March Madness? Church Madness...

I know that there are a lot of you who practically live for this special time of the year - March Madness. Well, I'm not one of those. I like sports and everything, but I just can't get into it. I just saw that our very own Ohio State Bucks just moved on in the bracket - good. But...

There is one thing I DO like about sports - teams. I love teams! I like Nascar teams, b-ball teams, v-ball teams, football teams, etc. It is thrilling to watch a team work together for a common goal. Unfortunately, many team's hopes hang on the shoulders of a few really good players. You know what I'm talking about. But while one player may emerge as the star, that one player couldn't win by himself (or herself - thanks Mia Ham for the memories!).

It's the same in church life. It takes a team to have a succesful church organization and that's what I love about New Covenant Bible Church. We are a team! In fact, a newcomer to staff meeting might have difficulty figuring out who is in charge - we are a team. I love a team - everyone works hard to ensure a win for the team. Individuals don't win or lose - the success of the team is first and foremost. No superstars allowed!

(Rant warning!) Church Madness...

Many churches today work on the superstar model of ministry! Free agency kicks in and they go looking for the best sermonator (ha!) they can find to build their church. These pastors (I'm going off the deap end now) become the cornerstone upon which the church is built - wasn't it supposed to be Jesus? From the top down, they build the church and for a while everything works great - attendance goes up, people get excited, and others say "wow, what a superstar pastor!"

Then, free agency kicks in! The pastor gets a better offer - more money, bigger church, more, more, more and then he leaves the church upon which he had been the cornerstone. What do you think happens to that church? You guessed it - they suffer, the church suffers, church madness.

(Rant off) While it may take a village to raise a child, it takes a team to lead a church. Alright, I'll confess that I was once a top-down pastor who didn't work with teams. Then, I went to a church that had the word team in it's mission statement - well almost. Now, I'm in a church that is made up of teams - lots and lots of them! WooHoo!

Is your church led by a team? I'd love to hear what you've got to say.