Racket Throwing

I don’t know what it is about sports, but I love to play them, watch them, and even think about them. Ever since I was a kid I participated in almost every sport available to me (for those of you from Colorado, by sports I mean things like basketball, football, tennis, soccer, tag, etc. Not rock climbing, mountain biking, and skiing). And ever since I started playing sports I have been really competitive. One of the main sports I played growing up was tennis, and throughout my “career” I think I was about as good at throwing my racket as I was at actually playing the sport. I just didn’t handle losing well.

Unfortunately I don’t think my competitiveness stops with sports. I was looking at the website of the church a friend from college is working at and as I was looking at the awesome graphics, podcast capability, and streaming video, I found myself secretly wishing that the church wouldn’t do well. I was jealous. I wish I was alone.

Protestant denominationalism, among other things, has engendered an attitude in American churches (at least American, maybe others, but I only know what I’m around) of competition. Are we growing faster than the Baptist church down the street? Is our facility nicer than the Anglican church? If we’re growing we don’t care if that growth is coming from other churches in the area, as long as we are growing. This betrays a horrible deficiency in our mindset. Our goal has become the advancement of one particular group in one particular building, not the kingdom of God. Why is it that I don’t see myself as one with the other churches in Denver? I freely admit that is my problem to a large extent, but unfortunately I think very few have a mindset that sees the growth and impact of any church as a victory that includes all God’s people.

P.S. I do want to give props to my church for praying for another church in the area in our services each week. This is a bigger step than I’ve ever seen made before in my other experiences.