Anyone who is a fan of team sports knows how things can go wrong when you have a group of superstars that don't work together or individuals who just want to do it all. In 2008, I saw this lesson in motion as I watched a terrible NC State men's basketball team spoil a roster full of talent. We had solid players at each position, but our crown jewel was a guy named JJ Hickson. Hickson was a beast, came in as one of the nation's best players, and would go on to be recruited into the NBA after only 1 season in college. Unfortunately, he was so good that the rest of the team just stopped playing. Sounds crazy right? Each game it's almost like they would just jog up and down the court to watch this superstar do his thing, rack up crazy statistics, and ultimately lose the game. The problem was that he was good... but he couldn't win the game on his own.
They didn't work together. The team didn't recognize everyone's strengths and weaknesses and they didn't realize that they needed to spread the load around the court.
No matter how active and energetic we may be, how much experience we have under our belt, or how smart we may think we are, we all need help. All of us are finite people with limited mental, physical, and emotional bandwidth. This is especially true in ministry.
In Acts, we see the early church beginning as a cabal of spectators following the apostles and growing to become semi-organized community churches spread across the known world. In chapter 6 we see how the apostles spread the load...
In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch. They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:6-7)
We think of disciples as these legendary, unstoppable forces, but they were human. They had limitations and recognized they couldn't do everything themselves. For this reason, they appointed individuals who would assist them in the work of the church.
A church run by a single, a few, or a select group of people is not sustainable. God has brought many people together, each with their own talents, convictions, and weaknesses, to do great things. It is essential that we work to build this "community church" in any ministry body so that individuals can serve where their gifts allow them to serve. In doing so, the church is blessed, the individuals are blessed, and those being reached by the church are blessed. It's a literal win-win-win.
As we move forward with our church planting, we will continue building opportunities and ways for more people to serve, to grow, and to go. I am excited to see how God will use all of us for things bigger than we imagine. For now, pray and meditate on your convictions and share those with others; you never know when the conviction God has placed on your heart will match the motivation placed on another's.
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