As a young pastor of a booming church, I remember seeking the advice of countless mentors who had walked in my shoes. Wisdom was a resource I couldn't get enough of. For those of you who relate to that feeling and are looking for counsel and wisdom from experienced pastors who were once facing the same challenges as you, you won't want to miss the advice of my friend, Gordon MacDonald.

Gordon MacDonald grew up as the son of a Baptist pastor in New York and attended the University of Boulder and Denver Seminary. In the past 55 years, he has dedicated his life to various forms of ministry, such as serving as a pastor and an interim seminary president, as well as authoring multiple books. When Gordon turned 80 years old, he made a point to write down the top factors that he found to determine success or failure as a leader. I asked him to join me for a conversation to share these 15 life lessons and more.

The 15 Most Important Lessons Learned

1. Put the most significant people in your life first. Your spouse, family, close friends and mentors should be put into your calendar first.

2. Never stop growing; explore new ideas and fresh ways to increase your knowledge. Sustain your physical and mental health, sharpen your skills and increase your knowledge and spiritual life.

3. Be more of a priest and less of a preacher to people. Bless people with powers of hope, grace, courage and love.

4. Always keep in mind you will have to relinquish your titles, privileges and, at some point, slip into obscurity.

5. Prepare for occasions when you will suffer, fail, face conflict or experience some sort of loss.

6. Be trustworthy and dependable. Be a person who keeps their word. Don't make promises you can't keep.

7. Be a spiritual father or mother to teachable people who may someday inherit your responsibilities.

8. Live modestly. Stay free of debt, be generous, develop a financial strategy and always be wary of those who try to buy your favor.

9. Expect to reorganize your spiritual life every seven to ten years.

10. Receive compliments, criticism and counsel with humility. Avoid whining, complaining and self-pity. Assume that there is at least a grain of truth in everything your critics say about you and your work.

11. Stay alert to all evil and temptations around you.

12. Be quick to say, with sincerity, these five things:

— "Thank you."

— "Well done."

— "I am sorry."

— "I forgive you."

— "How can I help you?"

13. Always maintain a good relationship with a mentor.

14. Master the art of asking penetrating questions that will open someone's heart. Then listen carefully, with respect and discernment, to what is revealed.

15. Retreat to the cross regularly. Express gratitude for things you're thankful for, name your sins, pray for the world and listen for God's call to do things that are bigger than you are.

The Necessity for Personal Ministry

Preaching is good and beneficial, but lives are predominantly changed through one-on-one contact: sitting, asking questions, working through wisdom. That is where change occurs. After this pandemic, especially, the church will need a lot of relearning. Lives will not be changed through auditoriums hearing 30 minutes of advice, but through one-on-one counsel that helps someone grow intimacy with God, process their hurts and their wounds, siphon off their anger and feel the anointing of God's spirit. People crave a priest, someone who assures people of God's presence more than someone who simply stands up and teaches.

Seeking and Maintaining Mentorship

Discerning the right mentor can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. When seeking a mentor, always ask the question, "What sort of person do I need to tuck up under at this stage of my life? Do I need what this person has to offer?"

It's also important to keep in mind that mentors have a relatively short half-life. Someone may only mentor you for a few years, through a certain stage of life when you need what they have to offer. Gordon spoke of the 9 great mentors he's had over 80 years for specific areas of life such as marriage, leadership, fatherhood and so on. It's okay for mentors to change as our seasons of life evolve. This is why we also need a few special, deeply close friends: people who we know will be around for a long time, who can speak honestly with you

Knowing When It's Time to Walk Away

As Gordon said in point No. 9 of his 15 pieces of advice, it's important to reevaluate your life and your direction every 7-10 years. When Gordon was 55 years old, he and his wife set a goal to get out of organizational life at the age of 60. This would allow for 20 years of good, healthy, vigorous activity, and they wanted to make sure this was something they prepared for rather than waiting until it was too late. He was confident that he could continue to make a living by continuing to write books and by speaking and has spent the past 20 years feeling just as fulfilled and aligned with God's will as when he was in organizational ministry. After spending time speaking in Germany, and being told repeatedly that he spoke personally with people like a father would, Gordon realized that his call for his next season would be to be a father to young men and women in leadership. This has been his calling ever since. It was this active choice to look around, reevaluate and listen to the Lord's voice that showed him when to move from one season into the next.

Ministry leadership can be a challenging calling, but the rewards of serving the body of Christ are incomparable. As you continue to develop as a Christian leader, I hope Gordon's insight will serve as a powerful reminder of what's important and how to truly succeed in this space.

William Vanderbloemen is the CEO and founder ofVanderbloemen, which serves teams with a greater purpose by aligning their people solutions for growth: hiring, compensation, succession and culture. Through its retained executive search and consulting services, Vanderbloemen serves churches, schools, nonprofits, family offices and Christian businesses in all parts of the United States and internationally.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Dr. Steve Greene is now sharing stories, teachings, and conversations with guests who lead with love on Love Leads, a new podcast. Listen now.

Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!

FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.

The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.