Family of Grace,
Happy New Year! It’s usually at the beginning of a new year that we begin to evaluate our successes or failures and attempt to set new goals. As a new congregation, we tend to measure our successes against other churches we’ve been a part of in the past. But here’s what I’ve been thinking: I’ve been a pastor long enough that I could be considered an “old pro.” That said, I’m not thinking of our time together as a re-run, but as a whole new endeavor. After all, God is clearly doing a new thing at Grace Resurrection.
True success is often misunderstood. Scripture reminds us that success is not measured by possessions, popularity, or performance, but by alignment with God’s purposes for our lives. A truly successful project is one that is becoming what God intends, doing what He asks, and stewarding what He entrusts to us. Real success is not simply getting what we want, but learning to want what God is giving. External achievements (and I’ve had a few) may look impressive, but they do not always bring lasting joy or deep satisfaction of the heart.
God also defines success according to timing and maturity. What is a blessing at one stage of life may be meaningless—or even disappointing—at another. Success is not a destination we arrive at someday; it is the daily joy of walking faithfully with God and growing according to His design. When we stay on God’s schedule and embrace His assignment for our lives, we discover that success is not found in tomorrow’s achievements, but in faithful obedience and gratitude today.
As we begin this new year together, my prayer is that we’ll enjoy this “new thing” God is doing. Let me make a prediction: in just the short two months Pastor Taylor has been with us, we’ve already seen an increase in children and young people, and more consistency among our young families. By summer, we’ll see a marked increase. As we make final decisions about our permanent location, things will get busier and busier, and it will be easy to take our eyes off the main thing—which is Christ, and being Christ to our community.
We’ve achieved worldly success thus far. Our attendance is “through the roof,” and our giving is unbelievably healthy. But here’s how I know we’re truly succeeding—people are encountering Jesus through our congregation every day. That’s real success. 2026 will go down in history as a banner year, but true success can be summed up in the words of the great missionary C. T. Studd:
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past;
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Remember that I love you~
James