Perfectionism in ministry

Most of us are passionate about doing a really good job in ministry. Few people take on a role in an evangelical church just to sit back and chill.

We have a God who is worthy of our all – a church where the call to one another rings loudly in our ears – and a world in desperate need of the gospel. There’s lots to do – and it’s important to do it well. But, for some of us, that desire to honour God to a high-standard tips over into perfectionism.

Perfectionism pursues

What does perfectionism look like? Our passion becomes a drivenness, our desire to labour well becomes an all-consuming pursuit of omnicompetence, and our keenness to avoid mistakes becomes a dangerous conviction that any errors are unacceptable. When we go down this route, our peace of mind disappears – we become exhausted by the relentless pressure to do everything and be everything we think we should be.