I recently finished reading the book Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome. This is a must read for anyone in ministry. In our society “success” is a word we hear often. Society measures it in status, salary, and influence. However, in the Kingdom of God things are different. As ministers of the Gospel, we can get caught up in that kind of thinking. Kent and Barbara Hughes discuss our idea of success versus God’s idea of success. Success in God’s eyes is faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness, and attitude. Most importantly they link success in the Christian life to obedience. “In evaluating success, we must all understand that Scripture consistently links success to obedience — our obedience to God’s Word.” (p. 37)
Kent and Barbara end the book with two chapters that speak about how the pastor’s wife and the congregation can help the pastor have a healthy view of success in ministry. With many pastors climbing the “ladder of success” in the ministry. This book is a refreshingly healthy view of how we are to view success according to God’s standards. I hope you enjoy it as must as I did!
