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Christian ministry is not a sprint; it’s a marathon, a long-term race, requiring not just initial enthusiasm and ability, but staying power.

Unfortunately, a growing number of Christian ministers don’t seem to possess that staying power. 44% of all pastors who have been involved in ministry for more than 15 years suffer from ‘burn out’, mental break down or serious illness. And that doesn’t include those who fail to continue in active ministry for other reasons, such as immorality or loss of faith.

Going the distance is about making sure you’re not one of those statistics.

Drawing on decades of biblical reflection and experience, Peter Brain explains how to keep fit mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually for the long-haul.

This is a book for anyone engaged in Christian ministry, whether lay or ordained, and would be an ideal book for pastors to read with their lay leaders.

Read review.

"This is a book of unusual insight and pertinent, practical wisdom for both the minister and the congregation, to enable them to live together in mutual respect and love, so as to model in their relationships the liberating grace of God, to whom they all belong. Every church leader and every church member would benefit from reading this book." David Jackman (Director, Cornhill Training Course, London)

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How not to play the numbers game
reviewer - Sandy Grant

A class mate recommended I read Liberating Minisry from the Success Syndrome at theological college a decade ago. I'm glad I left it till now. The interveening hard slog in gospel ministry meant that I heard the Hughes's message much more clearly. For now I see how my desire to serve God effectively is often frustrated by my sin and inability.

the book was written after a quarter century's experience as a pastor adn pastor's wife, including a long-term, acclaimed ministry at College Church, Wheaton, USA (continuing today).
However, its genesis was an experience that almost broke Kent's desire to continue in ministry. He'd served happily as a youth and associate pastor. he then led a church plant. By his own testimony, it had everything going for it, including generous support from the founding church. But after much hard work, he found himself presiding over a declining church.

We expected to grow. but to our astonishment and resounding disappoingment, we didn't. In fact, after considerable time and incredible labor, we had fewer attenders than during the first six months. Our church was shrinking, and the prospects looked bad-really bad. (pp. 18-19)

The messages they received from seminary, church and colleagues, with their own assumptions, led them to think effective marketing, sociological match, generous sterwardship, true godliness from the church, and, in particular, expository preaching from Kent should lead to growth. They had "bought into the idea that success meant increased numbers" (p29).
With crucial support from his wife, Barbara, his experience of despair led Kent to search the Scriptures carefully to see what God said about success. Their fundamental conclusion was that God's servants are called to be faithful, not successful in the sense of numerical growth.
More than once, they quote 1 Corinthians 4:2: "Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy". In fact, faithfulness is success before God. And this is possible for all believers, regardless of the size of their ministries.
The Hughes identify two key elements of faithfulness: (i) obedience to God's Word (eg Josh 1:7-8) and (ii) hard work (eg Matt 25:14-20). Although critiquing a trend towards over-protectiveness of a pastor's family and time off, they make it clear that hard work is not to be equated with workaholism.
In addition to these factors, they spend a chapter each on six futher aspects they think contribute to biblical success: serving; loving; believing (ie central truths like Christ as creator and redeemer); praying; holiness (especially regarding sex); and a positive attitude (rather than jealousy or negativism).
This is a fine list of qualities for ministry, and it was well applied. I had just three small qualifications. Firstly, I felt the chapter on prayer might produce further guilt for those who find it difficult, as I often do. Here I found helpful a chapter in the Hughes' other book, Common Sense Parenting. It includes a practical section on developing a prayer list.
Secondly, the Hughes give little biblical justification for making a 'positive attitude' a criterion for biblical success. Certainly, love is not envious, does not keep a record of wrongs and always hopes. but I am not sure if 'positive attitude' is the most helpful way of expressing this. Further, the extent to which optimism or pessimism is a peronality issue was not explored, beyond the statement that Paul was a 'type A' personality. What about those of us who aren't (eg the melancholic Jeremiahs)?
Thirdly, I wondered where a commitment to evangelism was in their list of factors for biblical success. I'm not suggesting pastors must all be equally gifted in this area. But surely a failure to be committed at a personal and church leadership level to the gospel's spread indicates a failure to imitate Christ's concern (Luke 15; 1 Cor 10:31-11:1). Perhaps evangelistic commitment should have been made explicit as a criterion for success.
The book's next section lists sources of encouragement. Here I was challenged by the reminder that God can work in the ordinary, even the weak; also by a chapter on cultivating friendship with your ministerial peers. which I have found essential.
However, I had reservations regarding his defence of the traditional 'ministerial call'. Commendably, Hughes did not make his experience normative, and recognised that people come to enter ministry in a variety of ways. Yet he does stress having a call as tremendously important to perseverance in ministry.
However parprt from an appeal to human experience, the only evidences given to substantiate this need were briefly footnoted examples in Scripture of the calls of Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Paul and the Apostles' commissioning. No argument was offered as to why their experience should apply to us, especially given their exceptional roles in Scripture.
The book finishes with two supurb chapters on 'helps': how a pastor's wife can help; and how the congregation can help a pastor to be biblically successful, that is, faithful. However, a pastor may feel awkward suggesting his wife or congregation read them! Perhaps they might take the initiative to buy her/them a copy, bur read the relevant chapters themselves first. Maybe a regional bishop or overseer could distribute them to parish councils and eldership boards.
In recommending this book, it is important to realise that the Hughes are not against strategising for numerical gospel growth.

This does not mean numbers have no significance. They do. The scriptures record that three thousand were converted at Pentecost (Acts 2:41) and that Jesus fed five thousand (Matt 14:21). Numbers of souls saved and minstered to are important. They are substantive causes for rejoicing, because they indicate that the gospel touched many.

But the point of the Hughes's book is tat numbers by themselves do not mean success. They suggest that a response of only three at Pentacost or just five fed by Christ would not have indicated less success.
The Hughes also emphasize that this does not mean a pastor is free from accountability in matters such as work habits, administration, preaching and spiritual disciplines. In fact,

This does not release the pastor from the significance of attendance as an aspect of evaluation of ministerial effectiveness, but it does release him from the delusion that numbers mean success. (p190)

We would do well to remember both realities at present, where in my region we have been challenged to see at least 10% of our area in Bible-believing churches within a decade.
I have become convinced of the importance of numbers to God. The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to make a concern for the increase in numbers perhaps his most frequently recorded comment in Acts (eg 2:41, 47, 4:4, 5:14, 6:1, 7, 9:31, 42, 11:21, 24, 14:1, 21, 16:5, 17:12), even more than his key comment that the word of God spread (only 6:7, 12:24, 19:20). Indeed, with his parable of the one lost sheep in a carefully numbered hundred (Luke 15:1-7), the Lord Jesus himself reminds us that numbers is made up of individuals who are precious to God.
However I have frequently wished to see numbers climb, knowing that a part of me would be glad of it so as to justify myself as a pastor. It is perhaps ironic in a book aiming to liberate us from an obsession with numberical success, that the publishers chose on my copy to inform us that the book was in its fifth printing! But perhaps more kindly, this simply sttests to the enormous felt need for help in this area. I plan to re-read this book before the next decade passes.

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oworm said:

I hope you will remember me and my home church in your prayers. Thankyou..

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