Synopsis:
When we enter book shops, we see many books on “how to
succeed” in x and y. This book uses a shock tactic with four big letters
“F-A-I-L” on its cover. It even opens with an introduction on how the J.R.
Briggs, the author, formed a team to host an “Epic Fail Pastors Conference” in
Pennsylvania. No glossy fliers or big marketing budget. The goal was not to
celebrate success or failure, but simply to celebrate faithfulness in ministry
and the need for grace and to acknowledge Jesus as the foundation of all these
pastors do in ministry and in life.[1] Briggs
then leads us further into discussion about the definition of success and
faithfulness in ministry. He also takes us through the topics of shame,
loneliness, and wounds in ministry. Then, through the wilderness, into
recovery, re-entry, acceptance, and moving in unforced rhythms of grace, finally the F-word changes from the sadness
of failure to the challenge of faithfulness to the hope of freedom.
In the beginning of this book, J.R. Briggs was clear about
his purpose. Briggs’ team was convinced many pastors wrestle with thoughts of
failure. When the team planned the “Epic Fail Pastors Conference”, they knew it
would be a risk to host an event to help pastors develop a robust theology of
failure, but they sensed it was worth the risk of failure to
do so.[2]
Interestingly in this conference, a pastor flew from Australia to attend
because he could not find anyone in his continent who was willing to talk
honestly about failure and ministry![3]
The reason why Briggs wrote this book was because ministry is fertile ground
for failure, and failure is fertile ground for ministry.[4] It
is not a magic book of solution, nor is it really a book about failure in
ministry as the topic is so vast it cannot be covered in one book. What Briggs
wants to communicate is that failure is the crucible of character formation.[5]
Editorial reviews by
various bestselling authors have been written about this book. Stetzer[6]
and Pastor[7]
commended Briggs’ courage in writing about a taboo subject which is a truth
many fear to articulate because of the American obsession with ‘success’[8]. Sweet[9]
links it up this way: “Here is a theology of failure to go with Jesus'
sacrament of failure (‘shake the dust off your feet and move on’)”. In
fact, Woodward[10]
believes Briggs goes beyond giving us a
robust theology of failure; he is sharing his life, calling us to be faithful
not efficient, to live vulnerably without shame. Graham[11] feels
that for those struggling in ministry, this book will be like sitting down with
a good friend who understands what you are enduring. No quick fixes. No pat
answers. No formulas. No judgment. Just gentle wisdom laced with grace to help
you continue in God's calling. Finally, Byassee[12]
summarized that the life of the Christian is a constant oscillation between
cross and resurrection. But instead of shopkeepers, God wants faithfulness.
Having been a performance-driven
person for the first twenty years of my life, this book contains many important
reminders for people like me. What is most memorable for me is the discussion
on the definition of success. How we have defined ministry success, or how we
have allowed others to define it for us, has created a dangerous metric that is
inaccurate and unsustainable.[13]
Smith[14]
said we have failed to move from the metric of ABC (attendance, buildings and
cash) to D: discipleship. I can sympathise with this, having observed churches that
function more like companies and church leaders who seem to care more about the
numbers than the life of each individual. By faithfulness, Briggs[15]
describes that our lives and ministries will be assessed by congruence, not
efficiency. It is not found in productivity, competence or progress as much as
in the development of Christlike character and coherence of our stories with
the character of God. It does not find its value in the amount of our results
but in the depth of our relationships. I can identify with this because having
lived most of my life as a fast-paced task-orientated person, I was forced to
slow down and reflect on the quality of my relationships with others when my father
passed away suddenly. This experience made me understand the importance of
depth in relationships.
Briggs also explored
the relationship between failure and shame: When we fail, it is nearly
impossible to not feel at least a slight twinge of shame. The fact that we feel
shame is evidence that we are indeed human.[16] Shame
is the great unspoken epidemic, the force behind many forms of broken and
destructive human behaviour. Defined as the fear of disconnection, it asks, “Is
there something about me that if other people see it or know it, will make me
unworthy of connection?”[17] Ironically,
what keeps us from connection is our fear of being unworthy of connection.
Those who live from a deep sense of worthiness possess the courage to be
imperfect. They treat themselves with kindness and are able to show kindness to
others. In Jesus’ words, they are capable of loving neighbours as themselves.
Where there is little compassion for self, there can be little compassion for
others.[18] Briggs
reminds us that empathy is the antidote to shame. The two most powerful words
we can receive from others when we are struggling are “me too”. It is tempting
to believe we can lead others only when we are perfect, but the truth is
perfection will never happen.[19]
Shame is the fear of
disconnection. Briggs goes on to explain that fear drives us to create and fasten
masks. We adapt our behaviours in creative ways with motivations rooted in
protecting ourselves from future exposure to pain. The deeper the fear, the
more creative we can be in our mask-making abilities. We want to make Jesus look
good to others by making ourselves look good to others. But if we are only
ministering mask-to-mask, we never experience true life change.[20] Mask
wearing leads to loneliness and isolation. Isolation often leads to addictions.
We all have addictions, but they come in varying degrees of social
acceptability.[21] At
the heart of addictions is self-deception. We cannot lie to other people until
we first lie to ourselves. We can be easily tempted to invest more in
preserving our reputation and retaining our image than in dealing with the true
forces and motivations of our hearts.[22]
But when we root our identity and meaning in Christ, we are capable of drawing
on our courage and resisting reaching for a mask.[23]
Mature leaders who
have experienced deep brokenness do not feel the pressure to strive for the
approval of others because they already known what shame is, therefore there is
little worry of being found out or seen as a failure. In many ways failure,
suffering and pain are the prerequisite for effective ministry. They strip away
the false self and help us encounter the true self.[24] Finally,
Briggs reminds us of the importance of moving in the unforced rhythms of grace[25]
and soul care for ourselves.[26]
This reminder to chill-out is particularly applicable to a doctor like me,
because sometimes I can get so busy that I feel I am turning into a machine. But
the most important aspects of our lives cannot be rushed, and in our spiritual
life we cannot do anything important in a hurry.[27]
In conclusion, I believe Briggs have successfully written a great personal
testimony about discipleship: often times, process is more important than results.
Some people, like Jeremiah, could
be called by God into a ministry where everything he did failed. Or even the ministry of
Nehemiah and Ezra, where the building of the walls of the city and the building
of the wall of the law failed to change the human heart. Nevertheless, Nehemiah
persists in the work of building, reforming, and praying to the end. And so
should I, when I encounter hardship or failure in ministry, as it is better to
be a failure in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to be a success in a
cause that will ultimately fail.
S. G. Dempster, “The Place
of Nehemiah in the Canon of Scripture: Wise Builder”, Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 9 (2005):46.
Bibliography:
Briggs, J. R. Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of
Ministry Failure. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014.
Byassee, Jason. Review of “Fail: Finding Hope and
Grace in the Midst of Ministry Failure”. Christian
Century. 131 (2014): 51.
Graham, Ruth. Review
of Fail: Finding Hope and Grace
in the Midst of Ministry Failure, by J.R. Briggs. Amazon Editorial Reviews, May 29, 2015. http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Finding-Grace-Ministry-Failure/dp/0830841113
Pastor, Paul. Review of Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of
Ministry Failure, by J.R. Briggs. Amazon
Editorial Reviews, May 29, 2015. http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Finding-Grace-Ministry-Failure/dp/0830841113
Smith, James Bryan.The Good and Beautiful God.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010.
Stetzer, Ed. Review of Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of
Ministry Failure, by J.R. Briggs. Amazon
Editorial Reviews, May 29, 2015. http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Finding-Grace-Ministry-Failure/dp/0830841113
Sweet, Leonard. Review of Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of
Ministry Failure, by J.R. Briggs. Amazon
Editorial Reviews, May 29, 2015. http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Finding-Grace-Ministry-Failure/dp/0830841113
Wang, Ying-fan Yvonne. Dr Yvonne Wang’s Blabberings.
Last modified May 30, 2015. http://dryvonnewang.blogspot.com.au.
Woodward, J.R. Review of Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of
Ministry Failure, by J.R. Briggs. Amazon
Editorial Reviews, May 29, 2015. http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Finding-Grace-Ministry-Failure/dp/0830841113
Zahnd, Brian. Review of Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of
Ministry Failure, by J.R. Briggs. Amazon
Editorial Reviews, May 29, 2015. http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Finding-Grace-Ministry-Failure/dp/0830841113
[1]J.
R. Briggs, Fail: Finding Hope and Grace
in the Midst of Ministry Failure(Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014),
18.
[2]Briggs,
Fail, 19.
[3]Briggs,
Fail, 20.
[4]Briggs,
Fail, 22.
[5]Briggs,
Fail, 24.
[6]Ed Stetzer,
review of Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in
the Midst of Ministry Failure, by J.R. Briggs, Amazon Editorial Reviews, May 29, 2015,
http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Finding-Grace-Ministry-Failure/dp/0830841113
[7]Paul
Pastor, review of Fail: Finding Hope and
Grace in the Midst of Ministry Failure, by J.R. Briggs, Amazon Editorial Reviews, May 29,
2015,
http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Finding-Grace-Ministry-Failure/dp/0830841113
[8]Brian
Zahnd
[9]Leonard
Sweet, review of Fail: Finding Hope and
Grace in the Midst of Ministry Failure, by J.R. Briggs, Amazon Editorial Reviews, May 29, 2015,
http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Finding-Grace-Ministry-Failure/dp/0830841113
[10]J.R.
Woodward, review of Fail: Finding Hope
and Grace in the Midst of Ministry Failure, by J.R. Briggs, Amazon Editorial Reviews, May 29, 2015, http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Finding-Grace-Ministry-Failure/dp/0830841113
[11]Ruth
Graham, review of Fail: Finding Hope and
Grace in the Midst of Ministry Failure, by J.R. Briggs, Amazon Editorial Reviews, May 29, 2015,
http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Finding-Grace-Ministry-Failure/dp/0830841113
[12]Jason
Byassee, Review of “Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of Ministry
Failure,” Christian Century, 131
(2014): 51.
[13]Briggs,
Fail, 59.
[14]Briggs,
Fail, 66. Briggs quotes on James Bryant Smith from the Apprentice Institute.
[15]Briggs,
Fail, 73. Sure-fire equations for success are not authentic as they lead to
trusting in methods more than in the Messiah.
[16]Briggs,
Fail, 78.
[17]Briggs,
Fail, 76.
[18]Briggs,
Fail, 77.
[19]Briggs,
Fail, 81.
[20]Briggs,
Fail, 90.
[21]Briggs,
Fail, 94. Examples of addictions: Pornography or progress, alcohol or applause,
sex or success, painkillers or email, food or another late night at the church.
[22]Briggs,
Fail, 95.
[23]Briggs,
Fail, 96.
[24]Briggs,
Fail, 150.
[25]Briggs, Fail,
158.
[26]Briggs, Fail,
160.
[27]James
Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God (London:
Hodder and Stoughton, 2010), 180.
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