I'm at a place in my life where I don't care about outcomes. I'm focused on inputs. I don't care about extrinsics. I'm focused on intrinsics. If we simply do the right things, God is going to bless it. Period.
Throughout my ministry, I've found that when I focus on numbers I get easily discouraged or distracted. Numbers can easily become more important than people. And it generally leads toward pride or jealousy. And what we need to do is refocus on doing the rights things: meditate on God's word, pray through, obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit, genuinely love people. And when you do the right things, everything takes care of itself.
To put it another way, I'm not concerned about church growth. I'm concerned about personal growth. And if you're experiencing personal growth, church growth will take care of itself.
I feel like God gave me a promise today while I was praying. I'm careful sharing things like these. I didn't hear an audible voice. I never have! But God speaks Spirit to spirit. And I felt like the Lord impressed this simple thought on me: if you pray twice as much you'll accomplish twice as much. I think sometimes ministry becomes a hamster's wheel. We do more and accomplish less. On one level we think, if I pray more I'll have less time to do what needs to be done. But if you pray, maybe it'll take half as long.
Here's what I'm getting at. I feel like the Lord was saying: write less and pray more. Same with preaching prep. I'm not saying you shouldn't study, but what do you think will have more impact? Twenty hours of study? Or fifteen hours of study plus five hours of prayer?
Throughout my ministry, I've found that when I focus on numbers I get easily discouraged or distracted. Numbers can easily become more important than people. And it generally leads toward pride or jealousy. And what we need to do is refocus on doing the rights things: meditate on God's word, pray through, obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit, genuinely love people. And when you do the right things, everything takes care of itself.
To put it another way, I'm not concerned about church growth. I'm concerned about personal growth. And if you're experiencing personal growth, church growth will take care of itself.
I feel like God gave me a promise today while I was praying. I'm careful sharing things like these. I didn't hear an audible voice. I never have! But God speaks Spirit to spirit. And I felt like the Lord impressed this simple thought on me: if you pray twice as much you'll accomplish twice as much. I think sometimes ministry becomes a hamster's wheel. We do more and accomplish less. On one level we think, if I pray more I'll have less time to do what needs to be done. But if you pray, maybe it'll take half as long.
Here's what I'm getting at. I feel like the Lord was saying: write less and pray more. Same with preaching prep. I'm not saying you shouldn't study, but what do you think will have more impact? Twenty hours of study? Or fifteen hours of study plus five hours of prayer?
16 Comments:
Amen! Your second paragraph says it all!!
how did you know what has been on my heart lately? Thanks!
I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me to read this right now. Statistical success is so tempting, and I need to be reminded to be faithful!
I concur. I think what you are saying is you don't take much stock in outputs. I care about outcomes. God produces the outcomes, but how do i know if I'm a good steward if I don't take responsibility to measure whether my time, resources and gifts are producing outcomes?
Wow, My spirit heard the same thing this week....
The same Lord who's been "messin'" with your mind has been messin' with mine. The Lord spoke to my spirit as I was obsessing just last nite over Web stats and said, "Now if only one person was touched by one of your devos today, would that be enough?" And, of course, my answer has to "sheepishly" be, "Yes, Lord!"
Wow, insightful post, Mark!
Interesting timing - I also liked Tony Morgan's post this week on the importance of outcomes (vs execution) - http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/02/13/outcomes-or-execution/
The other thought that comes to mind - in examining the fig tree Jesus wasn't interested in the soil or water, but on whether the treat bore fruit. Elsewhere we're taught the fruit is the natural and proper result when the inputs are right. Thoughts??
I'm with yea bro, I have to remind myself of this as well, especially being in the planting phase.
been reminding myself of this today. check out my take on this at http://leadershiptests.co.uk/2009/02/25/seek-godwork-wholeheartedly-day-25/
Great reminder Mark. Sometimes service for God can easily get in the way of intimacy with God. Not an original thought, i know, but how very true.
2 StepUpToTheCall
Mark, Tony, and Jesus re fig tree are talking about different situations.
Mark, I guess, is talking more about the subject of church growth, and the outcomes in the sense of the number of people who: 1) attend services; 2) attend small groups; 3) tithe; 4) whatever. I know some people who are focusing on these things as goals. At the same time I can testify that these numbers are utterly meaningless as a real measure of results or "fruit." A person can attend just because of good music or because he/she likes to hang out with people, and isn't really a "practicing" Christian. Attending a small group or whatever also says nothing about the condition of the hearts of those people who constitute these numbers.
Now, let's connect it to the situation with the fig tree. The "fruit" of the fig tree is its own. It would be strange if the fig tree were made accountable for the number of figs on a fig tree growing nearby. So the fig tree and its fruit is a picture of us as individuals either doing something for the Kingdom (despite how we may feel, who offended us, whether we have the right degree etc.) or not doing it. Us, individuals in themselves, with their own fruit.
A lot of people are concentrating on achieving results in terms of attendance or similar things and think that this would be their fruit. In the process, they may (a) compromise; (b) violate the other people's free will. Focusing on numbers of PEOPLE almost invariably leads to the temptation to manipulate people instead of serving them.
I guess what Mark's context can be connected with in the Bible is the fact that God often forbade censuses in Israel, as much as allowing a plague once when David conducted a census without God's consent, so to say.
Numbers of people = pride of the leader who has these people "under" him and often disregards the content of whether he is serving these people.
The situation that Tony is talking about is rather comparable to how David, before fighting Goliath, refused to wear Saul's armor, because he wasn't used to them and couldn't walk in them. If he had humbled himself before the king in this situation, and if Saul had been stupid enough to insist that David did the fighting his way, Goliath might have remained alive.
This is exactly what Tony is talking about in the last two paragraphs of his blog entry.
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When trying to compare something, it helps to clarify the terms. We may name a lot of things "outcomes" or "fruit", but it's the content of the situation that defines whether situations are comparable.
Mark
My wife and I are launching out and planting a church in a city that God spoke to us about a little over a year ago. Our conversation's have focused on reaching people who need Jesus Christ and not looking at the numbers. Your comments are encouraging. We started by setting a goal this year of consistent prayer time and seeking His plan and design for our ministry.
thanks, you have a wonderful gift of insight.
Good thoughts one and all.
For what it's worth, I definitely believe there is a connection between faithfulness and fruitfulness. We need to curse barren fig trees. And we need to make the most of the talents God has given us.
The heartbeat of this post is to focus on the things you can control. We plant and water, but God gives the increase. Don't worry about the increase. Worry about planting and watering.
Mark
Something my dad said in a sermon once really touched my heart and I recall it every day.
He said "God doesn't call us to results, He calls us to obedience." My job is to take care of being obedient. God will take care of the results. I will confess that it is very liberating to let go of the results and it allows me to focus more clearly on the task. See, a pastor father can have a big impact on his children.
Thanks Pastor Mark for your blog. It couldn't have come at a perfect time! :)
Great post. Love reading your thoughts Mark.
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