An indispensable trait for successful pastors is Perseverance.
The New Testament word, hupomeno, is best translated “Patiently enduring” or “overcoming difficulties.”
This unglamorous component of leadership may disappoint those hoping to build effective churches by means of skill, charisma and intelligence alone. Never the less, those who persevere – who doggedly pursue what God has shown them – are more likely to reach their pastoral goals than those sprinting along in reliance on their natural abilities.
Perseverance is characterized by three elements:
1. Resilience:
- The ability to bounce back.
2. Learned Optimism
- Defined as having an eye for what is going right.
3. Opportunism
- Enables the pastor to see opportunities amid the problems.