Make it happen at home first...

Okay...time for a test for us pastors and church entrepreneurs.

If you were to ask your church board, "How would you measure my success in ministry?," what number would they place next to your name? I think we could make a case that it would be close to a 10 - maybe 8 or 9. Let's face it. We're on fire. We're turning out some awesome stuff. We're impressing the crowds with some new themes and future ideas. We have a pretty nice external glaze going for us.

Alright...time for a test for us pastors and church entrepreneurs.

If you were to ask your family, "How would you measure my success in our family?," what number would your spouse or kids place next to your name? My deepest prayer is that this number would succeed the number from your church board. In reality, if it is lower, you have missed the mark of what your calling is to be about. This is not to say that we cannot have impact in our culture while our family suffers at home. Certainly, good things can and will happen by our giftedness in ministry. However, we can no longer excuse ourselves from our Biblical and moral obligation to our home (family) by overriding it with church success. I believe it is a silent killer for many pastors today. As rightly noted by Casting Crowns, "It's a slow fade..." Eventually, it will catch up with you.

So - are you ready to take the test? More importantly, are you ready for the answer?