The Competition

I think it's Bill Hybels who I heard ask the question, "Who's the competition for your church?" After letting us think about it for a little while, he said that other churches in your community may have come to mind, but that would be wrong. Other churches are on the same team, they're not the competition. The competition is anything that draws people away from God and away from the church.

The pastor of one of the larger churches in our community told me that when they were looking for land, they considered land close to us, but felt they should keep their distance from other churches. I told him he didn't need to do that for us because we don't see his church as the competition. Anyway, they are quite different in style, meaning we don't normally reach the same folks.

Recently I heard a rumor that the largest church in MN (whose style is much like ours) was considering starting a campus in Woodbury. (It may be more than a rumor, I really don't know.) I had to gulp hard on that one and remind myself that we're on the same team and that most churches reach folks through personal invitation (meaning that most of the people we reach, only we can reach, and vice versa). That one really tested my conviction. I really don't think of other churches as the competition.

But there is at least one good thing about thinking of another church as competition. When a highly effective church is moving into your community with a new campus, using a multi-site approach, the church that feels threatened just might get it's act together, even if it's for survival. Maybe, just maybe, they'll stop arguing about music styles or color of carpets or how the youth dress when they come to church. Maybe they'll start thinking about bringing lives to Christ (i.e., making more disciples) as much as they think about bringing Christ to everyday life (i.e., making better disciples). Maybe the "competition" will help them get in the game. This is the idea explored "The Walmart Factor for Churches."

We are God's Plan

The following is an abbreviated summary of Gary Haugen's address, "God's Heart for Justice," at this year's Catalyst** Conference, provided by the Catalyst Monthly.

• God is calling us to exhilaration of joy through adventure. How do you gather people to go on the adventure? Paul said to prepare your mind for action. Have clarity about the world around you.

• The hardest thing for people to believe in the world is that God is good. What is God's plan for making this believable to suffering people? We are the plan. He doesn't have another plan. You are the light of the world-let your light so shine among men that they will see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven.

• When we help people, they see the body of Christ show up and they can believe that God is good.

• There are so many people in the world who are suffering because of the abuse and oppression of other people.

• Injustice is a specific kind of sin--the abuse of power to take from others the good things that God intended for everyone-life, liberty, dignity, fruits of our love and labor--this is the sin of injustice.

• A million new children a year taken into forced prostitution-how are they supposed to believe that God is good?

• In the world of injustice there is a God of justice who wishes to bring rescue.

• The story of Jesus feeding the 5000 is an example of how Jesus works out the magnitude of the need through our own lack of resources. We just provide Him what we have and He works with the rest. Jesus does the miracle.

• God is still in the business of transformation, and not only does he change lives, but He changes history.

• Why in a world of so much suffering and hurt and need, have we been given so much?

**Catalyst in their own words: Catalyst is all about shaping leaders in the Church, presenting the next big ideas, practices and content. Catalyst exists to ignite passion for Christ and develop leadership potential in the Next Generation, equipping them to engage and impact their world. Every year, 10,000 next generation leaders converge on Atlanta in October for the Catalyst Conference, the leadership experience of the year. But Catalyst is more than a conference- it purposes to serve as a leadership filter, continually providing relevant training, innovative events, and cutting edge resources for leaders in the Church.