What is Success?

Topic: Based on what you are reading, discussing and experiences provide a minimum of 500 words about the meaning of success as it relates to homelessness.  Provide your current theological perspectives about this topic as well as experiential examples.

Response: Life experiences often form us in ways that keep us moving forward but holding on at the same time. Over the past three years, I have seen the notion of “success” with children and families in poverty framed in a very different way than it has been framed during my time at Candler.

The Teach for America and “No Excuses” charter school model under which I worked ususally gave a very straightforward definition of success. In these environments, achievements were often seen as a number. Perhaps it was a test score or a graduation rate, but success was often defined in a very straightforward way. Despite that fact that I experienced some quantitative “success” by these definitions, I usually chose to measure accomplishments with my students in a more holistic way. I took into account the relationships I developed with students and their families as well. This holistic measuring was encouraged by these organizations, but in the end, they looked at numbers. Likewise, I often let the numbers by which the schools and organizations defined me play into my notion of success.

In bringing those experiences to my work at Genesis and my future ministry work, I see some positive attributes that can be claimed. I do believe that there is value in measuring our ministry work in a quantitative manner. To me, being able to ground our work with a tangible output helps keep our heads on straight. We are flawed human beings, and we often need numbers, goals, and action steps to keep our work on track.

However, I believe that defining success should transcend our numbers in a myriad of ways. As George stated, the Christ we serve did not experience much quantitative success in his time on this earth.

Some of what Myers wrote spoke to me as it pertains to this transcendence. Myers wrote that, “Restoring identity and recovering vocation must be the focus of a biblical understanding of human transformation.” This seems to be a great starting point as we consider how to measure our success as ministers with those in poverty and homelessness.

If churches and faith-based non-profits took this two-pronged approach to ministry with the homeless, they may have a good starting point to measure success. Obviously, the measurability of these two would be difficult, but that does not preclude me from agreeing with Myers that both a restored identity and restored sense of vocation are necessary in order to work with folks to move them forward from difficult situations. 

In relation to a reclaimed sense of identity, I will use an example from my previous work. I saw many students experience this “restored sense of identity” as it pertains to confidence in their abilities. Many students came into my classroom fully convinced that they were incapable of experiencing any success when it comes to school (especially math.) Unfortunately, many students left my classroom with the same feelings of inadequacy. However, it is those in whom I was able to see progression that showed me that a reclaiming of identity is possible. Seeing a student who told me “I have always flunked the End-of-Course test and I always will” score proficient on their EOC shows me that we can reclaim identities. Receiving a Facebook message from a student with whom I constantly battled about anger issues that said “I am trying to grow and better myself as a student and as a man” shows me that reclaiming identities is essential.

As it pertains to a restoration of vocation, our reading for Dr. Charles’ class comes to mind. Christopher Jencks states quite simply, “In principle, almost everyone can do something useful, and most people of working age are better off when they have a job.” I would argue that a sense of vocation goes far beyond simply having a job, but having work can certainly be a key component. In speaking to mothers at Genesis who are either on the brink of work or who have recently received work, I see a light of hope that comes through the validation they feel in vocation. By the same token, I have spoken to mothers who seem destitute because of their inability to find work. People need to know they were created with a purpose in mind. We must all reclaim the idea that our lives can be spent in a creative vocational outpouring of thankfulness.

I have already far eclipsed the 500 word minimum, so I will wrap up. In sum, tangible measurements can help measure our success, but they should not be ends in and of themselves. Reclaiming identity and restoring vocation are a great start, and with those large categories comes much effort and discernment on the part of the ministers.