What Successful Pastors Desire: Part 2

(Flickr/Betchaboy)

In my last blog post, I began to detail what successful pastors desire. Today I’m continuing that train of thought. 

So, what do successful pastors desire?

1. A successful pastor desires for his flock to be healthy and grow. He understands that when he was called to the congregation as its pastor, he was called to be its shepherd. God looks at him and says, "I am holding you responsible to provide leadership and oversight to My people." Just as a shepherd cares for his flock of sheep, a pastor cares for his flock of believers.

                                                                                                      

So, what kind of growth is the mark of a healthy church? First, it should be growing spiritually. This is a direct result of sound biblical preaching and discipleship. It should also be growing numerically. Until every community is totally saturated with the Gospel and every person has been reached, churches should be growing numerically. Successful pastors prioritize reaching lost people. What gets prioritized gets done. If no one is coming to faith in Christ, it is because it is not a priority. A church should also be growing relationally. Jesus said, "by this will all men know you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). Every successful pastor desires for his people to love and be loved. He also wants his congregation to grow in its influence. We are told that we are salt and light. Successful pastors want their church to make a difference in the world!

2. A successful pastor desires to build a high impact staff and leadership team. He wants to equip believers to be effective in ministry. He works to make each one maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. He works to make sure that each person is working in their areas of passion and giftedness. He works to ensure that each person understands his or her job, has the resources to fulfill his or her job, and has the freedom to pursue his or her goals. He gives them the freedom to fail, but not the freedom to fail massively. He is constantly pointing his leadership to the things that are of first importance. As a leader of leaders, he is responsible for defining reality and making sure everyone understands their part in the big picture.

3. A successful pastor desires to expand his influence and his impact. He understands the importance of reproducing himself. He knows that what he does is a direct result of who he is. He works at his relationship with the Lord. He works at his ministry responsibilities. He understands the biblical principles of sowing and reaping, and walking by faith. He prays that God would provide open doors of opportunity. He prays that God would give him insight into what the needs of his flock and community are. He looks to see where people are hurting and expends the effort to minister to the hearts of the people. He works to share with others what God has taught him. He networks with others to make a collective difference.

4. A successful pastor desires to fulfill the Great Commission in his generation. It is true that God's workmen die, but His work continues. Because of this the successful pastor lives in light of the truth that his opportunity is brief. So, he does all he can while he can. He constantly reflects Moses' admonition, "Lord, teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). He understands that because everyone dies, everyone needs to hear the Gospel. Everyone needs the opportunity to respond to the invitation of Christ. Everyone needs the opportunity to hear the claims of Christ and have their sins forgiven. He is passionate about taking the Gospel to the lost world.

5. Finally, a successful pastor desires to receive his Master's reward for faithful service. It is amazing to me how often Jesus spoke of rewards. Repeatedly in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "and He who sees in secret will reward you openly." The Bible promises a reward for those who have been faithful. Paul noted that "it is required of stewards that one be found faithful." In several parables, the point is that the servant (or steward) be faithful, and upon the Master's return hears the commendation, "well done good and faithful servant." Every successful pastor desires to hear that same commendation when he steps into the presence of The Lord. "Well done good and faithful servant."

These are some of the things that I believe successful pastors desire. What do you think?

If you missed them, take a look at my other posts on successful pastors:

What is a Successful Pastor? Part 1

What is a Successful Pastor? Part 2

7 Pillars of a Successful Pastor’s Attitude

6 Traits of a Successful Pastor

What Successful Pastors Desire: Part 1

What Successful Pastors Desire: Part 1

David wrote in Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Complementing that promise are the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things (the necessities of life) will be given to you" (Matthew 6:33). Both of these verses address issues of what we desire and what we need. When it comes to successful pastors, certain common aspirations mark their lives. Here are some of the most important.

1. A successful pastor desires to please God in all things. It is not enough to work for God or serve God. God looks past the externals and examines the motives, drives, and aspirations of our hearts. Recall how Scripture informs us that on specific occasions the Father said of the Son, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased" (Matthew 3:17, 17:5, Luke 3:22). Paul provides insight for the pastor when he writes in 2 Corinthians 5:9, "Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him." At different times pleasing God can include what we do as well as what we refuse to do. Sometimes it is work and sometimes it is rest. It pleases God when we depend upon Him for guidance in daily decisions.

2. A successful pastor desires to fulfill his calling. The call of God is a sobering and mysterious reality. Scripture is filled with passage after passage about how God calls people. He calls to salvation, calls to ministry, and calls to specific responsibilities in His kingdom. Every successful pastor has experienced these calls and is passionate about fulfilling them. Every successful pastor knows that God has given him certain gifts, experiences, and opportunities. And it is the desire of the pastor to accomplish all he can with what he has been entrusted. His desire is ultimately to hear, "Well-done good and faithful servant." Of course the key to fulfilling one’s calling is to be faithful over the long haul of ministry.

3. A successful pastor desires to grow constantly toward spiritual maturity. Like Jesus, the role model, we should constantly "be increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man" ( Luke 2:52). This short summary of Jesus' progress reflects our Lord's well-rounded development. Should we not aspire to be like Him in all our ways? Paul expressed his own desire when he wrote, "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ" (Colossians 1:28). Please understand that maturity is a process and a journey that is never complete this side of Heaven.

4. A successful pastor desires to make a difference for eternity. I believe that a serious question deserving serious consideration is this: "What have we done and what are we doing that will make a difference for eternity?" What in our efforts will bear fruit in eternity? What in our efforts will help populate Heaven? What in our efforts will demonstrate overcoming evil with good? What in our efforts will display the power and glory of God when everything hidden is revealed? What in our efforts will be the demonstration of over-coming faith? More specifically, whose life is different for the better because of your efforts?

5. A successful pastor desires for his family to be blessed. He is one who honors his parents, loves his spouse unconditionally, and nurtures his children and grand-children. He prays for his family. He provides for his family. He encourages his family. He protects his family. One of his great desires is that his family would know and experience the blessing of God. He wants the hand of God to be upon his own life, and also upon the lives of those he loves. He wants each person in his family to experience the presence of God and the fruitfulness that He produces. He wants to love and be loved. Each member of his family is viewed as a cherished gift from God.

6. A successful pastor desires to be healthy. He understands that whatever he accomplishes will be done in the body God has given him. He gets one body for life and has the responsibility to take care of it. So, he exercises, eats healthy, gets enough rest, and gets his yearly check-up. He avoids the kinds of behaviors and habits that are detrimental to his health. He understands that taking care of himself is a stewardship from God to which he will give an account. He takes seriously the admonition to "glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:20).

7. Finally, a successful pastor desires to be financially secure. Because of this, he trusts God with his finances, considers all he has as a stewardship entrusted to him by God, and is disciplined in how he manages his resources. He knows the Scripture that teaches that a "workman is worthy of his hire," yet he is not in the ministry for the sake of money. He is not a hireling but a shepherd. His needs are not a motive to worry but to pray. In the end, he is trusting God to provide for his needs.

Next time I'll delve further into the desires of a successful pastor's heart.

7 Pillars of a Successful Pastor's Attitude

In my last blog post, I began sharing a list of qualities that successful pastors have. I want to continue that list today. You may want to ask yourself, "Do I have what it takes to be a successful pastor?" Or you may ask, "does my pastor have what it takes?" I believe these qualities can be developed as we pray, walk in obedience to the Word of God, and cultivate our skills through determined effort.

1. A successful pastor has God-confidence. If he knows that God called him and equipped him, and he knows that God is empowering him, why should he not expect the Lord to work in him and through him? Often times I find the key to God-confidence to be a tenacious holding on to the promises of God found in the Word of God. Coupled with this is a continuous disposition of prayer that refuses to concede unfruitfulness as normal. David Jeremiah put it this way: "Problems are situations engineered by God to help us recognize our weakness so that we will learn to depend on His strength."

2. A successful pastor has self-confidence. Before you start taking shots about pride and parading the flesh, let me explain. If God has called a man, and equipped a man, and that man has worked through adversity and been faithful, and has worked to hone his skills, why should he not be confident? One of the surest ways to walk in defeat is to constantly entertain notions of self-doubt. When I look at David facing Goliath, I see a man who was tested. He had great confidence because of what The Lord had already done in and through his life. In short, he has the courage of his convictions.

3. A successful pastor has a moral-compass. His morality is anchored in Scripture and he is not affected or influenced by the culture's shifting mores'. He is no respecter of popularity, political posturing, or moneyed interest. His only concern is that he be faithful to Biblical authority. His understanding of right and wrong, wisdom and foolishness is formed from his educated understanding of Scripture. Be reminded of George Orwell's words, "The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it." Refuse to deviate from truth! Bonhoeffer was right when he said, "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."

4. A successful pastor has an overwhelming sense of accountability to God. He knows that what has been entrusted to his charge will be reviewed by his Master. He is very much aware of the mandate communicated in Hebrews 13:17 which reminds him that he will give an account. Jesus taught much about accountability and compensation, rewards and loss. The successful pastor takes every word addressing these issues with a determined and deadly seriousness.

5. A successful pastor has focus. He knows what God has called him to do, and he does it. He is not distracted. He lives by his priorities. He constantly sees the big picture and knows his role in it. He invests the time, effort, mental energy, and intensity to impact his world with the Gospel. He is not constantly looking over his shoulder to see what others are thinking or saying, neither is he preoccupied with being somewhere else, or doing something else. He has focus!

6. A successful pastor has resiliency. Whenever there is a set back, resistance, or a defeat, he gets back up and keeps on going. When he gets knocked down, he gets back up. He is much aware of the maxim, "if you give up, you'll never know if you quit too soon." Heed the words of Bill Hybels, "We only have between this day and our final day to make a play for God." It is the courage to continue that counts! Or recall the words of Vince Lombardi, "It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up."

7. Finally, a successful pastor has faith. By this, I mean that he has an expectancy that God will do what He says. He expects God to move in the lives of people. He expects God to supernaturally intervene in circumstances. He expects God to be God, and he refuses to accept or live with the status quo. Every successful pastor is identified by his faith!

These are some characteristics that mark what successful pastors have. These are what they have embraced and have become by so doing. What have you seen?

6 Traits of a Successful Pastor

In recent weeks I have been writing on successful pastors--what they are and what they know. Today, I’m commenting on what they have. These are the germinal ideas of the manuscript I am writing on the successful pastor. 

What you are and what you possess are two different issues altogether. Here are the traits that I believe a successful pastor must possess. These are the qualities that are built upon what a person is.

1. A successful pastor has determination. He knows the call of God on his life and the arena of his ministry, and seeks with all his heart and might to fulfill the will of God in that local. Bill Cosby once said, "in order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." The successful pastor is consumed with a determination to accomplish the will of God. In 2 Chronicles 2:1, "Solomon decided to build a house for the name of The Lord." He let nothing stop him. In Daniel 1:8, we are told that "Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself." Here are two of many examples in Scripture of men with determination. They would succeed or die trying!

2. A successful pastor has compassion. This means he cares about the people he is called to shepherd and called to reach. Repeatedly, Scripture tells us that Jesus had compassion on the multitudes, on the hurting, on the hungry, on the poor, on the neglected, on the afflicted, and on the abused. He saw people as "sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). His cared about those whom the world wrote off. The successful pastor has that same heart!

3. A successful pastor has discernment. Besides being sensitive to the Spirit's leading, he brings a biblical perspective (wisdom) to bear on every situation. He has learned to ask appropriate questions. Moreover, he has learned to make critical distinctions. For example, he understands the difference between means and ends,  principles and methods, and the temporal and the eternal. He looks at every situation with a discerning eye.

4. A successful pastor has vision. I am not writing about the distorted explanation of Proverbs 29:18, "where there is no vision the people perish" which in fact means "where there is no word from God, the people go unrestrained." I am addressing the simple skill where the pastor walks into a situation, assesses it, and knows what needs to be done. He sees with a set of spiritual eyes, he knows what God wants to accomplish and he communicates it clearly. 

5. A successful pastor has composure. In Paul's magnificent explanation of how love expresses itself, he states that, "love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered..." If I can provide one summary word covering all of this, I would argue that with respect to the way he deals with uncomfortable circumstances, the pastor maintains his composure. In short, he is not easily rattled and he guards his words carefully. In the words of one of my heroes, Adrian Rogers, "you don't have to take back what you do not say."

6. A successful pastor has "grasp." This is a term popularized by General of the Armies John Pershing, who commanded the US Expeditionary Forces in World War One. He sought officers with "grasp," men who saw clearly the reality of a situation, who knew what needed to be done, and who did it. In popular terminology, they "got it." A successful pastor has grasp. He sees the reality of a situation, knows what needs to be done, and does it. He does not ask anyone's permission to do the will of God.

What do you see in successful pastors you observe?

What Is a Successful Pastor? Part 2

This blog is the second in a series on what success means for a pastor.

Christians in general and pastors, specifically, must be something before they can do something. If you reflect on John's Gospel, you will notice that Jesus identified Himself with seven "I Am" declarations. He starts with "I am the bread of life" (6:35) and concludes with "I am the true vine" (15:1). In the heart of His unfolding self-revelation, Jesus asserts, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am" (8:58). In each of these pronouncements, Jesus is communicating Who He is. 

Woven into John's Gospel is a complementary set of "signs" which John describes as "the manifestation of His glory" (2:11). These are things Jesus did. They began with Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana (2:1-11) and concluded with Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (11-45). I notice that even the chief priests and Pharisees acknowledged that "this man is performing many signs" (11-47). Jesus' activities and signs were a display of His glory. He was doing something. My point? Just like Jesus, we must be something before we can do something. This principle applies especially to the successful pastor. So, what more can be said about who he is?

1. A successful pastor is loyal. He is loyal to his Lord who called him, to his calling, to his family, and to his work as a shepherd of God's people. The word "pastor" actually means "shepherd." What the shepherd is to his flock, the pastor is to his congregation.

Recall Jesus' commentary distinguishing between a shepherd and a hireling. One is loyal to his charge and the other is loyal only to himself, in it for what he can get out of it (10:10-13). A successful pastor's loyalty in the right place should be unquestionable.

2. The successful pastor is open. By this I mean open to God's leading. He is not satisfied with maintaining the status quo or simply occupying a position. He is sensitive to God's leading and will move at God's direction. Moses wanted God to send someone else to Egypt to deliver the Israelites from slavery. God had to persuade Moses to obey. Initially, Moses was not open, eventually he was. He moved from obstinate to open. Contrast that episode to Isaiah's calling, "Here am I, Lord, send me" (6:8). Successful pastors are open to God's leading, they simply obey His voice.

3. A successful pastor is approachable and resistant. What do I mean by this? James tells us (3:17), the wise person is "easy to be entreated." They are approachable. They listen. Yet, they are not necessarily persuaded. God's leaders are working off an agenda not their own. Recall when Nehemiah was approached by Sanballat and the other enemies. They said, "Come, let us meet together....", Nehemiah responded, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you" (6:2-4)? If you are working off God's agenda, be reluctant to get side tracked. Listen and then decide.

4. A successful pastor is authentic. He is not trying to be someone or something he is not. In the words of the old army slogan, he wants to be the best that he can be. I like what May Sarton wrote: "We must dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be." Dr. Seuss put it this way, "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one else who is you-er than you." Each person is created with a different set of gifts, abilities, temperaments, and passions. No two people have the same experiences. All of this combines to make the pastor, as well as the person, unique. The pastor is most successful when he is himself.

5 A successful pastor is humble. Humility is the quality which is opposite of pride. Pride is self-sufficient. Humility is God-sufficient. Scripture says that  "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). Humility is displayed in two ways. First, God-dependence is seen in the pastor's prayer life. Prayer says, "God, I am depending on you." Second, it is seen as the pastor has an accurate understanding of who he is, who God made him to be. Consider Paul's admonition: "For through the grace of God given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith" (Romans 12:3). Humility says "I think of myself accurately."

6. A successful pastor is loving. He has a genuine love not only for God but also people. Recall Jesus' words to His disciples, "By this shall all men know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). The greatest demonstration of that love is to give oneself to and for those he loves. The pastor's call is to love his flock because he loves his Lord. Recall Jesus words to Peter. "If you love Me, feed My sheep, tend my sheep" (John 21:15-17). The same is true for the pastor.

7. A successful pastor is holy. He is not perfect. Holiness means "set aside for God." It is a growing hatred of sin and a desire to live clean lives. Jerry Bridges put it nicely: "Offer yourself to God, and in so doing that commit yourselves to the pursuit of holiness in order to please Him." The mark of holiness is a passion to pursue a growing relationship with God.

8. Finally, a successful pastor is prepared. Only seldom has a pastor been effective apart from a solid education. In today's world, a seminary degree or its equivalent is seen as optional by many. Those, however, who escape that preparation find themselves shortchanged. Those who are called and surrendered to the ministry for the long haul should pay the price in time and effort to gain a biblical, theological, philosophical, historical, and practical foundation. Historically, God always prepares a person before He uses him. The successful pastor is prepared.

These are my thoughts. What do you think?

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. 

What Every Pastor Needs From His Flock

Image Courtesy of Flickr User Mr. T in DC

I have often heard what churches need from their pastor. Usually the expectations are set extremely high. Today, I would like to reverse the equation and provide a glimpse of what a pastor needs from his flock. 

1. He needs for you to embrace a biblical understanding of his role and responsibility. God has called him to shepherd the flock of which you are a part. God holds him accountable to lead, feed, and intercede. That comes from Acts 6 where deacons are appointed to assist the pastors with the work of the ministry. You must understand that for your pastor, it is not just a job. It is a calling from God.

2. He needs your prayers. In Ephesians, Paul asked the congregation to pray for him. During the crisis time leading up to Jesus' crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus told Peter that Satan had requested to "sift you like wheat." Then Jesus states, "but I have prayed for you." If Paul and Peter needed prayer on their behalf, certainly your pastor does as well. Every pastor trying to accomplish God's work faces tremendous opposition from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Please pray for him. You have no idea what he is dealing with on a daily basis and it is difficult to understand the burden he carries as God's shepherd of your flock.

3. He needs your loyalty. By this, I mean loyalty to the Lord, to him, and to your local church family. When you become a member of a congregation, certain obligations come and one of those is your support. If you cannot be supportive of your pastor, that may well be an indicator that you need to be in another church. 

4. He needs your commitment to a biblical vision. This means that you embrace the biblical mandates that the church exists to fulfill the Great Commission, to impact your community and the world with the Gospel, and to equip believers to accomplish the work of the ministry. Way too many churches seem to have lost that biblical vision of why they exist. Some even go so far as to question whether or not a church which has become completely inward focused instead of outward focused is even a church in the biblical sense. Perhaps that needs to be studied further.

5. He needs for you to give him the benefit of the doubt. Every pastor is human and makes mistakes. I challenge you to give him the benefit of the doubt that his heart is in the right place. It amazes me how many church members are quick to be critical and quick to speak. Perhaps we need to be reminded of James' words that we are to be swift to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Before you make a snap judgment or listen to gossip, it would be wise to exercise caution. Way too many pastors have been hurt by carnal gossip, and unquestioned and distorted perceptions of reality. If there is a problem, talk to him not about him.

6. He needs for you to be present and participating. No one can be present every time the church doors are open, but every member of a church family should be present on a consistent basis. Does not the Scripture admonish us "not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together?"

7. He needs for you to love him and his family. This includes encouragement, making sure he is provided for, that he has adequate time off, and that he has the tools he needs. He needs books, resources, time to learn and appropriate help.

As a member of the flock, you can help your Pastor be the man God has called him to be.