Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome

by R. Kent Hughes, Barbara Hughes

Every year thousands of God's servants leave the ministry convinced they are failures. Years ago, in the midst of a crisis of faith, Kent Hughes almost became one of them. But instead he and his wife Barbara turned to God's Word, determined to learn what God had to say about success and to evaluate their ministry from a biblical point of view. This book describes their journey and their liberation from the "success syndrome"-the misguided belief that success in ministry means increased numbers. In today's world it is easy to be seduced by the secular thinking that places a number on everything. But the authors teach that true success in ministry lies not in numbers but in several key faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness, and a Christlike attitude. Their thoughts will encourage readers who grapple with feelings of failure and lead them to a deeper, fuller understanding of success in Christian ministry. This book was originally published by Tyndale in 1987 and includes a new preface.

Genres: Leadership, Christian, Christian Living, Ecclesiology, Theology, Church, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

R. Kent Hughes (DMin, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is senior pastor emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, and a visiting professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hughes is also a founder of the Charles Simeon Trust, which conducts expository preaching conferences throughout North America and worldwide. He and his wife, Barbara, have four children and an ever-increasing number of grandchildren.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in 1987, this book is as relevant as ever and is rightly regarded a classic. So much gold. I think my favorite chapter was the final one: “How the Congregation Can Help.”

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a phenomenal book! The Hughes have taken things that I felt uncomfortable with and have put words to it. Such a blessing of a book. I will return to this again and again, as I try to lead in the church. Thank you for such a great book

[John Uit de Flesch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a tremendous help. It redefined success and seeks to use Biblical parameters for the word. As many in ministry, I can easily be frustrated by lack of "success" using earthly metrics (attendance, conversion numbers, budget increase, etc.). This book seeks to reframe the mind to think Biblically. Overall it does a tremendous job. Its the type of book that should be marinated in and meditated upon. I'll be reading it again.

My only complaint is that the concept of faithfulness in sharing the gospel wasn't emphasized. While we cannot control people's response to the gospel, we can control our efforts to put it out.

[Mike Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every pastor I know wrestles with discouragement that is directly caused by a false paradigm of success in ministry. This book is a great little read to try and dismantle unbiblical paradigms of success in ministry. Very biographical, warm, and empathetic.

[Samuel Bierig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good stuff, especially if you have not had an opportunity to think deeply on "the ministries" unique and ubiquitous ability to run the minister ragged.

[Cale Fauver · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Chef’s kiss*

[Will Dole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, wise, helpful, sane. The biblical measures of success point us back to faithfulness, rather than looking at business metrics (budgets, butts, buildings, etc.).

[James Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Can't say enough about Kent Hughes and his wife. They have a unique ability to challenge and encourage you as a church member, Pastor, or pastors wife. Highly recommend for all Christians.

[Steven McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was greatly encouraging to me as a pastor, so I decided to share it with my wife, and we've found it a real treasure. Now I'm sharing key insights from it with the other elders in our church. In the first half of the book, the Hughes lay out a Biblical definition of "success" in the ministry, telling how they were compelled to search the Scriptures for this definition in a season of intense discouragement. Though not all pastors enter ministry with an obvious "church-growth" mindset (as in, numbers=success), yet, in subtle ways, we can fail to keep in front of us a clearly defined, Biblical notion of success as faithfulness (obedience and hard work), serving, loving, believing what we believe about God, prayer, holiness, and attitude. When I opened up the chapter on "attitude" I thought, "surely they can't get the requirement of a positive attitude out of the Bible," even though every chapter before had been clearly based on faithful exposition of Scripture. Of course, I was wrong, and I'm glad I was too! The second half of the book provides counsel for how to maintain and work out the Biblical definition of success. I found the second half weak in comparison to the first, but the book is worth obtaining and digesting, even if just for the first 111 pages. Highly recommended.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encouraging and very good perspective. This was much needed for me, but I suspect for our churches and ministries today need this as well. Having looked to the corporate, market-driven business model as the basis for success in the church, ministry leaders and pastors are expected to be CEO's that grow churches in the same way, and whose success is defined accordingly. While this makes for a corporation, this mindset is woefully unbiblical and inadequate for churches today. We need churches that are faithful, serving, loving, and holy. Kent & Barbara's story is powerful and they do a fine job using their story to illustrate the damaging effects of the "success syndrome." On the flip side, they aren't against numbers, just using them as a metric for success in our endeavor to fulfill the great commission. So grateful for having read this, and will probably need to read it again in due course.

[Ruth Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me critically review my emotional responses and negative thought processes around "success". Everyone in ministry should read this. It puts success squarely back in Gods hands where it belongs and was a salient reminder to me to remember Gods sovereignty instead if spinning my wheels ever faster as I rely on my own abilities

[John Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, but so necessary. A chapter a week felt like a fetter to sanity. Highly recommend for any pastor

[Landon Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read other books by Kent Hughes, I came across nothing particularly surprising in this book. The predictability was exactly what I was hoping for. This is a great book for “regular pastors.” Originally written in 1987 (when I was a whopping 5 years old), this book deserves to be read by seminary students, new pastors, veteran pastors, and lay church leaders. All in all, it’s a wonderful treatment about how to think about “success” in pastoral ministry.

[Hope Helms · Rating 4 out of 5]

While some of the beginning chapters felt a bit shallow or the writing style felt too simple (I can’t tell which), the last half of this book had really helpful, golden, practical nuggets worth reading it for.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent Biblical summary of how God views our effectiveness and “success” in ministry. This is a critical book for every member of the body of Christ who leads a ministry. Oftentimes we put our own spin on what success looks like, and this will always be unhealthy. Redirect your expectations to what God has determined success to be.

[Tommy Wreay · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing reminder of where to look for success in ministry! Well worth reading and rereading again and again!

[Philip Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noice!

[Catlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be a yearly read for anyone in ministry or want to help their pastor. It gives great insight of a pastors life and the best ways to help and encourage them!

[Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in 1987 but felt like it was written in 2022. An absolute must read for all pastors.

[Kevin Halloran · Rating 5 out of 5]

See an abbreviated quote summary of Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome.

This book is a must read for ministry leaders—it is immensely practical in diagnosing false views of success in ministry and giving Scripture's encouraging response.

Hughes' seven biblical definitions of success: (below)

1. Faithfulness
2. Serving
3. Loving
4. Believing
5. Prayer
6. Holiness
7. Attitude

This will be one of those books I will go back to time and again during ministry struggles for Scriptural refreshment and correction. If you're read Hughes before, you know he is the master illustrator and a powerful communicator. While this book has a couple of weak(er) points (his chapter on holiness could be called 'purity' instead due to the focus on sexual purity), the message is one that every minister needs to know and believe.

[Nathan Schrock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The focal point of this book is obvious, probably without even reading it: "Success" in ministry isn't having a big church, being the leader of a certain number of people, being a household name in Christian circles, etc.
But...everyone knows that, right? No one's arguing with that, at least not on paper. So...what is success?
Thankfully, Hughes elaborates extensively upon that initial proposition. Rather than just showing that success isn't what we think it is, he proceeds to outline seven things that actually ARE success. While these seven things (Faithfulness, Serving, Loving, Believing, Prayer, Holiness, and Attitude) are just Hughes' list and perhaps other things could be added to them, the point is well made: obedience to God in these seven areas does not constitute a recipe for success; it IS success. Obeying God in these areas will not lead you to success, it IS success.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I was required to read during my undergraduate studies. In a world that will badger pastors with invitations to the latest seminar on how to grow a big and successful church, constantly reminding them of how inferior their faithful ministry is in the eyes of the world (and far too many Christians), this book is welcomed encouragement from a biblical perspective. Much thanks!

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most essential books to read for all who are in ministry. Redefines ministerial success biblically. One of the few must read books for all pastors, especially those starting out.

[Shaun Marksbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife got this book for me after our pastor abandoned small church ministry. It was a difficult time, but this book reaffirmed an important lesson we learned through the process: ministry is measured by faithfulness, not success. Written by a pastor and his wife after they struggled through the same issues, the book actually redefines what kind a pastor should consider "success."

For instance, on p. 108, Hughes writes,
...God is not so interested in our being the star of the show as much as he is that we do our best with the part he has given us. In terms of ministry, it's not whether we minister to twenty-five or twenty-five hundred that determines success. Rather, it is what we are doing with the role he has given us.

This book isn't simply useful for pastors, but also for their wives, as previously intimated. Barbara Hughes interjects at several points to recount her own worries and comforts during ministry. Chapter sixteen is devoted to the pastor's wife, and the candid glimpse into the conflict in their home helps encourage pastoral families.

It's also a resource that members of small churches should consider reading. It will certainly help them understand the thinking (and what should be the proper thinking) for their pastor. Moreover, chapter seventeen specifically instructs the congregation in how it can help the pastor in his role.

Recommended.

[Ethan McCarter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying that I really did enjoy reading this book. I was reading it in the mornings while the kids played before getting to ministerial work for the day. It's worth the time to read. I thought most of the chapters were strong, there's helpful advice, and a good usage of Scripture for the most part. The last section on how the congregation and how the pastor's wife can help the pastor is a great section that is helpful for others to gain something from the book. I did have some issues. Most of those centre around Hughes's descriptions on certain doctrines and some faulty exegesis (The John 21 exegetical fallacy if you're familiar with the "love word" issue). Some of Hughes's terms and language are meant to show a warm, kindred spirit sympathizing with the pastor. However, he can come across as unclear with his meaning and motive. A good writer, and a good theologian, needs clarity even more than warmth; though it's best to have both. So there's issues with his word choice, a bit of exegetical issues, which leads to some unresolved thoughts. I would highly recommend the book though especially for other ministers or those training for the ministry. I'll probably use it with my elders soon!

[Michael Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome" is a great read for anyone in Christian ministry and particularly ministers and their wives. Around 200 pages, the authors make many great points that counter popular thinking about success in ministry, including:

1. Being faithful to God in ministry is more important than ministry success.
2. How to serve God and the church through: preaching, administration, and counseling.
3. 3 ways that loving God is essential to success.
4. Without faith, there is no success.
5. Importance of prayer in ministry.
6. Questions to ask yourself about success.
7. Using Jeremiah 29:11 for understanding God's plan for your life.
8. God often uses ordinary people for ministry.
9. 3 things we must do to realize that God works in and through our ordinariness.

Great read: easy to read and understand, full of great practical and spiritual insights, each chapter is around 10 pages and covers one main theme, excellent footnotes for further study, and challenges worldly thinking about "success".

Will be read again and highly recommended.

I was given a review copy by Crossway in exchange for a fair review and appreciate the opportunity.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, and an important one particularly for our time and culture. Despite being written nearly forty years ago, the wisdom of the Hughes continues to ring true as the christian animus has continued to readily integrate cultural values. The Hughes ability to apocalyptically pull back the curtain on the contemporary church and see the tendencies towards CEO models creeping into the pastoral office; corporation metric mindsets infiltrating the church; and the burn out of contemporary career driven world weaving heavy on those called to call to worship is nothing short of prophetic.

A very encouraging book, reminding us to remain grounded on our call to faithfulness rather than success. Though despite this recurring motif, they somehow manage to balance the need for good, sustained, faithful work in a way which encourages a drive within the church, but to the right end.

I do feel like the title hinders the book somewhat; I feel like this would be a helpful book for congregations to read to help them understand the pressures and struggles of pastoral ministry, but the title leads me to think that only those in ministry will be prompted to pick up this book.

[Neil Kruger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very encouraging book from Kent and Barbara Hughes. It details their own wrestling with what success in ministry looks like and how they found answers through scripture and prayer.

Success in ministry is not primarily measured by numbers, but rather by faithfulness, loving, serving, believing, prayer and holiness.

Part II of this book is worth the price alone. A closing chapter looks at the congregation's role in understanding the work of a pastor. Congregation members who understand the demands of the pastoral call can be a huge encouragement to pastors.

A worthwhile corrective to those fixated on church growth strategies. This book will serve pastors well, but also their elders and laypeople in measuring their pastor's success appropriately.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book feels like sitting with a mentor, being cautioned without sugar-coating but coming away feeling pastorally cared for and hopeful.

Personal experience as well as examples of those in ministry throughout history and scriptural evidences are peppered throughout, none in excess, but in such a way as to make the book timelessly relevant and not just for those ministering in this present moment.

I wish the title was more inviting to church members and not just those in ministry as it is certainly helpful for anyone who hopes to be a supportive member of a congregation as much as it is useful for their minister.

I will definitely be returning to this book, perhaps as an annual habit, and anticipate being sharped as iron on iron in different areas again and again.

[Allan Nemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in the Kindle format. As a subject I would have given it 5 stars except for 1 thing. The Kindle version was poorly edited. Examples included misspelled words, periods where it does not belong, putting commas in place of periods and vice-versa, capitalized words where it shouldn't be, strange sentence construction because of misspelled words or missing words. Even a few sentences that made no sense due to the previously listed problems. I have lost track of what I saw. I have no idea on the editing quality of the print editions. If you can get past these problems in the electronic version than it is a definite must-read book. Particularly for people in ministry..