One-on-One with Daniel Henderson on Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize During a Time of Pastoral Failings

When you are the ‘clean up guy’ in multiple contexts, you gain a profound understanding of the causes, consequences, and hopeful corrections that can avert these painful leadership disasters.

Ed: What is the burden you feel that compelled you to write this book?

Daniel: We are witnessing endless accounts of leaders who have received the flag of disqualification, raised the white flag of premature surrender, or thrown in the towel because of debilitating discouragement. My passion for Glorious Finish is to equip leaders with a biblical, systematic, and hopeful path for endurance and integrity for God’s eternal glory.

My personal ministry journey factored into my burden for this book. Some have called me an “OSHA” pastor since on two occasions I was called as the senior pastor in the wake of my predecessor’s high-profile moral failure. When you are the ‘clean up guy’ in multiple contexts, you gain a profound understanding of the causes, consequences, and hopeful corrections that can avert these painful leadership disasters.

Ed: What separates pastors who finish well from those who don’t?

Daniel:Glorious Finish is framed around four key components of a church leader’s journey. How we engage these realities will invariably set the trajectory for either a glorious finish or dishonorable disqualification.

Reasons—the motives that compel us in ministry are foundational. The book starts with a biblical refresher on the “why” behind all we do.

Rhythms—the book isolates the paramount choice between the personal rhythms of personal worship in contrast to spiritual neglect. Worship fuels humility. The key to real humility is a high view and passionate experience of God. Conversely, I propose that neglect will predictably lead to subtle self-reliance.

Results—these contrasting rhythms establish divergent ministry results. First, worship and humility set ...