Defining Success

I spent the weekend with 12,000 teenagers at a thing called Winterfest. Mostly, I spent it with the four people I traveled with, and we had some great conversations about the event itself. I mean...we had a good time together, ate pancakes at every possible opportunity and my ribs hurt from laughing so much. But we also had some great conversations about the nature of things like Winterfest -- a huge youth rally of sorts.

Here's the question I'd like to pose for you today. And, unlike so many of my other questions, I'd like to stay with this one for a few days. I'd appreciate feedback as this is part of a larger project I'm currently working on.

How do you define success in your ministry? There's an underlying assumption in that question that may cause some people to avoid answering. Namely, that assumption is that you have a "ministry." Whether you admit it or not, we're all working on something -- serving others in some capacity for some purpose -- with some aim in mind. Everyone has a ministry, so let's not quibble over whether it's a "church" thing or not. Just answer the question:

How do you define success in your ministry?