Moving the Finishing Line
Clarity Training
September 17, 2024.
Five of us explored some current realities for Oak Grove Church in our Clarity training yesterday. Exploring our next bold steps of faith was invigorating, and I will give you a quick glimpse of our thoughts in this blog. The central theme of our training is that churches need to move the finishing line.
One of the greatest blunders in football is watching a player about to cross the goal line after a great catch and run but unconsciously drops the football about a yard short of the goal line as he begins celebrating the touchdown prematurely before he gets into the end zone. They think they have already scored and begin celebrating too soon. I have seen some players on the other team know the mistake, pick up the ball, and run it back to score on the team with possession. It is a massive mental lapse to celebrate too soon.
Churches often start celebrating their victories too soon. There are three typical components of a church’s mindset about being a healthy, thriving church. It would be great if we could attract as many people as possible to our Sunday service! For many, filling the pews (so to speak) is a sign of growth. Secondly, connecting people into groups. Groups can be small groups, home groups, or someplace to have healthy relationships. Thirdly, people are usually encouraged to serve or volunteer in some program or ministry for a few hours a month.
For many churches, this is when they begin celebrating. When the auditorium is essentially full, more than 50% are in some small group, and we adequately run our programs, we celebrate! I will propose that while these things are not bad, celebrating that we are doing great just based on these things is like dropping the football a yard before scoring the touchdown. But this is how many churches celebrate being a church. How many people are in the building on Sunday? How many are in a small group, and can we get our people to volunteer?
But these internal victories do not mean we are fulfilling the Great Commission. They are insufficient to fulfill the mission of the gospel. When Christ came, He did three things: He called people to be His disciples, trained or equipped them, and sent them out with the gospel message. Only when our Body hears Christ’s call to be a disciple (not the same as understanding my spiritual gift to serve), and we are equipping and helping people reach their neighbors, friends, and family where they work, live, and play, can we begin to celebrate.
Our mission and vision center on being mature disciples of Christ. We need to start by moving the finish line in our minds and practices to make a greater impact outside our walls, even more than what we do inside. We must develop a bigger vision than Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. Are we moving in that direction? Absolutely! While all this is encouraging, we need to be careful not to celebrate too early in the game, or we may not see the victory that Christ desires for our church.
But this is an “all play, everyday mission” responsibility. This is not just for the gifted and talented; it is not for the professionals; it is not for “the church,” which excludes certain people. We would love to see everyone understand Jesus’ call on their life to be disciples who make disciples by becoming spiritual parents as we live out the gospel message where we live, play, and work. Our role is to provide a context to develop heart, vision, and know-how so we can live in a way that honors Christ.
Pastor Brad.
