Element Church Insider

There is a big push in the church world today to do things with excellence.  If you were to read the core values of many of today’s most successful churches, you w0uld most likely read something about “creating a culture of excellence”.  I for one, am ALL FOR excellence.  If you’re going to be doing something in the name of Jesus and for people to hear ABOUT Jesus, you BETTER be attempting to do it with excellence.  Doing things halfway or “good enough” is NOT God honoring.  However, I think we/I need to understand something.

There is a BIG difference between excellence and significance.  Something, even in our church, can be done VERY WELL,  with excellence if you will, but have little to NO significance.  No impact.  Excellence should not be our goal, significance should.  IMPACT should.

I’m not going to mention any church “projects” or “programs” outside this one conversation I had in my life and thought of today.  I’m not trying to pin point any specific thing here, just point out a principle:  I was invited one time to a round table of community church leaders to discuss some things in our community.  At this meeting were pastors and leaders from various churches around town.  One representative of a local ministry kept going on and on about their new stained glass window at their facility.  They weren’t just talking about it, they had a real conundrum they were dealing with.  Essentially this person said: “You should see our new window.  It has ‘this’ and ‘this”.  You can see it from ‘here’ and ‘here’.  It is ‘this’ big and ‘this ‘high’.  ‘So and so’ actually flew in from ‘this place’ to do it for us.”  Then they concluded with this “Our window is SO BEAUTIFUL.  How come no one is coming to see it?”

Wow!  I have no idea what else they did at their organization, but I can tell you this.  They did something with excellence in that window, but it had NO SIGNIFICANCE!  Am I against stained glass windows?  No.  I think they are gorgeous.   What I am against, is choosing to just focus on excellence, if there is no lasting significance in what we do.  ANY church, at ANY time, ANYwhere, can have their own “stained glass window” to distract them.

Excellence is not our goal, significance is.  Choose significant and impactful things to do…and do them with excellence.

Seeking significance,

Jeff

So Pastor Kody and I are in Charlotte, NC for a leadership event @ Elevation Church.  As a part of our flight from Denver to Charlotte we had a brief layover in Washington Dulles airport.  (random note…NOT impressed at all with the airport in our nations capital)  Since we left Denver at 6 AM we were hungry and wanted to grab a bite before catching our connection.  We had about one hour so we weren’t in a huge hurry.  Right near our gate were two restaurants.  Five Guys Burgers and Mayorga Coffee Roasters.  I wanted to go to Five Guys but it was SLAMMED and had a huge line.  We stepped aside to Mayorga which had two employees standing around doing nothing, because no one was in line.  We stepped right up, ordered a vitamin water and a chicken wrap that was displayed in the cooler case.  Paid (overpaid) and was on our way.  As we sat at our gate, and disappointingly (is that a word) tasted the wrap we had just ordered, I thought of this:

There is a reason Five Guys had a line.  (I know, I’m brilliant)  But seriously.  Mayorga was content getting the random leftover business from people who weren’t willing to wait in line at Five Guys.  Here’s the problem:  NO ONE is going to come back to Mayorga.  If they continue to do their business in the way they are doing it, they will not create a loyal and faithful customer base that would be willing to wait in line for their service.

Oh, they’ll stay open.  They’ll pay the bills.  They’ll offer a product.  But it’s not something willing to wait for.  It’s not something people would stand in line for.  It’s not something that people will talk about (positively).  That people will invite their friends to.  Or that most people will come back to.  Five Guys IS!

Made me think about church.  We have the GREATEST STORY EVER KNOWN!  How do we present it?  How do we “serve” it?  Are going to do church in a way that people will just keep the doors open, pay the bills, take the leftovers, remain the same? …or will we do church in a way that people will WAIT IN LINE to attend if they have to?  Invite their friends to it?  Talk about (positively)?  Anticipate it?  Want more of it?

I know we CAN’T make church all about HOW we do it, but I wonder how many churches are just a Mayorga Coffee shop?  Staying open hoping someone isn’t willing to wait in line at Five Guys.