By Craig Groeschel
What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. —Albert Pike
A while back, I bumped into an older lady who recognized me as the pastor of Life.Church. She explained that she was a member of another church in town. Although I didn’t know her pastor well, I said that I’d heard a lot of great things about him. She responded, “Wow! I can’t believe you’re speaking well of the competition.” Shocked, I explained that in no way did I view her church as a competitor. She shot back, “Well, your church is definitely our competition. We’re fighting to make sure we get as many members as we can before you and other churches get them all.”
God’s heart must break over that kind of attitude. Jesus said in Luke 11:17, “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.” Seventeenth-century Puritan minister Richard Baxter echoed Jesus’ sentiment when he lamented, “Is it not enough that all the world is against us, but we must also be against one another? O happy days of persecution, which drove us together in love, whom the sunshine of liberty and prosperity crumbles into dust by our contentions!”
The more possessive and competitive we are, the more divided we become. Virtually every ministry I’ve ever known that had it was not divisive. The leaders were kingdom minded.
What Do I Mean by Kingdom Minded?
A kingdom-minded ministry is one whose leaders care more about what God is doing everywhere than what God is doing right here. Kingdom-minded leaders know it’s not just about their own ministry. A kingdom-minded ministry is generous and eager to partner with others to get more done for the glory of God.
It’s hard to have it without desiring that other ministries succeed. When you have it, you know that it doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to God. He gives it. And since it is his and not yours, you’re grateful to have it and willing to share it.
Those who have it know it is not about them. It is not about their personal names. It is not about North Point, Elevation Church, Transformation Church, Gateway Church, Wesley United Methodist, First Baptist, First Presbyterian, First Christian, Calvary Chapel, Hope City, Redeemer Covenant, Fresh Life, Lord of Life Lutheran, Holy Ghost Temple of Righteous Praise, or whatever your church is called. It is not about …
- your student ministry
- your children’s ministry
- your YouTube presence
- your church app
- your new logo or website
- And it is certainly not about your name
It is about Jesus. There’s no other name under heaven by which we can be saved, and so no other name really matters. It’s all about him.
I learned this the hard way. There was one particular year in our church when we definitely didn’t have it. This happened to be the year our church didn’t grow. I think we didn’t grow because we had lost focus—I had lost focus—and it blurred, faded, and disappeared.
One weekend that year, I was driving between our two campuses to speak. Each time I made that trip, I passed several churches. By the looks of one’s empty parking lot, very few people were attending. With a combination of pride and pity, I prayed, God, help this little church. I pray you would bless them and they’d reach a ton of new people.
As I was praying, I felt like God asked me a question. Craig, would you be excited if their growth exceeded yours?
My honest answer was no.
That’s hard to admit. No, I wouldn’t have been happy if this church outgrew ours. It wasn’t that I didn’t want them reaching people. I just wanted to reach more. No matter how you slice that apple, I was territorial, insecure, and self-centered. While I had a heart for God’s kingdom, my biggest desire was to build my kingdom, and God simply won’t bless that. He shouldn’t. I think that’s why we weren’t growing. If I were God, I wouldn’t have grown our church either.
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “I am surrounded by priests who repeat incessantly that their kingdom is not of this world and yet they lay their hands on everything they can get.” Do you know any pastors like that? We say our church or ministry is not about us. But for many of us, “us” is all we can talk or think about. Not only is our kingdom not of this world but to build our kingdoms is surely one of the grossest sins. After I recognized my sinful attitude, my prayers changed. God, make me more generous. Expand my heart for others. Make me a kingdom-minded leader.
As pastors and Christian leaders, we should be thrilled when other ministries succeed. You may think you are, but have you noticed how much easier it is to be pumped for those who are growing in another town? Yeah, God! I’m thrilled their ministry in that other state is growing! But if they’re in my town, it’s easy to feel threatened or competitive. What? The church down the street is doing well? They must be preaching a feel-good message.
That attitude is wrong.
It’s dangerous.
I’d go so far as to say that God won’t let a ministry keep it for long if they won’t give it away. Keeping it to yourself is a sure way to kill it. Ministries that don’t have much of it often work hard to guard what little of it they have. What’s funny about it is that the more you try to hoard it, the less of it you tend to have. The more you’re willing to give it away, the more of it God seems to give.
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Adapted from Lead Like IT Matters: 7 Leadership Principles for a Church That Lasts by Craig Groeschel. Click here to learn more about this book.
Lead Like It Matters is a completely revised and updated version of the book previously published as It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It.
Discover the secret to igniting a life-giving, soul-transforming, people-inspiring movement in your organization, church, or ministry.
New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, an innovative multisite church known around the world and an organization that Glassdoor has named a #1 U.S. Best Place to Work. But it didn’t happen by accident. In 1996, a handful of congregants worshipped together in a two-car garage. Today, the church welcomes tens of thousands of attendees in multiple states across the country and globally at Life.Church Online.
Lead Like It Matters presents Groeschel’s transformative insights on how to effectively build a thriving, enduring ministry and organization. Using his skills as a top leader, he combines straight-talk and wry honesty with biblical and leadership principles to equip you with the tools to:
- Recognize when your organization or ministry has the indefinable but tangible “it” that leads to success
- Identify and implement seven leadership principles for a church that lasts
- Ignite a fire in your team to leave behind “what we’ve always done” for the meaningful ministry you know is possible
- Discover the three areas every leader must master for success
Lead Like It Matters reveals the secret for building ministry momentum and then keeping it going.
Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, one of the largest churches in the world and the creator of the free YouVersion Bible App. The New York Times bestselling author of fifteen books, Craig hosts the top-ranking Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast and speaks to hundreds of thousands of leaders around the world annually through the Global Leadership Network. Craig and his wife, Amy, live in Oklahoma. Connect with Craig at www.craiggroeschel.com.
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