What is a Successful Pastor? Part I

Image Courtesy of Flickr User DrGBB

In John 9:5 Jesus stated, "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." This was a follow up to John 8:12 where Jesus identified Himself in the second of 7 "I am" statements: "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life." This sheds insight into Jesus' Sermon on the Mount declaration to His followers: "You are the light of the world....Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:14a,16). I want to draw your attention to the Matthew statements. 

First you must be something before you can do something. 

In the language of Bible scholars, the indicative precedes the imperative. In that line of thought, a pastor must "be" something before he can "do" something. So what must a successful pastor be before he can do? 

1. A successful pastor is saved. At a point in his life, he heard the Gospel that God loves him, hates his sin, sent Jesus to take the punishment for his sin; and by faith he turned from his sin and placed his faith in Jesus Christ to be his Savior and Lord. In John's terminology, he both received Jesus and believed in Him. That pastor was born into the family of God. No one can be a successful pastor who is not saved. Someone might go through the motions of ministry, but will not make a spiritual impact.

2. A successful pastor is maturing, not necessarily mature. I learned a long time ago that maturity in its essence is a process and a journey, not a destination. The key is that the pastor is on the journey and is increasingly becoming like Jesus Christ. I would note that Paul cautions that a pastor not be a "novice."

3. A successful pastor is called. He has an understanding that God called him to a life-long vocational ministry. He understands that this is the call of God upon his life and that he cannot do anything else. Many times the only reason I, personally, stayed in a difficult situation was because I knew that God had called me and I could not do anything else. 

4. A successful pastor is surrendered. When God called him, he surrendered to that call. Years ago, I heard the testimony of a pastor who endured the persecution by Communists in Romania. In his message, he distinguished between commitment and surrender. He pointed out that if I commit myself to some endeavor, I can always back out because it is dependent upon me. If I surrender, however, the act is final. I surrendered. This was reflected in Jesus' words at Gethsemane: "not My will, but Yours be done." "I surrender all” is more than simply the words to a familiar song.

5. A successful pastor is disciplined. He has the ability to obey Christ's and his own commands. His flesh is daily crucified and his will is daily surrendered. He is in a constant process of renewing his mind so that he will be conformed to the image of Christ. He emulates Jesus as well as the great saints whose lives are recorded for us in Scripture.

6. A successful pastor is focused. He knows the call of God and with it the commensurate priorities, and gives himself to those things. He understands that there is a cost to becoming the pastor God intends for him to be....and he is willing to pay that price.

7. A successful pastor is a dreamer. His goal is not to get a paycheck or look good in the eyes of an adoring congregation. He longs for himself and his church to become everything God intended. He holds tenaciously to Paul's promise in Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to ALL generations forever and ever." Like Noah of old, he wants to hear the inaudible, see the invisible, and accomplish the impossible.

8. A successful pastor is thick-skinned. He has a predisposition to be insensitive to criticism. Not that he refuses to assess whether criticism is valid, but he is unwilling to be stopped by critics and carnal people whose agendas are not godly. In Spurgeon's words, every good pastor has one blind eye and one deaf ear. He is unwilling to be crippled by Satan's fiery darts and those who fling them.

These are some characteristics I have observed in successful pastors. I will continue these thoughts in next week's blog. I'd love to hear your thoughts on these observations.