January 9, 2009 | Editor’s note: This article previously appeared on the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence website.

Wherever we look these days, we are increasingly aware of the need for excellence and the prevalence of mediocrity. Everywhere, it seems, a culture has emerged around leadership and excellence, focusing primarily on vocational and professional life. Institutions and structured programs are coming forth to advance excellence in many arenas, including religion.

But what, if anything, does God have to do with excellence in general and pastoral excellence in particular? At the core of Christian understanding is that God intends the healing, the salvation, of the entire universe. Creation has its origin and its consummation in God. Human beings are called to share in the healing, reconciliation, and transformation of all creation. That is our vocation. God, therefore, intends that all vocations, indeed, our very being, contribute to God’s finished creation.

Christian communities have this as their vocation: To be visible signs that point toward God’s intention for all humanity and to be instruments by which God’s telos for all creation is fulfilled. The Church exists in this world to point toward a new world God is bringing and to be in mission on behalf of God’s intention for the world. Pastoral excellence involves leading Christian communities to fulfill their vocation.

We all benefit from excellence, whether in medicine, education, the arts, engineering, government, communication, or other fields. Who does not want to be served by those who pursue and attain excellence? None of us wants to be treated by a physician who is content with mediocrity; neither do we want our children taught by mediocre teachers. We would like our buildings built by excellent builders. When it comes to our own performance, mediocrity may be acceptable; but when we are the beneficiaries of others’ skills and talents, we want excellence!

Yet, defining excellence is problematic, especially when it comes to pastoral excellence. What is excellent ministry? Having heard lay persons describe dozens of pastors as “excellent” or “effective,” I can testify to the subjectivity and even conflicting images of excellent ministry. Whether the description focuses on personal qualities or professional skills, there is not universal agreement.

Furthermore, it is difficult if not impossible to measure the results of specific pastoral tasks. There is no consensus, for example, as to what constitutes an excellent sermon. Who and what determines when a worship service is excellent? What is an excellent pastoral visit? Even less clear is what constitutes excellent leading of a congregation. The expectations of congregational excellence range from statistical growth to the transformation of persons and societies; but what kinds of growth constitute excellence and what are such transformed persons and societies to be and to do?

Excellence is living and serving in the light of God’s vision of a new creation. Excellence, therefore, is a process of growth toward God’s vision of wholeness, maturity, completeness. Excellence is a journey toward “the new heaven and new earth,” (Revelation 21:1) always celebrating the signs and present expressions of God’s reign while eagerly pursuing and hopefully anticipating the finishing of the new creation.