In April we celebrated Resurrection Day, and now the Church is observing Eastertide. God, the source of our life now and forever, has the power to keep us faithful and fruitful in our ongoing work to renew congregations. Anyone who’s experienced turnaround can tell you that it happens only with great effort, unanticipated blessings, and excellent leadership.

Can we talk about excellence without seeming elitist? There is a strong egalitarian streak in American culture; we are hesitant to point out and reward people who exhibit ‘excellence’ because we want to treat everyone the same. But it’s plain to see that God has gifted us differently, and as the parable of the talents indicates, every individual can strive for excellence as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ whether s/he received one, two, or five talents (Matthew 25:14-30).

Someone recently remarked to us, “Everybody is anti-elitist until they need surgery or meet a prospective son-in-law.” Clearly, excellence matters to us a great deal in certain situations! We believe that church renewal is one area of endeavor that invites – even demands – an unapologetic emphasis on excellence.

This month we review a brand new book by L. Gregory Jones and our friend Kevin R. Armstrong titled, Resurrecting Excellence: Shaping Faithful Christian Ministry (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006). Our web review points your browser to a write-up of the PSALM project, one of many worthy programs promoting good ministry made possible by The Lilly Endowment, Inc. through its Sustaining Pastoral Excellence grant initiative.

May you know Christ, not only in the fellowship of his suffering but also in the power of his resurrection (Philippians 3:10) as you pursue excellence according to your gifts. Your ministry matters; do not lose heart!