In his book Seven Practices of Effective Ministry, Andy Stanley talks about the importance of determining your scorecard as a leader. What is the “win” that defines success for you? Truth is, we often use the wrong scorecard to evaluate the effectiveness of our ministry. We might be using an old scorecard, the scorecard of another ministry, or perhaps even a scorecard that someone has instructed us to use.
I pretty much remain in a perpetual state of self-evaluating my effectiveness as a leader! Many times those self-evaluations have led to self-degradation over what I think I’ve not accomplished based on a traditional scorecard. Recently, however, God has revealed to me a new scorecard—one that is teaching me to celebrate contributions. This scorecard says: when my life, poured into someone else’s life, in some way contributes to their faith journey—it’s a win! It might occur through networking, speaking, mentoring, one-on-one conversations, or writing—things that may not draw large crowds (one scorecard) or create new organizations (another scorecard)—but based on a new scorecard, is definitely a win and something to celebrate no matter how “insignificant.”
Today, I am celebrating that God has allowed me to contribute to the faith journey of women throughout my tenure as a leader in various roles. Rather than considering them inconsequential, I’m convinced He wants me to embrace the opportunities and celebrate the contributions. I’m convinced He wants the same for you.
“For who is our hope, or joy, or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?” (1 Thess. 2:19, HCSB).
How do you define success?
