Dear Rose Park,
I grew up playing competitive sports with my two older brothers. Throughout our formative childhood years we devoted time, energy, and resources towards soccer, swimming, and baseball. Our competitive spirit was in full force when we were able to play the game or endure the race with our teammates. That same spirit was not limited to merely the confines of an athletic event, even household games like ‘run horses run’ and euchre were made into a competition. I like that I’m competitive and it’s served me well throughout my life, however when it comes to the life of the church competition is rarely helpful.
It can be so tempting to concern ourselves with the competition of churches. Who has the most people? Who has the biggest building? Who has the the trendiest children’s program? Who is hosting the most popular worship band or speaker? These kinds of questions are not unique, but they are highlighted and elevated in a West Michigan culture that is flush full of churches. This is not inherently a bad thing, but if our eyes are not set on things above, where Christ is, it can be so easy for our eyes to settle on earthly things and become consumed with the competition of the churches. When this occurs, we forget a simple and foundational truth: we are one church in a variety of locations.
This truth has been shared with me multiple times over several years by the pastor at Benjamin’s Hope, Eric Peterson. Eric is a good friend of mine; in fact, I use to be his intern while I was in college and he was the youth pastor at Beechwood Reformed Church. Eric has a kind soul, a warm heart, and a fiery passion for Jesus. Not only does Eric desire to break down unhealthy barriers but he also deeply desires for the church to find unity in Christ without all the competition.
This coming Sunday evening, February 5 at 6:00pm, I’ll be preaching at the Church of Benjamin’s Hope. I’d love to see you there to join us in worship, celebrate holy communion, and embody the foundational truth that we are one Church in a variety of locations. I so appreciate the posture Benjamin’s Hope has embodied as it relates to unity and radical inclusivity. One of their core values is that everybody matters: we strive to have all persons co-laboring in all aspects of church mission and ministry. This kind of co-laboring doesn’t occur in its’ fullest sense through competition, but rather through Gospel-centered worship and authentic embraces of community.
I love to compete when it comes to games and activities, but when competition creeps its way into the walls of our churches our eyes tend to fall from the heavenly realms and settle instead on our own ego and achievements. It’s my hope and prayer that by embracing our neighbors at Benjamin’s Hope we might experience a foretaste of the foundational truth: we are one church in a variety of locations.
Grace & Peace,
