Whatever the case, for me at least, faithfulness is the key. It is where I must remain focused. And an indispensable component of that faithfulness is to labor and pray for what God surely desires: a great harvest of souls for God’s glory and the gladness of His church.

I am not quite as sanguine about “Center Church” as is Paul. It’s not that I dislike the book. Some of it is helpful. But I am not sure I know how to practically distinguish between Keller’s categories of “success” and “fruitfulness.” It’s not that I don’t understand the categories as Keller describes them. I am just not convinced that we are good at telling the difference between the two in practical terms. In other words, how do we know when we are measuring one and not the other? When does counting conversions become dangerous for my soul? If there are a great many conversions then I can understand why I would want to count them–and make sure you know the score as well. But what of the many laborers who faithfully toil in the fields of the Lord only to see meager fruit? Should they be judged as failures? Have they been unfruitful? Is God displeased with them?

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