Soul Renovatus

I was pondering writing a book on pastoral ministry success, but from the approach of conversing with church leadership on healthy evaluation systems. Most I have talked with and read seem to think the topic is too subjective. So many factors seem to be involved: sociological, economic, denominational, generational, etc... However, many of my friends, including myself, have been flogged in the name of “success.” I am compelled to write a book that can help pastors and churches navigate these waters in healthy ways, but there are so many directions, layers, and stories to research. Considering the lack of material published on the topic, I want to find a way to write a resource that is useful both for pastors and church leadership. I am convinced that there is a through-line somewhere; there must be something objective we can look at to evaluate success in the healthiest of ways.

So far, here are some issues that I’ve put on the table that contribute to evaluating success in church ministry:

-Personality
-Personal Sin Issues
-Personal Organization/Administration
-Leadership Skills
-Organizational Structures
-Capitalism and Consumerism
-Biblical Definitions
-Family History/Emotional Health
-Views of Failure
-The word “success” itself
-Cultural Definitions
-View of numbers, quantitative growth
-View of Qualitative growth
-Healthy measuring tools

How this can weave itself into an effective book I’m not sure. I’m also not sure if there is research that can speak into this considering most think it is too subjective to evaluate. Maybe the book would be anecdotal at best. My hope is that it might be helpful to pastors and churches. At this point, it’s quite possible that a series of blog posts might be in order. I am really not sure if the ideas and truths I am discovering have any merit or usefulness. I do feel passionate about the topic, and considering the numerous horrific stories I hear on the subject, feel compelled to at least venture down this road and see where it goes.