Same Team

I’ve been so intrigued recently with the competitive nature that is deeply embedded within our modern culture.

It’s not just my sports team is better than yours—something that makes sense, as sports are competitive. It has now become the company that makes my phone is better than yours, the app I use for a task is better than the one you use, and the soft drink you enjoy is not just your choice, but it is beyond inferior to mine. Sure, some of this can be viewed as friendly banter that can happen between actual friends. But it doesn’t make as much sense when it happens with random people, especially on the internet.

Instead of, “I see that you enjoy [insert random thing], have you ever tried [insert other random thing]? I’m a big fan of it, and here’s why…” we get, “You and the thing you like sucks and I’m better, and so is my thing.”

I guess my bigger question is what has all this done for the unity we need in our world?

I can’t imagine that it’s helped it. No wonder we struggle to bring the church together, as Jesus prays for in John 17. We’re so divided—potentially more now than ever before, at least in recent history. So, I wonder, what is it going to take for God’s people to put aside any petty differences and unite?

I’m not talking about the significant different interpretations of key Scriptures and theological stances. No, those should be “debated” in the right places with the right attitude (what the Apostle Peter describes, in a different context but equally important, as gentleness and respect in 1 Peter 3:15).

But it bothers me that we will argue about who is better within the church, and meanwhile people are literally dying without Jesus and the hope He provides.

I don’t have some earth-shattering method to share or a 3-step full-proof process that has come from years of research. I just have some encouragement to share from someone who is deeply competitive, and sometimes to a fault—I can get into almost any sport, board game, card game, video game, or just who can finish doing a task faster. Because I have also learned that there is a place for competition, and there is a place for unity.

For the most part, I think it’s safe to have some friendly competition in a youth group game of dodgeball or even a softball game against another church, but when it comes to the bigger picture, we have to remember we are all on the same team.

Sure, there will be differences of opinion and interpretation of Scripture. We will have times when we don’t see eye to eye. And when we do, we need to prayerfully have good discussion around it. There will even be times when we will deeply disagree on some key issues. But again, that’s not really what I’m talking about today.

And to be clear, I’m also not saying we can’t have differences in our approach to church based on preferences or other things. For the most part, I think it’s okay if one church has a more modern approach while another is more traditional, as long as it doesn’t deviate from the Scriptures and what God wants for His church. Different approaches will appeal to different people, and that can be a good thing. People are diverse in preference, so the church can be diverse (again, within reason).

What I’m talking about is when a church sees another church down the street as their competition just as one restaurant sees another restaurant as competition. “You should come to our building and program because we do church better than anyone else,” or, “We are so much better than that other ministry.” That attitude should not exist within the church.

Funny enough, I’ve often seen restaurant owners support other restaurant owners better than one ministry leader supporting another ministry leader.

Instead of showing arrogance towards another church body or envy toward them because you think you’re not as good as them, because this can go both ways, maybe think about how you can support them, build them up, and even promote them. Have regular conversations and pray together, looking for ways to strategically partner together for the greater Kingdom.

To those church leaders who find yourself doing this, and maybe you even think it’s just a friendly thing because you don’t really mean your church is better than others or not as good as others, know that your people see this and they are following suit. You are leading them, after all.

So where are you, in fact, leading them?

All this also reminds me why I am so thankful for National Network of Youth Ministries. They have helped reinforce this concept of unity for me years ago, and I am so privileged to now get to work side-by-side with them on the team. And I know we are not alone in this, which I am incredibly grateful to say. I don’t want to start naming others, because I will inevitably leave someone out. But you know who you are. Thank you for your passion for the unity Jesus prays for.

I think all my feelings and thoughts toward this concept are probably why I often feel more at home when I’m at a conference or a larger event where lots of churches and ministries are represented. To me, it’s a better picture of God’s Kingdom than our individual churches often are, especially when we are competing with each other rather than partnering together.

Go ahead and root for your favorite baseball team, and try hard to have fun and win in the next game you play. But remember that within the church, we’re on the same team, and the leader of that team isn’t you or me; it’s Jesus, and He’s already won!