There are three lists of pastors that I’ve been keeping track of in my head.
They’re lists of pastors who have flamed out, traded down, or held strong.
Success or failure in ministry isn’t always obvious. The tendency to exchange the best things for less-than-the-best is hard to resist if we don’t keep ourselves alert to it.
We seldom celebrate consistency, integrity and humility as much as we should. But those are the character traits that make for real ministry success. And they should never be traded for anything less.
Author
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Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of four books on church leadership. His fifth book, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next, releases on April 2, 2024.
He also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry. Episodes feature in-depth interviews about the topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.