Success in Ministry

We most often associate success in ministry with accumulated years of experience. Success can mean many years of ministry in one congregation, sharing their joys and tragedies and triumphs.

It can mean starting a new parish, identifying a mission, and building a new community of faith where previously there was none. It can mean sequential parishes, each larger and more complex than the previous.

Success can also mean transforming a struggling congregation into one that is engaged and flourishing, or creating and nurturing a unique and powerful "niche" ministry that is a catalyst for the transformation of individuals and communities.

Success might also mean election to a position of enhanced responsibility within a denomination.

What if success in ministry was available to every clergyperson? What if success was created rather than achieved? What if clergy and congregations intentionally planned for success? Success could then be understood as a set of conditions that create life-giving ministry for the clergyperson and the congregation. With this in mind, what if success could be created most especially for new pastors, for those making the transition into what we hope will be a lifetime of ministry?