RE: Editorial: How are we going to save our churches?
Thank you for saying “out loud” what I too rarely have heard in Christian community as we monitor, report and assess ministry “success.”
You wrote: “Despite misuse of the idea, actual faithfulness to God still ought to be of more concern to us than more people, more baptisms and more money.”
When we as ministry leaders, board directors, pastors, elders, donors and congregants rely on numbers and growth metrics for primary affirmation of our ministry, we surely have forgotten the Old Testament prophets and the common response to Christ himself in New Testament times.
We look back and affirm Jesus’ ministry of doing what his heavenly Father directed, but do we accept his standard as our own prescription for ministry, or do we look to the latest business model?
There is so much pressure on pastors and ministry leaders to accomplish what is measurable and chartable. Perhaps we as leaders are at fault, having erred in our teaching and instruction, if faithfulness is not the most important, regular assessment of ministry effectiveness by supporters or congregations. Perhaps this is a correction we get to make.
Donna Lee Lamothe
Waco, Texas
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