Free to Be Faithful
Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome by Kent and Barbara Hughes, Tyndale, $9.95
Reviewed by Steve Harris, vice-principal, Valley Christian Junior High School, San Jose, California
Kent Hughes was planting a church, his first solo pastorate, and he had it all going for him-youth, ability, a supportive wife, and a nucleus of twenty families, not to mention a $50,000 gift from a sponsoring church. He headed into his Southern California target community armed with extensive church growth expertise, aerial photographs, demographic studies, a slick multimedia presentation, and a storage trailer stuffed with folding chairs, hymnals, and a pulpit. How could he miss?
But he did-by a mile. Six months of eighty-hour weeks later, his church had fewer people than when he started. It left him shaken. “I was in the darkest depression of my life,” he recalls. “Everything seemed a gray, horizonless sea; I was treading water alone, sinking fast.”
The story of his struggle and the saving principles that helped him remain in ministry are packed into this book, co-authored with his wife, Barbara. Now in their third pastorate (at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois), the Hugheses offer their book as an encouragement to pastors (especially in small churches) struggling with the elusive goal of success in ministry.
In a Golden Arches society that measures hamburgers in the billions, success is a numbers game, and that was the seedbed for Hughes’s depression. “If attendance was up, I was up. If it was down, I was down,” he recalls. “And since our numbers had been going down for a long time . . . I felt like a total failure.”
What kept him going? First, a wife who encouraged him during his struggles to “hang on to my faith,” and second, his arrival at the painful conclusion that “I had wanted a growing church-success on the world’s terms-more than I had wanted the approval of God.”
His temptation to quit ministry led Kent and Barbara to ask some tough questions (Can a small-church pastor be a success?) and to seek out a biblical measuring stick beyond pew counts and pledge cards.
What did they discover? “We found no place in the Scriptures where it says that God’s servants are called to be ‘successful,’ ” they write. “Rather, our call is to be faithful.” They describe that faithfulness in seven key areas, including obedience to God’s Word, servanthood (“the Cross is the ultimate symbol of success”), loving God (“the only true basis for dignity and accomplishment”), a consistent prayer life, and holiness. Their conclusion: “There can be no success apart from the smile of God.”
“Pastors need a biblical basis for success,” Hughes emphasized in a recent phone interview. “The pastor on the downside of the numbers game-or the upside, for that matter-who takes his eyes off of what truly pleases God is heading for trouble. You might end up a successful failure, with thousands in attendance but a life far from Christ.”
The book raises an obvious question: What part should numbers and statistics play in evaluating ministry? Does Hughes care about how many people were in his pews last Sunday-and if so, why?
“Yes, I do,” he admits. “Each Tuesday when I come into the office, I ask to see last Sunday’s figures. Numbers can be helpful; they indicate trends, for example. I’m not against counting people, I’m not against growth, and I’m certainly not against aggressive outreach.
“But numbers or growth should not become the ultimate end of ministry. Sometimes growth doesn’t come to a church, for all kinds of reasons. The demographics may not be there. What happens then? Those pastoring in that kind of situation have to remember that those people need a faithful pastor who stays on the cutting edge, attempting to be the best. Whatever our statistics, we need to work as hard as we can and leave the results to the Lord.”
Good words, to be sure. But practically speaking, how does a pastor with more people at his dinner table than his prayer meeting hang in there? The book gives some helpful strategies: clarify and affirm your personal sense of call, keep your focus on God’s eternal rewards, and shepherd the souls who are present without lamenting over the ones who aren’t.
He also speaks of the “Titus touch,” allowing the affirmations of others to help us through personal discouragement. He reveals that the famous Boston preacher Phillips Brooks kept a file of encouraging letters he had received and would browse through them during dark times. Hughes’s advice: keep such a file yourself, and better yet, contribute to the files of ministerial colleagues.
The fact that Hughes now pastors a large church seems to cut across the grain of his book. Both Kent and Barbara acknowledge that but see no contradiction.
“Ministering here hasn’t changed our definition of success,” says Barbara. “We found it in a small, nongrowing church with twenty-five people on a Sunday night. We’re finding it here. We just want to be faithful.”
Her husband agrees. “Wherever we are, we want biblical principles of success to be guiding us.”
While attending Talbot Theological Seminary, a stray statistic caught Hughes’s attention: eight out of ten seminary graduates will never serve a church with more than 150 people. He empathizes with those ministers as he writes about struggles with self-doubt, anger, and jealousy among clergy. Hughes argues for exactly what the book’s title suggests: freedom to enjoy who we are, who our churches are, and how God is working in each.
Hughes saw this attitude in the pastor of a small church in a western town, living out of a trailer and preaching in rented facilities. “I can’t believe how good God is to me,” he told Hughes. “I have a wonderful wife, a church to serve, and sunshine 365 days a year!”
Welcome to the Real World of Ministry
What Ministers Can’t Learn in Seminary by R. Robert Cueni, Abingdon, $9.95
Reviewed by Matthew Floding, pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church, Janesville, Wisconsin
I still recall vividly my senior pastor’s sage and prophetic words. “In the ministry, when it’s good, it’s gooood,” Doc said, “but when it’s bad, it’s baaaaad.” Here was insight informed by experience.
As a rookie minister to high school students, I could only nod and smile. I could have understood more of what he meant had I read Robert Cueni’s What Ministers Can’t Learn in Seminary.
The subtitle, A Survival Manual for the Parish Ministry, aptly describes the book. This is nitty-gritty, learned-by-experience stuff that anyone in the first ten years of ministry will appreciate. Cueni, senior minister of First Christian Church in Bloomington, Illinois, confirmed in a conversation the book’s target audience: seminary students and the deluged minister who’s treading water but not sure which direction to swim.
“As I looked around,” he said, “I observed a number of ministers who simply weren’t enjoying satisfying ministries. I was. So what made the difference? I felt some basic principles were being overlooked or were misunderstood.” Empathizing with their students’ transitional difficulties from academy to parish, seminary professors also encouraged Cueni to write.
Out of more than twenty years of ministry, Cueni addresses in each chapter a topic that will resonate with every minister. His style is direct. For example, he quotes Spurgeon: “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Resist the deacons, and they will fly at you.”
He begins where we all began when, like moving from a sauna into the crisp, January air, we learned that parish ministry is different from seminary. Far from disparaging seminary work, however, Cueni writes, “One must possess the tools of the trade before one can learn to use them. Additionally, seminary studies already include practical lessons, but seminarians cannot yet appreciate their significance. Knowledge must be empowered by experience.”
He paints a realistic but affirmative picture of ministry in such ways as pointing out that pastors must learn to find satisfaction in the unfinished. He contrasts the cycle of a seminary semester (with its clear end) with the cyclical nature of ministry (with similar problems recurring on a regular basis, some never solved completely). “The person who waits for satisfaction to come after finishing a job and getting on to something new will be frustrated in the pastorate,” he cautions.
Cueni warns of the complexity of ministry. Human problems rarely have simple resolutions. And all sides need to be acknowledged. He tells of the rabbinical student who went to observe a renowned rabbi’s counseling technique. ” ‘Rabbi, I am dumbfounded. When Mrs. Birnbaum came to you complaining about her husband, you listened. When she finished, you told her, “I agree with you, Mrs. Birnbaum. Your husband is impossible, and you are doing everything expected of a wife.” This afternoon, Mr. Birnbaum came to see you and complained about his wife. You listened and told him, “Mr. Birnbaum, you are right. You are married to an impossible woman. You are doing everything expected of a husband.”
” ‘That is ridiculous,’ the young man complained. ‘Either the husband or the wife has to be doing something wrong. They both can’t be totally right!’ The rabbi thought about the accusation as he stroked his beard. ‘You know, my son,’ the wise old fellow finally said, ‘you are right; you are right.’ “
Cueni moves on to the relationship between pastor and congregation. He writes, “It takes more than ordination to make a minister. Congregations grant authority for ministry when they perceive the pastor not only as a competent, ordained professional and committed Christian, but as a trustworthy human being who respects, loves, and values the membership as fellow children of God.” John Calvin’s insights into the pastor’s role as prophet, priest, and wise ruler provide direction for the discussion on a balanced ministry.
Chapters 5 and 6 describe two related ministerial realities and prescribe what to do for them. Cueni calls the first “land mines,” people and situations that are wired for an explosion. The other he describes as “piranha bites,” not necessarily deadly but exacting a bit of flesh.
Cueni turns next to what Gardner Taylor has called “the sweet torture of Sunday morning”-being prepared for weekly preaching. Cueni reminds us that from the lay perspective, irrespective of what else we might accomplish in our weekly routine, sermons are a minister’s moment of greatest visibility. After outlining congregational expectations of a sermon, Cueni again provides an annotated checklist with questions like: Does this sermon speak of God? He paints a realistic picture of the rigors of regular preaching and challenges pastors to cultivate their gift just as musicians, writers, and athletes must.
Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed in the ministry? Be encouraged by Cueni’s book. Have you recently hired a new staff person? Pass him or her a copy. What Ministers Can’t Learn in Seminary is distilled wisdom that is realistic about the church and highly affirmative of the ministry.
Long-Term Youth Ministry Is Not a Contradiction
The Complete Book of Youth Ministry by Warren S. Benson and Mark H. Senter III, eds. Moody, $19.95 Reviewed by James Watkins, youth speaker and author, Westview Wesleyan Church, Jonesboro, Indiana
At youth conventions you’ve seen Jack: the youth ministry burnout. He’s been a youth pastor for several years. That may explain the look of general physical and intellectual fatigue. He did start reading Foster’s Celebration of Discipline and MacDonald’s Ordering Your Private World, but the anxiety and guilt were just too much. He prefers to survive from one Youth Specialties conference to the next. But lately, he’s been mumbling something about getting out and selling life insurance.
Having spent fifteen years in youth ministry, I’ve had my share of theories about why so many youth ministers seem to burn out so quickly. (A recent study claims the average youth minister resigns from a church in just nine months.) I’ve suspected all-night parties, junior-high terrorists, late-night phone calls, and little understanding from senior pastors or suspicious parents. But these are not the cause according to Warren Benson, who states, “The biggest mistake the average youth leader makes is not continuing to grow spiritually and intellectually.”
The editors admit that one book will not prevent or cure burnout; nor is there such a thing as a “complete” book of youth ministry. But the 518-page book does handle nearly every aspect of youth ministry. Four broad sections cover youth ministry background, staffing, principles, and strategies in thirty-three stand-alone chapters.
The book’s strength, perhaps, is what it doesn’t include. The authors included no ice breakers, canned youth programs, or pat answers. Instead, they offer basic principles for developing a youth ministry-and a youth minister-that will last far longer than nine months.
The book opens with Mark Senter’s three basic assumptions of youth ministry:
1. Youth ministry begins when adults find a comfortable method of entering a student’s world.
2. Youth ministry happens as long as adults are able to use their contacts with students to draw them into a maturing relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
3. Youth ministry ceases to happen when either the adult-student relationship is broken or the outcome of that relationship ceases to move the student toward spiritual maturity.
Benson provides eleven practical ways that Young Life has used to develop identification with youth: (1) go where kids congregate, (2) accept them as they are, (3) learn how to walk in wisdom to those outside the faith, (4) see the dignity of the unique person, (5) find a neutral setting for club meetings, (6) create a climate that is informal, (7) speak naturally in terms familiar to the vocabulary of the kids, (8) communicate your certainties rather than flaunt your doubts, (9) consider it a sin to bore kids, especially with the gospel, (10) build on their instinct for adventure, and (11) capitalize on the elements of good fun and music to establish an openness to the gospel.
Senter’s third assumption is fleshed out in two practical chapters: “The First Six Months of a Youth Ministry” and “Pulling Off the Long-Term Ministry with Youth.”
Contributor Scott Benson, pastor of high school ministries at Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena, California, points out that it often takes two years to merely start up a youth ministry. During this time, three goals are essential: Building relationships with the students, bonding with the pastoral team, and teaming up with parents.
He believes that “truth flows through relationships,” not razzle-dazzle programming. And while youth leaders often develop mutual loyalty between themselves and students, many don’t spend the necessary time to build the loyalty with the senior pastor and parents, whose support is essential for a youth ministry of more than nine months.
William Stewart of First Baptist Church in Modesto, California, is well-qualified to write on long-term ministry, having worked with young people there for twenty years. He asked several other pastors, who had also spent at least twenty years in youth ministry, to share their secrets for longevity.
Keeping priorities straight was a common denominator in long-term ministry, and the priorities were interesting: first, Christ; second, family; third, adequate income; fourth, education; and finally, the youth ministry itself.
Having served in two staff ministries (one spelled S-T-A-F-F and the other, S-T-A-P-H), I was particularly interested in “The Youth Minister and the Senior Pastor” by William Stewart and William Yaeger. The authors’ ten principles are sound, but they failed to explain adequately how to apply them. For instance, principle six states: “Earn your pastor’s trust. Faithfulness and continued support will produce the desired effect.” That’s all they wrote on one of the toughest assignments facing the youth pastor.
Overall, though, it is obvious that the two editors and 35 authors have served in the trenches of local churches. I could smell the smoke in their practical advice. Benson, currently professor of Christian education at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, has served as minister of youth for twelve years. Senter, an associate professor at Trinity, spent eighteen years as minister of youth.
And I agree with Benson’s self-review that “there was a need for a book on youth ministry from a distinctly local-church point of view. A lot of good material has been published recently, but it is almost entirely aimed at the parachurch organization or written by those from parachurch-not local church-background.”
This is one of those books I wish I would have had before beginning my youth ministry. For less than the cost of a new fire extinguisher for the youth bus, I would have learned many ways to avoid burnout in the long haul of teen ministry.
New and Noteworthy
How to Have a Healing Ministry without Making Your Church Sick! by C. Peter Wagner, Regal, $8.95
Can a traditional church use the power of healing ministry? Yes, and without changing the character of the church, argues C. Peter Wagner, professor of Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary.
Wagner eagerly makes the case for a renewed emphasis on healing. He describes three modern waves of the Holy Spirit: turn-of-the-century Pentecostalism, the 1960s charismatic movement, and more recently those churches and fellowships that practice the supernatural spiritual gifts, John Wimber’s Vineyard Fellowship being a well-known example. This popular wave, argues Wagner, is found where Christianity is growing most rapidly.
After describing his own “conversion” to “power Christianity,” Wagner details its distinctives and discusses practical issues a congregation must address if it would take up a healing ministry.
Planning for Ministerial Retirement by Robert G. Kemper, Pilgrim, $6.95
Robert Kemper, pastor of a United Church of Christ congregation in Illinois, claims his book is aimed at mainline clergy. Fortunately, he has missed his mark-ministers across the spectrum will find this book a helpful introduction to retirement.
That’s because Kemper thoughtfully reflects on themes that transcend denominational ties: the difficult transition, retirement lifestyle, ministerial ethics in retirement, the retired minister’s spouse, social security, insurance coverage, and housing needs. He also includes beginning thoughts on a theology of retirement. This book is for any who believe that trusting the Lord for retirement means, among other things, using our God-given wisdom to plan for it.
Multiple Staff Ministries by Kenneth R. Mitchell, Westminster, $12.95
Where there is staff, there is trouble. Where there is staff trouble, there is Kenneth Mitchell.
Mitchell, an experienced family therapist and pastoral counselor, has counseled many a staff through conflict. He suggests staff tensions can be understood if the particular staff system is analyzed. He discusses the roles, rules, and rituals that keep a group together. He also provides examples of successful staff ministries and suggestions to increase staff effectiveness.
He makes abundant use of case studies and gives attention to women ministers and clergy couples.
Pastoral Spirituality: A Focus for Ministry by Ben Campbell Johnson, Westminster, $12.95
What is a pastor? That question confronts the fired-up seminarian as well as the burnt-out veteran. Johnson, professor of evangelism at Columbia Theological Seminary, offers a theological model for ministry that centers on the minister’s call.
Challenging false professionalism, Johnson argues that “nothing short of a conviction that one’s life has been claimed by God can serve as the foundation for the servanthood for which clergy men and women have been called.” In addition, he carefully discusses both the being and the doing of ministry. Exercises that help readers explore their spirituality make the book practical as well as thought provoking.
Media Handbook for Churches by Charles Somervill and Kerry L. Thompson, Westminster, $12.95
Video productions may intrigue the media-minded in the local church, but they also intimidate. After all, what church has the funds and expertise to produce respectable videos? Most any church, say Charles Somervill and Kerry Thompson, executives of a religious television channel in New Orleans.
Although they helpfully discuss cassette and newsletter media as well, they devote over half the book to video productions. By using the story of a fictitious church, they take the reader through a video production step-by-step, from finding equipment or a studio to editing the final copy. Along the way they manage to demystify the technical end and show how practical hurdles (i.e. lack of funds!) can be overcome.
Conflict and Caring: Preventing, Managing, and Resolving Conflict in the Church by Keith Huttenlocker, Zondervan, $7.95
Conflict and caring seldom join hands in the same sentence, or in the same church. Keith Huttenlocker, pastor of 28 years, having taken advanced studies in conflict resolution, thinks that’s a shame. Instead, he shows how two seemingly contrary ideas can and ought to work alongside each other.
In a book of psychological insights, Huttenlocker rarely leans on “psychologese” to make his points. In a book permeated with the biblical spirit, he never reverts to shaking his finger at conflict. Instead he realistically analyzes the what and wherefores of church conflict, and offers practical, Christian advice on how to deal with it.
Secrets of Effective Leadership: A Practical Guide to Success by Fred A. Manske, Jr., Leadership Education and Development, Inc., $17.97
I couldn’t find the term “servant leadership” in this book, but that’s what it’s about. Furthermore, although he focuses on the business realm, Fred Manske’s leadership advice easily translates into the ecclesiastical world.
Manske, a senior vice-president at Federal Express, praises leadership of example, honesty, and integrity. He argues that a good leader shows compassion for those he leads, while holding them accountable for results.
Don’t expect a theology of leadership, or examples from Scripture. Do expect solid, practical advice, as well as a storehouse of quotable quotes on leadership.
-Reviewed by Mark Galli, pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church, Sacramento, California
Copyright © 1989 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
