I love what I do. The Pastoral calling and mantle is so much more than I deserve. Yeah, it’s a fishbowl, high stress, and diabolically intense at times. But don’t let the negatives fool you…it’s a sweet gig.
And I feel funny expressing this, but I think I’m getting better at it every day. Which creates this insatiable desire to keep getting better. And better. I want to become a pastoral virtuoso. I want to advance in skill, precision, and ability.
In short, I’m unapologetically ministerially ambitious.
Ambition is almost a bad word in the world of ministry. It’s usually regarded as carnal when it comes to spiritual leadership-as if it’s wrong for a pastor to want to be the best at what he does. Trust me, I know all about the dangers of selfish ambition-I have to keep motives in check minute by minute.
But, to all those who think that the desire to be the best at what you do is a forbidden sin for pastors: I think that’s a cop-out. A justification for mediocrity.
NBA players aim to be the best.
And at the end of the day, what they do amounts to…money and entertainment.
I refuse to let their ambition exceed mine.
At the end of the day, what I do amounts to…life and death.
Ministerial ambition isn’t some new-fangled vice for new-school pastors who have allowed business paradigms to taint their ministry philosophies.
The apostle Paul was ambitious. Really ambitious.
Richard Baxter (the Puritan) wrote about and heavily endorsed ministerial progress. So did Spurgeon (take that theologues).
And so will Furtick. And so should you, Pastor.
Be ambitious for the Gospel. For the right reasons. With all your heart.
Live a life worthy of the calling you’ve received.
It’s the highest ambition we could ever embrace.