I remember talking with my Mom a few years ago about her church. It seems that quite a few of their young people had left to attend the new “Contemporary” church down the road. Her church had done everything it could to retain the youth, but it seems that it just couldn’t compete with the newer, larger, younger church down the street.
The truth is, this wasn’t the first time I had heard this story. It probably wasn’t the 20th time I had heard this story. Not from my mother, but from other pastors, leaders, and friends. In fact, at the time she was telling me her story, the church where I was on staff was lamenting because a well-known pastor with a national following was considering opening a satellite church just down the street from us.
The Competition
If you think this is a new problem in the church, you may be surprised to learn that this same issue was addressed by the apostle Paul. Apparently there was similar competition in Corinth back in the first century. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul learns that there are some people who were under the impression that Apollos was somehow better than Paul! Of course, Paul was not without his group of proponents as well. Paul’s response to this issue of competition in the church has tremendous implications for your church. And my church.
Paul doesn’t mince words when he tells the Corinthians that this attitude of competition was sinful. He tells them “When one of you says, ‘I am a follower of Paul,’ and another says, ‘I follow Apollos,’ aren’t you acting just like people of the world?” The perception that one leader is somehow better than another leader is something that is commonplace outside of the church. In a capitalist society, it is downright necessary. Brand A has to convince people that it is superior to Brand B. If it is unable to do so, Brand A won’t be round very long. Unfortunately, this same mindset has been allowed to corrupt and pollute the church as well.
My Church is Better Because...
Churches across the nation are in strong competition with each other for members. We create programs and systems to attract people to our church. Then we advertise those programs to attract more people to our church. We are in a race to convince people that our church is the best one for them. We even have marketing departments to create ads that will appeal to our “target audience”. The standard for success is determined by how many people we can attract on the weekend. The more people that attend a church, the more successful it is determined to be. Pastors that can attract a large enough crowd are deemed successful. They are invited to speak at conferences about how you too can increase the size of your church. They write books. They have a following.
Pastors of churches which are not as large, are not as successful, of course. The reasoning goes that if they are not “good” enough to attract large numbers of people to their churches, they couldn’t possibly have any knowledge that would be worth listening to. So they are not invited to speak at conferences. They do not write books. They simply do what they do.
And the Winner Is...
When Paul discovered that this was how the Corinthians were beginning to think, he introduces a different perspective to the issue of competition. Here’s what he told them. “…who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it…”
You would have thought that Paul would have come back with the reasons why he was much better than Apollos. But instead, he asserts that neither he nor Apollos were actually better than the other. They just had different functions. It was Pauls job to plant the seeds of the gospel. That was his purpose. And he did that much better than Apollos because that wasn’t the mission that God had given to Apollos. God had commissioned Apollos to water that seed. To take what had been planted and care for it. He was much better at that than Paul was because that was what God had designed him to do. This wasn’t the “better than” case that the Corinthians had made it out to be. It was not a matter of who was better. It was simply a difference in assignment. It would be like arguing about which is better, a lightbulb, or the light switch. Neither can be thought of as better. They are different devices with different purposes. But together, they can each play their part to produce light.
Paul also makes it very clear that neither he nor Apollos were the ones who caused growth in the seed. That was where God came in. Paul goes as far as to say that it doesn’t really matter who did the planting and who did the watering. Those people were only doing what they were supposed to do. The real hero in the story is God. Once the planter and the waterer do their jobs, God can cause growth to occur.
Paul then concludes his argument with these words “The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.”
Apparently, Paul and Apollos were not actually in competition with each other. They were on the same side! How different would our churches be if we had this same attitude about the church down the road? They’re on our side. They aren’t competition. They just have a different function and purpose in the Kingdom of God. What if we took it a step further and not only acknowledged that fact, but actually cooperated with each other? What if we met together to pray with and for each other? What if we recognized that the more successful we each are, the more successful God’s Kingdom is in our part of town? Could we begin to realize that the growth of our local church is not the goal. The growth of God’s Kingdom is? And could we even be bold enough to recognize that the two are not the same?
The truth is, your church has a purpose in the Kingdom of God. That’s why he placed you where you are. The other churches in your city also have a distinct purpose in God’s Kingdom. That’s why he placed them where they are. Even the ones who differ from you theologically! Can we begin to recognize that we aren’t in competition with each other. We’re actually on the same side.
For more information on discovering God’s purpose for your church, please see this article.
Tom Rawlings
Tom Rawlings has been working with churches for over 30 years. If your church is having difficulty determining God's purpose for you, I can help. I can't hear from God for you, but I can help you hear by sharpening your focus. From researching history to helping connect with other churches in your region, I can be a resource to help you find God's purpose for your church. To chat more about it, just use the button below to contact me. Or give me a call! I would be glad to talk with you!
Good read. Thanks for sharing
Thanks William!