McKinley on Church Planting

Michael McKinley on church planting, which isn’t good just for church planters:

Be realistic!  You're not Spurgeon, and that's OK.  The best case scenario for 99% of us is that we are faithful to the gospel, God in his kindness lets us see some real and enduring fruit from our labors, and we don't do anything that disgraces the gospel.  That's a win.

Success is seductive, particularly when you see it in others. Any sane person develops a desire to have it for themselves. After all, if you don’t want to reach people with the gospel, why are you a pastor anyway?

But coveting the success of others can be deadly for a lot of reasons. Here are a few that readily come to mind:

1. It can distract you from trust in God alone for the success of ministry.
2. It can discourage you to the point of wanting to quit since you are not succeeding like someone else is.
3. It can lead to unfair comparisons, particularly since your community and your gifts are not the same as his (whoever he is whose success you are lusting after).
4. It can cause you to always chase the elusive nebulous dream of success (always changing), rather than seeing people as people in desperate need of a Savior.
5. It can be spiritually, mentally, and emotionally draining.
6. It can lead to distraction from the real task of preaching Jesus and loving people.

Add your own reasons. I would like to see them.