Leaders made mistakes. Even pastors do. The good ones learn from their mistakes and the bad ones don’t. As a result, I’ve been reading Mistakes Leaders Make by Dave Kraft.
The first mistake Christian leaders can make is to allow ministry to replace Jesus. This is quite subtle. It is a question of identity and satisfaction. The identity and satisfaction of a Christian is intended to be Christ. But the pastor or Christian leader can, like other people, have them shift to the work we do. In this case that is ministry.
“Our identity in and intimacy with Jesus slowly dissipates, and over time, the ministry begins to occupy center stage in our affections, time, and focus.”
One of the contributors to this process can be ambition. Godly ambition is a good thing. But it can morph into selfish ambition and you don’t even realize.
Most pastors work long hours. They often feel the pressure for the church to grow. We have to invest ourselves intellectually, emotionally, financially and more. With that investment there can be that subtle shift into selfish ambition. We confuse our goals with God’s goals. Results become increasingly important. Our emotions begin to move up and down based on the numbers.
Pastors, like anyone else, can begin to forget their justification is by faith in Christ. It becomes justification by achievement, justification by preaching or justification by church growth. Kraft calls is “idolatry creep.”
“Ministry idolatry is becoming increasingly widespread in evangelical Christianity in America, reaching epidemic proportions.”
As Calvin noted, our hearts are idol factories. They can turn even the best things into idols- including ministry. And the Enemy certainly tempts us to do this very thing. God is slowly pushed into the periphery of life: there is no prayer, there is no praise, there is no seeking Him in the Scriptures. You are too busy for that.
“I find that ministry idolatry is an attitude; a mind-set, as opposed to an action.”
I’ve been there. The symptoms tend to be the emotional reactions to failure or trial. Leaders who fail never notice the shift, or drift, has taken place. Their identity stays with missions instead of returning to Christ.
“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, O take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above.” Robert Robinson
Leaders need to keep this in mind. As Paul Tripp says, we have not arrived. We are not only imperfect but spiritual entropy is a reality apart from the means of grace. We need to watch our reactions for what they tell us about ourselves. We also pray for God to search us and change us- to reveal what we hide from ourselves. And when we drift, we course correct by seeking Him again with our whole heart.
12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! Psalm 139
Cavman Considers 
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