I played and refereed soccer as a kid, but I prefer to watch Rugby League. So apart from the World Cup, I don't watch much soccer these days.

That means I was unaware of the full extent of Alex Ferguson's achievements as Manager of Manchester United, until I noticed that their 0-0 draw with Arsenal last week to win the English Premier League had seen their club draw equal with Liverpool as record holders for the greatest number of titles.

Under Ferguson's stewardship, Man U have won eleven English Championships. Eleven! In addition, there were two European Champions Leagues, and five FA Cups among 25 trophies in all. Ferguson is the most successful manager in British football history.

But what's any of that got to do with ministry?

Well, get this: Ferguson was manager at the Manchester United for seven seasons before winning the championship. Seven long years. It's unimaginable today that sporting clubs would stick that long with an ‘unsuccessful’ manager. These days, if you don't produce results, you'd get the sack after a couple of seasons.

But clearly it took the Scotsman a while to develop the winning culture. I guess it just seems like a parable for us in ministry.

Growth, fruitfulness, success in ministry—I mean people coming to Christ and growing in Christ—often seems to come after a long lead time, and with plenty of patience and hard work. It can't be rushed. It needs endurance.

I know the Spirit's wind blows where he will and only God gives the growth. But I reckon that, under God, there were more people who came to Christ in my sixth year in my last parish, than during the previous five combined. It just takes time for trust to develop and momentum. If only I could have stayed longer.

And it's the same when I think of some of the most influential ministries in the neck of the woods I know. Occasionally things develop in a rush. But generally the pastors were there for the long haul. One decade, one and a half, two decades. And, from a distance, that also seems to be the pattern with people like John Piper and Mark Dever.

My predecessor in my last parish was there 25 years or so. But the blokes who were such wonderful pillars of the church in my time had been taken under his wing and discipled by him when they were in high school. What a blessing the fruit of that long-term ministry was to me.

It's not that every long-serving minister automatically sees observable ‘success’ any more than all long-serving coaches do. Even dead wood can stay standing for a long time. But it also takes a long time for the Huon Pine with its prized timber to grow.

When I googled “average length pastorate”, the first four results reported that the average length for a pastorate was

• 5 years
• 7.2 years (smaller churches)—8.7 years (larger churches)
• under 60 months
• 3-7 years.

Of course, there are all sorts of reasons for this—many of them good. But I can't help wonder if we tend to move on too quickly.

I know very little about Alex Ferguson and his methods (except for the bare facts of his exceptional coaching track record and that he's apparently put his retirement plans on pause!) And I know that even talking about ministry success seems like an earthly way of putting it. But seeing how long it took for Ferguson's success to come (an eternity in today's instant results world) reminds me of the need for stickability, endurance and perseverance in ministry where I am now. And it should caution us all—pastors and parishioners alike—against expecting ‘results’ in a hurry.

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