"One of the very best books I have read on the spirituality of pastoral ministry."
- Philip Graham Ryken, Senior Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia

Publisher's Description: Every year thousands of God's servants leave the ministry convinced they are failures. Years ago, in the midst of a crisis of faith, Kent Hughes almost became one of them. But instead he and his wife Barbara turned to God's Word, determined to learn what God had to say about success and to evaluate their ministry from a biblical point of view.

This book describes their journey and their liberation from the "success syndrome"—the misguided belief that success in ministry means increased numbers. In today's world it is easy to be seduced by the secular thinking that places a number on everything. But the authors teach that true success in ministry lies not in numbers but in several key areas: faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness, and a Christlike attitude. Their thoughts will encourage readers who grapple with feelings of failure and lead them to a deeper, fuller understanding of success in Christian ministry.

This book was originally published by Tyndale in 1987 and includes a new preface.

Author Information: R. Kent Hughes Senior Pastor Emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, earned his DMin from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has authored numerous books for Crossway, including a number of volumes in the popular Preaching the Word series. He is also the series editor. Barbara Hughes has supported her husband Kent's pastoral ministry for 37 years while also raising four children. She is a popular teacher of women's groups and, together with Kent, has authored Common-Sense Parenting and Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome.

208 pages
Published January 2008