Success vs. Significance in Ministry and in Life
How do you define success in ministry and in life? How do you know if you are truly impacting and influencing people to become more like Jesus?
How do you define success in ministry and in life? How do you know if you are truly impacting and influencing people to become more like Jesus?
On his website, Christian literary agent Chip MacGregor has a thought-provoking blog on this topic. Chip explains that from a market standpoint, most people define a Christian author’s success in two simple words: book sales. If you sell a ton of books, you’re successful. But he goes on to expand that definition and explain how the real measure of success is SIGNIFICANCE.
It’s true (and kind of sad) that, even in Christian publishing and ministry, the bottom line (money) still tends to be the bottom line. Publishers are in it to make money, and the more books you can sell as an author/speaker/pastor, the more money they make. And the more they love you.
But I think that the downturn in the economy has changed Americans’ values a lot. I know it’s affected me. Yes, my goal as a writer, editor and speaker is to be as successful as possible. But significance is even more important. If I can genuinely love and help people, if I can influence and inspire them to live a better and more Christ-centered life, then I have succeeded. God has given my husband and me a dynamic and unique platform for ministry. We feel that it’s our call to share the message that the Lord has laid on our hearts in order to inspire, encourage, and uplift others in their spiritual walk and their marriage journey.
In my travels as an author and speaker, I’ve met many other authors who may never reach #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, yet they are warm, inspiring, godly and fun-loving people with fascinating stories to share. They have loved me and provided me with great encouragement as a young author. They have given me practical advice and helped me expand my ministry and build my platform. I’m forever grateful to them. And to me, they are all successes, whether they ever sell another book or not. Best of all, they are SIGNIFICANT in their ministry to people.
In the spiritual life, not all success is measurable in dollars and cents. It’s not measurable in inches, pounds, or according to any other numerical system. For example, Jesus said that success in the spiritual life happens when we obey this command: “Follow Me.” This SEEMS to be one of the simplest commands in the Bible, but HOW PROFOUND. To follow Him every day is not easy, is it? “Follow Me” means “imitate Me, love Me, sacrifice your needs and wants for Me, show Me to others, obey all of My commands.”
To me, success means following Jesus, no matter what. A life of love and sacrifice is a life of true signifance.
