Small, Medium, & Large

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and "Purpose Driven Life" fame has said in the past, when talking about church and ministry growth and impact, "when you're small, others ignore you; when you're medium-size, others take credit for your growth; when you're large, others criticize you."

This is something that you're going to have to deal with in your international ministry.

As your international ministry grows and impacts more people and bears more fruit, you will quickly discover that not everyone else is going to be celebrating along with you. Not everyone else is going to be happy about your success. In fact, you're quickly going to discover that some others will be down right angry about your success. As your ministry grows, the amount of criticism and negativity directed against you and your ministry will grow, too.

Sadly, there are several churches and ministries out there that see all of this as nothing more than a big competition. If they see you bearing more fruit than them, however it is measured, then they may start to go postal on you. The vast majority of the criticism and negativity directed against you - probably 98% of it - will be based on nothing more than ministerial jealousy and envy. I've seen this happen all over the world, including in the USA, Peru, Cuba, England, Russia, and Israel.

As Rodney King so aptly put it, "Can't we all just get along?"

Some of the gravest wounds that you will suffer in international ministry will be the result of friendly fire. Some of the gravest wounds that you will suffer in international ministry will come from the "Christian" world, not the secular world.

Be careful not to lose your focus and vision when the bullets start flying. Be careful not to stoop to the same low level as those who have gone postal against you. The enemy would like nothing more than to see you get right down there in the mud with them, and therefore gravely injure two ministries instead of just one. Those who have gone negative against you will have to answer to God for their harmful words and actions - but remember that you, too, will have to answer to God for your response to them.