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Popularity and True Success
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2007 at 1:03 PM by Jason Barker
I live in largely rural southeastern Oklahoma - as of 2006 there were only 38,395 people in my county, which by way of comparison is only 5.5 percent of the population in Fort Worth (my former hometown) alone. As a result, the types of radio stations to which I prefer to listen - primarily classical and jazz - are unavailable. I therefore listen to Internet streams from KUAT and WGMC (as well, of course, as The Ark and Ancient Faith Radio).
I say all this, not to bemoan the cultural sacrifices one makes when living in a small town (although my wife would point out that I do plenty of that), but to note that classical and jazz stations are unavailable here - as they are in much of the country - because they are simply not popular enough to be financially viable. This was called to mind when I read today's post on KUAT's Cue Sheet blog on the financial and listener success of the format change of Washington, D.C.'s WETA back to its original classical format. The writer comments on this success:
This is very nice...but let’s not forget that the purpose of public radio is not to earn big ratings and make lots of money in pledge drives. It’s to serve the otherwise unserved, and, frankly, that’s not an inherently lucrative or popular mission.
This comment really resonated with me because Orthodox Christian ministry is "not an inherently lucrative or popular mission." Only someone unfamiliar with Orthodoxy in North America would mistake Orthodox work with a path to fame and fortune; it is instead almost a guarantee of (admittedly relative) obscurity and a lack of affluence. I - and other Orthodox layworkers and clergy - do not engage in the ministries to which we are called because we will become wealthy or famous, but because we are called to faithfully serve others. This point was particularly brought home to me during Divine Liturgy last Sunday, the Sunday of All Saints, where the Epistle reading was from Hebrews 11 (I'm quoting verses 35-40):
Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
This passage is a powerful antidote to our contemporary North American financial and popularity-oriented definition of ministerial success. First, these saints did not receive temporal acclaim and riches: they suffered greatly in their lives. At the same time, this wasn't pointless suffering: their lives were given for God, and they are now the "great cloud of witnesses" who watch and support our Christian lives (Hebrews 12:1). Furthermore, look at the writer's statement about perfection: both the earlier and later generations of God's servants are perfected together - all Christian lives, and all Christian service, is essential for the salvation of others.
When I became an Orthodox catechumen, I needed to resign my staff position with an Evangelical Protestant ministry. While I was still able to do some contract design work for the ministry, I was no longer able to write, teach, or speak at churches or with the media, and no longer was editor of the magazine (the magazine was driven into the ground by my successor). Losing that steady income was a real blow, but it was even more difficult to give up the position for which I had worked for years to attain (and if anything worked even harder while I held it).
Some of the people I know in Evangelical circles - and, even more to my regret, some Orthodox friends and acquaintances - think that it is absurd to work in Orthodox lay education, where I am paid very little and where I see far fewer measurable results (i.e., money and numbers) than I did working in Evangelical ministry. I will not pretend that it is always easy - at times, in fact, it has been a tremendous struggle, and the lack of significant income from the many hours of work (and added need for resources) is always a strain on our budget - but I nonetheless am always struck when I read Hebrews 11 both by the fact that my struggles are truly nothing compared to what so many of the saints have endured, and by the fact that even my struggles play a role in God's work for His people. Those occasions when I hear from someone about how they have used my Bible studies or other works are a tremendous blessing to me, and help me keep a proper perspective on my work and life. Furthermore, I know that other layworkers and clergy feel the same way.
Take a moment today to thank someone whose sacrifices help you with your life with God and His Church.
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