Who You Become is More Important Than What You Accomplish

Without character growth, pastoral productivity may lead to burnout or moral failure.

I’m celebrating another birthday this week. My wife has taught me to celebrate my birthday better as we spend a little money, eat at a restaurant, and take the day off. I’m much more able to relax and enjoy the day because of marriage and family, but I also remain reflective each year on my birthday. What did I accomplish? How did I spend my time? Do I need to make any changes? 

This past year was particularly fruitful for me: 

• I got ordained in my denomination.

• My wife and I became homeowners. 

• I returned to excellent physical shape after falling off the proverbial bandwagon. 

• My first published book, A Call to Contentment: Pursuing Godly Satisfaction in a Restless World, was released by Christian Focus Publications. 

I reflect on my accomplishments on my birthday, but I should also reflect on my character. I can’t remember the original source, and there are so many variations to the quote that I don’t think there is an original source anymore. But I often ponder these words: Who you become is more important than what you accomplish. 

Dr. Aaron Chung puts it this way: 

Years ago, Os Guinness wrote a book on calling which I found very helpful. He said that there are two kinds of calling. Both are important, but we have to get them in the right order. The first is our primary calling—which is to simply be a beloved child of God. It is to simply have a healthy relationship with God and to reflect Jesus and walk with Jesus. Our secondary calling is not who we are in Jesus, but what we do for Jesus. Both callings are important, but again, we have to get them in the right order.

. . . the word “calling” is used 51 times in the New Testament. And what’s surprising is that approximately 49 out of those 51 times that the word “calling” is used, it has to do with our primary calling to simply be with Jesus. Only two times is it talking about what we do for Jesus. What that means then, is that God cares far more about who we are becoming than what we are doing.

As I reflect on my accomplishments, I should also ask questions of my character: 

• Do I have a regular quiet time or does my pastoral schedule crowd it out? 

• Am I often agitated and irritated? If so, why? 

• Do I find joy in sermon prep or does it feel like a burden? 

• Am I serving without compulsion? (1 Peter 5:2) 

• Do I practice the Sabbath or am I working on my day off? 

• When inconvenienced, do I grumble?

Without character growth, pastoral productivity may lead to burnout or moral failure. 

I’m all for goals, dreaming big, and godly ambition. Ministry success is a good thing. We should desire church growth, but not at the expense of character. Don’t let your gifting outpace your character. Don’t let your accomplishments outpace your godliness. There is something about success and accomplishments that can pose a threat to your spiritual life. The higher you go in ministry, the more it will hurt — and the more people you will hurt — if you fall. Me telling you of the many pastors who disqualified themselves after becoming well-known would not be news to you. 

 Maybe pastoral ministry hasn’t gone the way you thought it would. Perhaps you thought you’d be further in your ministry journey than you are. Likely you are discouraged by the lack of perceived fruit in your ministry. It’s disillusioning when ministry doesn’t go your way. You had ministry dreams of seeing the lost converted, preaching to thousands, and leading a vibrant church. But here you are, unable to make little decisions because of committees and power plays. We live in a Job and Ecclesiastes world, which means life doesn’t always make sense. Sometimes godly ministers get hit the hardest. 

As a productivity-minded pastor, you likely have plans, goals, and to-do lists. Well and good. But how should you respond in a painful pastorate? Start with the way you think. As opposed to viewing your ministry as the fulfillment of your personal ministry dreams, also view your ministry as God’s means of sanctification in your life. As opposed to evaluating your success by what you accomplish, evaluate your success in part by who you are becoming. No matter how hard your pastorate is, ministry is an undeserved mercy from the Lord (2 Cor. 4:1).

Pastoral ministry will either make you more like Christ or make you bitter and wounded. And there are many, many wounded pastors in the world. Even if ministry hasn’t gone how you had hoped, find joy in your greater levels of Christlikness since day one of ministry. On the contrary, if your church is growing and thriving but you are not growing in character, you are on the fast track to falling. After all, who you become is more important than what you accomplish.