Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome
a review by Adam Pohlman
Anyone who has spent any significant time in ministry has come upon discouragement and disappointment. When a person pours their heart into something as big as the call to ministry, it is natural to fall into despair and discouragement. Most pastors are sincere in their efforts to be successful ministers of the gospel, but are disillusioned by their own expectations. In Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, Pastor Kent Hughes and his wife Barbara write to encourage pastors to continue to be faithful in the ministry. They scoured the Bible looking for a scriptural definition of success and provide encouragement for those in the midst of ministerial struggles. The final two chapters suggest ways that pastors’ wives can be faithful supporters to their husbands and also how congregations can support their pastors in being biblically successful.
Many in the church today fall into the trap of equating success with increasing numbers of positive responses to the ministry. The Hughes’ say this is not a biblical concept but one influenced by the secular society. Too often pastors are encouraged to measure success in the ministry the same way a secular corporation does; with numbers of people responding to their message. “As Barbara and I searched the Scriptures, we found no place where it says that God’s servants are called to be successful. Rather, we discovered our call is to be faithful.” (pg. 35) “There are untold numbers of successful pastors and Christian workers who are abysmal failures.” (pg. 84) Scripture consistently links success to obedience to the Word of God. The majority of Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome is dedicated to explaining how God’s Word defines success with these major themes:
- Faithfulness
- Serving
- Loving
- Believing
- Prayer
- Holiness
- Attitude
Too often our pastors fall into despair or depression and become less faithful in their call to be our shepherds. Many quit within the first few years of ministry citing the enormous pressure to produce growing churches. They spend much more time serving than a full-time job requires and often see few results. With this pressure to be super-pastors many are leaving behind the call to preach faithfully the Word of God (leaving results to God), and are resorting to unbiblical marketing techniques to produce the results. “The miserable yoke of worldly success is so crushing because it is a burden that God’s servants were never meant to bear.” (pg. 106) Often times we put pressure on our pastors by expecting new members, baptisms, and a breakout of revival in our church to come from the work he puts in.
The Hughes’ list some traps that pastors often fall into and offer thoughts of how the congregation can prevent the slide into the “success syndrome.” “First, you can encourage your pastor by living biblically successful lives yourselves... Second, encourage your pastor by your personal commitment to help him know true success... Third, encourage your pastor by not expecting (or allowing) him to be involved in everything... Fourth, encourage your pastor by providing adequately for him and his family... Fifth, encourage your pastor by loving his family... Sixth, encourage your pastor by treating him with respect.” (pg. 188) May we help our pastors be faithful in their call and encourage them through the challenging trials that pressure them weekly to succumb to worldly demands.