I have been pastoring now for over 26 years and it has been a joy in my life. There have been, however, many ups and downs and I have had to step back on many occasions and focus on the most important things.

I think I can speak for a lot of pastors when I say that 2020 and the COVID era have taken its toll on the church and its leaders. The successes we knew before, were challenged and much of what we worked for, it seems that we took several steps back. In reality, many churches have not recovered yet to their numbers pre-COVID.

Having said that, this last couple of years have caused me to evaluate what the most important things are for us as a church, and me personally as a pastor. What is true success? At the onset, let me say, that I believe God desires for a church to grow and to continue growing. But when things are at a standstill or seem to have plateaued, what are the most important things to remember? What are the things that we must focus on so that we will stay on track? Are there any principles, for us as pastors, that we can pay attention to in challenging times that will see us through?

I believe there are. My new book The Cloud of Witnesses was birthed out of these questions. It was my attempt to put on paper what I believe are the most important things for a pastor to focus on and then let God bring the results in our ministry. Many people in our society, ministry, and world in general have defined what success should look like. But, in The Cloud of Witnesses I wrote what I believe true success should look like. What is success? Not in the world’s eyes, but what is success in God’s eyes?

These things are not only Secrets of True Success for pastors, but I believe it can translate into every area of our lives. I will list the Seven Secrets of True Success in the abbreviated version here, but I have also put the full PDF version for you to click on and download. These Secrets (which are really not secrets) will revolutionize your perspective and your life if you will allow them to.

The Secrets of True Success

1. I will be a person of true success.
2. I will be a person of prayer.
3. I will be a shepherd of God’s flock.
4. I will be a person of humility.
5. I will be a person of complete integrity.
6. I will be a person of the Word, reading my Bible daily for more than just sermon preparation.
7. I will be a person who is faithful in and through everything.

These are the springboard for what success looks like if we will hold these dear to our heart.

Click here for the FULL PDF VERSION

If you would like to read the story of a pastor who learned what True Success looks like, grab a copy of The Cloud of Witnesses. I believe it will bless you.