Plodders

Mark Batterson post:  Longevity

On the day after THE STREAK ended, I've got to make a few observations about longevity. I always have been and always will be a believer in sustained effort aka longevity. I had a Father-in-Law that planted and pastored one church for more than thirty years so I saw the impact of cumulative effort. I pray for the privilege of pastoring one church for life. I honestly believe that the key to a fruitful ministry isn't dreaming big as much as it is thinking long. It's not a sprint. It's a marathon. And that takes tremendous endurance.

I know there are those who root against Favre because they root against the teams he's played for. And I know his indecisiveness regarding retirement has been a media frenzy for a few years. And it's been a tough season for Favre. But none of those things changes the fact that only a handful of players in NFL history have been good enough to start for 297 consecutive games. And no one in the history of the game has matched his toughness or love for the game. And those are two things that Favre will be remembered for. In fact, he epitomizes them.

I'm impressed with plotters--people who are visionary strategists. But I think I'm more impressed with plodders--people who put one foot in front of another and keep plodding ahead despite circumstances and challenges. To put it in ministry terms, I'm inspired by pastors of churches that have experienced exponential church growth, but not nearly as much as those pastors who faithfully pastor churches in the shadows of the kingdom from cradle to coffin.

I think most of us in ministry want to grow faster quicker, but there is a reason why Scripture uses agricultural metaphors for kingdom growth. Maybe our goal shouldn't just be growing bigger faster. Maybe it should also be growing deeper longer.