34 comments (+ Add)
Spiritual-Esteem 2 (of 4)
Let’s review yesterday’s thought:
You are not what you did, what you do, or what you are going to do. You are who Christ says you are.
When you are doing ministry, try to remember:
- What you do is a result of who you are in Christ.
- What you do doesn’t define who you are.
- Don’t confuse the “who” with the “do.”
You are not successful because:
- Your kids’ ministry grew 10% this year.
- Three people got saved last week.
- Your budget increased by 5%.
- The parents of your student ministry like you.
- Your church is bigger this year than this time last year.
You are successful because of who you are in Christ. You please God by obeying him, not performing up to your personal expectations.
Are you doing ministry to get worth, feel successful or to find your identity? Or are you doing ministry to please, to resemble, to delight in Christ and bring people to Him?
Visit 
Great reminder…I have been reading some very convicting stuff lately (Tozer and Bounds - they don’t beat around the bush!) about where my heart actually is (as proven by my actions and daily walk with God) and where I think it is (and boy, are they two very different things!)
Thanks for this series!
I have been owned by this concept a time or two. Having your heart in the right place is key!
I suffered with no self esteem growing up and when I came to Christ started with low spiritual esteem. Actually I started doing ministry with low spiritual esteem. I didn’t and don’t do ministry (with/to young adults) to feel successful. I’m doing this work out of a compelling desire to see others live a victorious life, a purposeful life and to simply BE who God has created them to BE…it’s not about always about the doing, it’s about the being. When I got that lesson from God, my spiritual and self esteem went through the roof. Thank you so much for the series.
Great Reminders, Great Questions! My prayer is that I am doing ministry to please, to resemble, to delight in Christ and bring people to Him. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
Wow! Very powerful Craig! I sit here thinking…Are we (am I) being authentic or are we captivated by the “show� of it all? A sarcastic tune just popped in my head in an annoying Ethel Merman voice…�There’s… NO business…like SHOW business…etc…� (don’t ask, I have no answers).
I just want to be more like Christ, every step of the way, but unfortunately I am always in the way! I am tired of the “song and dance� of the sensationalized Americanized Christian persona and I am striving to keep my eye on the prize and seek authenticity!
Craig,
Mary & Martha are great examples of your point. Martha was busy trying to please Jesus. Mary chose to sit at Jesus feet & He said Mary chose what was better.
Oooh, do I have to answer that honestly?
I think your question could be one of my biggest struggles/revelations/adjustments. Distinguishing between those two ‘esteems’ has been life-changing for me. (I’m still working on it) An easy example was starting my blog - I waited until I felt like my heart was in a place where only He would be glorfied through it. Now for the other gazillion areas in my life . . . 
I pray every day that God takes the ‘Libby’ out of my motives, thoughts, purpose, etc.
I love all of your comments - you are definitely bringing glory to Him!
After 13 years of being in ministry and working in various churches, my wife and I found that all crashing down 5 months ago. These were the exact questions we found ourselves asking.
It is hard to not get ministry wrapped up in your identity. It is partly wrapped up in your spiritual gift mix and calling. It can be a double edged sword where we must keep driving it all back to Him or we ministry will become our “god”.
Honestly. If I were doing ministry out of who I am in Christ rather than using it to boost my own poor self-esteem or to please others… the past 4 years of my ministry career would look dramatically different. It’s only lately that I am on the cusp of leaning into the calling God placed within me.
I’m copying this and hanging it on my mirror. I need the reminder daily.
i understand that success is found in obeying Christ. but it is so much easier to look at numbers and forget about that fact.
this was a refreshing post.
one more thought and a plug
I’ve also realized that I would be much more content and energized in my current position if I was focused on my spiritual esteem.
(Gina, we’re pretty similar.)
A few days ago, I posted some on my blog about success - wordly vs. eternal. I’d love to hear your thoughts . . .
Good thoughts, Craig. I journaled on something similar yesterday - how the “secular” has defined our notions of “spiritual.” From James K.A. Smith:
“Modernity has created a “logic of parodyâ€? by which Christian “sitesâ€? such as God, the ecclesia, and the Kingdom are parodied by competing renditions of these sites - such as the monarch, the state, and the city.”
Illusory shadows of eternal worth - vanity projected onto the undivided simplicity and purity of “who we are in Christ.”
Though my areas of ministry (as a volunteer primary leader) might shift every couple of years, the reason does not. I know that every manner in which I serve the Church should be grounded only in my desire to glorify God.
But…regular reminders usually come just at the right time.
I have even made a habit of speaking that truth during our talk-through on weekends when I get to serve as the senior producer. If we are doing any of what we do for some other reason than glorifying Him and growing the Kingdom, we should just stop - until we get clear again on the “why”.
Thanks, Craig (and all who post here), for stirring my heart and mind each morning!
Craig,
Would you give an example or two when God corrected your perspective on worth? TY
Andrew asked, “Would you give an example or two when God corrected your perspective on worth?”
From the first day of ministry, I found myself wrongly defining my worth based on performance and production.
I had to fail (almost burying a single adult ministry) to realize that God loved me for me and not for my success.
In my sick and twisted mind, I thought Amy would love me more if I had a growing ministry. I thought God would be more proud of me. When our ministry didn’t grow, but shrank, it forced me to receive their love for who I was instead of what I did.
My battle with this reignited with the growth of Life. I again found meaning in success. Somehow (and I’m not sure how), God has (is) stripping that from me.
In the past, I’d have to tell you how big we are or how fast we’re growing to feel good about myself. When I see others doing that (and I do OFTEN), I hurt for them because I know what a miserable place that is to live.
i think most people i meet in ministry who feel beat up and exhausted is because they fail to find their worth and identity in Christ. i think the kingdom would be well served if we all worked on coming up with new measurements for success. im afraid the current mindset of our success is not aligned with God’s values or how he defines it.
mike.
Craig
I’m so proud of your humility and candidness. Honestly it blessed me to read this. I struggle as most people do with my “ministry self-worth.” I appreciate you sharing your struggles. The post today really spoke to me, I’m printing it out. I have such a tendency to judge worth and success by all of the wrong factors.
What would you say are the factors that really help you and your staff to maintain a balance between realizing your worth in God and checkpointing the “success” of the ministry? (meaning, you’re still keeping a thumb on all of those indicators, how do you find the balance?)
Call me “Naive Non-staffer” but do churches really get obsessed with hard numbers week in week out? Is that necessary? Is that healthy?
This is such a rollercoaster ride for me. It is easy for me to connect the dots of a successful ministry [numbers, growth, and life change] with who I am and how I feel about myself.
Knowing that’s not healthy is not enough to keep me from doing it. On top of it all I have this weird need for competition. This does not help me get off the rollercoaster.
My best days of having a successful perspective is when I am most open with my wife and my accountability partner.
Your timing is amazing. Thanks for continuing to write and share.
This issue really hits home with me. If my boss seems displeased with my job performance (whether he truly is or not) I am a total wreck.
If only I would care more about pleasing my Father rather than people. (Gal. 1:10)
Faith comes from hearing (to really believe WHO you are) - so let’s post some scripture supporting this.
You know this post makes something deep inside me leap, and shout, and thank God…
You are extremely influential Craig… and have tons of ears listening to you… I thank God for this post, the perspective, and what may come of it…
I sincerely hope people take to heart, and not just hear what you have said and forget it…
I agree there is no greater measure of success, than living to please the Living God… period.
This reminds me of these scriptures…
The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1Samuel 16:7)
We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.(2 Corinthians 10:12)
But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.(2 Corinthians 10:17)
Your posts and transparency convicted, and then strengthened me concerning my own personal “spiritual esteem”…
I’m pretty sure that I’m not doing ministry for my esteem. Why do I know this? Well, because after all of the opportunities I’ve had in my life, you might think I’m absolutely, 100% certain of my ability. I’m not. Before any ministry appointment my prayer goes like this:
“God, I SO don’t know what to say to her or what she needs to hear or how I even got into this in the first place. Please do what you do best because I’ll completely mess it up if my hands are on the steering wheel.”
Then, when our time together is blessed, because He’s faithful like that, I walk away and thank God profusely that he used a broken vessel to help another woman know she is treasured and adored by her Heavenly Daddy.
Pretty cool stuff.
I had heard those things (I am not what I do, etc.) before in a time when I really needed to hear them. Why is it that I so often get caught up in my performance, my leadership, or my status, that I forget the one thing that God cares about… Who I am in Him, and all those other things are what He uses to shape and mold me into an ECHO of His love, compassion, mercy and grace!
Thanks for the reminder on our success in Christ. There is a fine line between success in Christ and taking personal responsibility for the growth of your ministry. I enjoyed Craig’s message at Catalyst when he said something like - If you take the credit for the loss, you might take the credit for the gain. Great thoughts! I have enjoyed this self-esteem series! - Kevin
i’m in “ministry” and passionate about it becase I believe its right…and oh so wrong.
For me to point and complain without offering solutions would be wrong.
It’s in this being real with myself and God that i’m finding my idenity.
For me it always starts out as a desire to please, lead to and resemble Christ. The challenge comes when the natural results creep into the focus of my attention. It also seems to depend on the season of ministry. I’d love to say that I’m always connected to Christ in such a way that I never question who I am in Him, but there are times when the results provide validity and confirmation. Deep down I find myself wanting to be significantly used. When I realize these patterns that when I try to decrease so He may increase. The proper focus provides the necessary balance. Its my tightrope within ministry.
I wrote something awhile back related to this post, though I don’t think it was really about esteem but it as much as destiny or calling. Here’s an excerpt:
I suppose I’m just trying to find myself in Him.
Since putting these practices in place I’ve noticed a complete change in the amount of peace I have inside. No longer am I swayed by the roller coaster of ministry. Instead I’ve been able to find my place in Christ and stand firm no matter what comes my way. However, some days are easier than others… that’s for sure!
I offer that faith pleases God and humility is what allows Him to use us most.
Thank you Craig. -:)
I agree - numbers are used to fill in spreadsheets, general ledgers, and performance pay plans - they don’t fill too many souls
Craig,
I’d be really interested to see how you as a leader try to re-enforce appropriate views of how God values us while working on a fast-paced progressive, innovative church. I’d guess that ideas, innovation, and hands going up are celebrated as success with your staff. You’ve got several high producers on staff, from a variety of backgrounds, corporate, technology and the like. All (or at least most) want to please you, or their supervisor. And regular positive feedback on “successes” other than “spiritual-esteem” may be sending them mixed messages. What do you do to off-set this from being the means by which people’s jobs are evaluated?
I think this would help a lot of people if you’ve got an answer. If you don’t feel you have a great answer for this yet, if you wrestle with this with us, it would be helpful too.
thanks again.
mark