametrically opposed. Unfortunately, that's not an uncommon assumption. The issues of size and success are inseparable for many pastors. For some bigger is better, with success defined as continued growth in membership, giving, and attendance. The larger the church, they reason, the more people reached with the gospel. These leaders exhibit the creative, pragmatic, and aggressive entrepreneurial spirit that has served American society so well. Others equate success with "quality" ministry, in particular, effective personal care and nurture. Such leaders worry that increased growth will diminish the close-knit nature of the congregation. Their primary concern is that the sick are visited, the hurting are comforted, and that everyone knows each other's name on Sunday morning. Which paradigm represents "successful" ministry? I cannot answer that question concisely. For me, success, like a diamond, is multifaceted. The best I can do is show you different facets of the diamond, all of which together make up the luster of pastoral success.
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