How Do You Measure Success in Ministry?
Long ago, there was a leader who spent 40 years preaching to stubborn and unrepentant crowds. He was financially destitute, put in jail, and rejected by virtually everyone he knew. Over time, his preaching turned from calling the people to repentance to predictions of their punishment and destruction. He was deeply grieved over his people’s fate. Needless to say, this man was not popular. He likely died without ever seeing the fruit of a life devoted to delivering God’s Word.
Who was this preacher? None other than “the weeping prophet” we know as Jeremiah—one of God’s most faithful servants and author of one of the books of the Bible.
Ministry Metrics and the World’s Measurements
Whether it is business, athletics, technology, or entertainment (and many more), the world defines success in terms of measurements. Numbers, goals, percentages, and growth are easily depicted in progress reports, quotas, and sales numbers, giving workers a target to reach for and a measurable way to evaluate how things are going. But for ministry leaders, these metrics aren’t so clear-cut. Kingdom work is more of an art than a science.
This begs the question, how do we define success in our ministry? Churches also find ways to measure achievements numerically; weekly attendance, membership, baptisms, missions, tithes and offerings, and children and youth programs. These stats are good for leadership to know, but they barely show a portion of the whole picture.
What Are Your Goals?
To begin to define what success looks like, we have to consider what we actually set out to do in the first place. What are our goals? What exactly are we aiming to do here? As I’ve done in this series of articles, let’s go straight to the source (the Word!). The overarching goal of ministry was given to us by Jesus Himself in Matthew 28. There he tells the disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
Jesus says our mission is to share the Gospel and care for the body of believers. How do we know when we’ve been successful at this? Winning souls for Christ and measuring it in terms of church attendance, baptisms, and people served is one way of seeing how much of a quantitative impact we’re having. But on the other hand, numbers don’t totally get the job done, as until every living person knows about Jesus and belongs to a community of believers, our work is never complete. This mission is forever open-ended until Jesus returns.
Another problem with relying on numbers to define our success is that we run the risk of becoming prideful when things are going really well. The truth is that our wins are really credited to the work of the Holy Spirit. We need to remember that we’re only the mouthpiece that God uses to draw people to Himself. We may provide for peoples’ needs, but only Jesus can save us. In light of eternity, our efforts are just that.
Jeremiah and the Numbers Game
Consider again our example of Jeremiah. Was Jeremiah’s ministry successful numerically? Did he see a steady increase in attendance, church involvement, and lives committed to God’s work in the world? Arguably, according to the numbers, probably not. But Jeremiah wasn’t working on a numbers model. He was solely committed to being obedient to God.
The success of a ministry can only be defined by our obedience to God’s unique call on our lives. We’re called to share the Gospel and love people in different ways. To what extent do you respond obediently to your specific call to ministry?
Instead of allowing numbers to puff you up or deflate you, look at the spiritual health of the individuals in your ministry, your team, your family, and most importantly, your own heart. How well does your life show the fruit of transformation and utter dependence on God? To what extent do you lead as your authentic self? If you never see the fruit of your obedience, will you continue to serve God with the same fervor as the day He called you?
God Is Responsible for the Results
We are responsible for our obedience and efforts, using the unique gifts God equipped us with to do this work. Paul addresses this with the new believers in 1 Corinthians 3:5-7:
“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
What, after all, is Lauren? What are you? Your ministry? Instead of focusing on your numbers, remember the task at hand. God is responsible for the results. Our job is to abide, and that’s good news.