Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome [Paperback]

R. Kent Hughes (Author), Barbara Hughes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 7, 2008

Every year thousands of God's servants leave the ministryconvinced they are failures. Years ago, in the midst of a crisis offaith, Kent Hughes almost became one of them. But instead he andhis wife Barbara turned to God's Word, determined to learn what Godhad to say about success and to evaluate their ministry from abiblical point of view.

This book describes their journey and their liberation from the"success syndrome"-the misguided belief that success in ministrymeans increased numbers. In today's world it is easy to be seducedby the secular thinking that places a number on everything. But theauthors teach that true success in ministry lies not in numbers butin several key areas: faithfulness, serving, loving, believing,prayer, holiness, and a Christlike attitude. Their thoughts willencourage readers who grapple with feelings of failure and leadthem to a deeper, fuller understanding of success in Christianministry.

This book was originally published by Tyndale in 1987 andincludes a new preface.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the very best books I have read on the spirituality of pastoral ministry."
—Philip Graham Ryken, President, Wheaton College

"I recommend that every pastor first read the Hughes's book privately and then go over it with his lay leaders. Doing this will not be less than a milestone and might well be a watershed."
—J. I. Packer, Board of Governors' Professor of Theology, Regent College; author, Knowing God

"Born out of experience, based on the Word of God, and applied to real life, this book is just what weary and discouraged pastors and their wives need. And it wouldn't hurt if critical church officers read it too! I highly recommend it."
—Warren W. Wiersbe, Retired General Director, Back to the Bible

"With wisdom gained from their own struggles and long years of experience, Kent and Barbara Hughes spell out the principles that can set God's servants free from the yoke of unscriptural ideas."
—Vernon C. Grounds, Chancellor, Denver Seminary

"Bless you, Kent and Barbara, for saying with clarity and boldness what thousands of pastors and pastors' wives need to hear. Your call back to the basics in ministry will free many from the false demands of 'success' and restore the proper measurements of achievement."
—Ray C. Stedman, Former Pastor, Peninsula Bible Church, Palo Alto, CA

About the Author

R. KENT HUGHES was in pastoral ministry for 41 years, the last 27 as senior pastor of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. He serves as the series editor for Crossway's popular Preaching the Word commentaries and has made numerous contributions to the series. He and his wife, Barbara, have four children and 21 grandchildren. Barbara is a popular teacher of women's groups and together with Kent has also authored Disciplines of a Godly Family and Common-Sense Parenting.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books (January 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581349742
• ISBN-13: 978-1581349740
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reminding pastors what is succcess is, February 28, 2008

By 

Erik Raymond "IrishCalvinist.com" (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome (Paperback)

Many pastors and church leaders find themselves evaluating their ministries by corporate standards. As a result, if the church or ministry does not meet particular benchmarks they feel the ministry is unsuccessful.

Kent Hughes has been a pastor for over four decades and he writes Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome for the pastor who is feeling this pressure. The book was originally published by Tyndale House in 1987 and has now been updated and republished last month by Crossway.

Hughes recounts a scene from early on his ministry where he was working on a church plant. From all accounts this was going to be a successful ministry. Hughes was blessed with a clear demonstration of pastoral gifts, a solid core group, a promising social demographic, and financial backing. However, after a short period, Hughes was on the edge of despondency and ready to leave the ministry. He goes on to articulate the depths of despair that colored these early days of ministry:

"My long-established world of bright prospects and success melted around me. I was in the darkest, deepest depression of my life. My memory of this time is of a gray, horizonless sea. A faint light falls from a threatening sky and I am treading water alone, sinking. Soon, I will be below the surface. Melodramatic, to be sure! But that is how I felt. I wanted out."

For someone like myself who is in the process of church planting, this book is encouraging and sobering, while being very practical.

Hughes goes on to describe the way in which the Lord brought him low only to bring him back up through prayer and dependence upon the God of the Scriptures. It was through this process of praying and reading that Hughes began to learn what ministry was all about. Thankfully he is now sharing his story of God's grace in his own life.

The majority of the book is made up of defining what biblical success is. The successive chapters are, Success is...faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness, attitude.

Hughes is deeply transparent throughout the book. His wife Barbara occasionally and helpfully pops in to add her perspective during the times of trial and growth. Her presence in the book would be helpful for pastors' wives for sure.

This would be a great book to pick up for a pastor who is feeling `beat up' in ministry. It would also be a great gift for a seminary student or young man who is pursuing ministry. Either way it is a helpful and biblical reminder of what matters and what does not. And Hughes has done it for over forty years.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proper Perspective for Evaluating Ministry, March 12, 2002

By 

Dr. Sandy Shoemaker (Orangevale, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome (Paperback)

It is so easy to miss what God would consider fruitful and faithful ministry by falling prey to the worldly ways success is measured. Every pastor and Christian worker should read this book.

Dr. Sandy Shoemaker

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Refresh Your Ministry Pastors..., July 30, 2009

By 

S.B. "Snuggle" (Alachua, Fl) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome (Paperback)

I have enjoyed many of Hugh's books, but this one is surly the best I have read by him. It comes at just the right time too. Having experienced the pressures of being in an Evangelical Church to increase size, grow, grow, grow, it is refreshing and reassuring to have a much more biblical approach to "measuring your ministry." A+++. A MUST READ for any pastor who struggles with these pressures.