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LifeChurch.tv is Not the Best Church
Again, this post won’t apply to all churches, but I’m sure it will speak to many.
At the first church I served, our staff would often say (and sincerely believe):
- “We have the best choir in America.”
- “Our pastor is the best preacher in our denomination.”
- “Our people are the friendliest in the world.”
At LifeChurch.tv, I won’t let our staff ever say we are the best at anything.
- We are not the most innovative (even if a poll says we are).
- We don’t have the best ____________ ministry. (fill in the blanks)
- We don’t have the perfect theology.
- We don’t have the best teaching.
If we ever start to think we’re the best, we open the door to the following dangers:
- We become full of pride.
- Our pride demands that we look down on other ministries that aren’t as good as ours.
- Since we’re already the best, why should we try to improve.
- If no one is better, who could possibly help us reach more people?
- Since we’re already good, when the world changes around us and we become less effective, we’ll never notice.
- We will regret this attitude when we stand before God.
I hope your ministry isn’t the best either!
Visit 
Great entry, Craig. Like “Credit and Blame” this post shows a lot of humility and gives great perspective. I love the attitude and spirit of Lifechurch.tv. You guys are the best! (Sorry, my bad…you guys are o.k.)
Great post! God blesses a humble teachable heart!
That´s is a really god staff.
I am a co-pastor in a foreign country and I have a question. How can I help my pastor to change the way he thinks about that we are the best?
Do you feel this has affected how you set your measurables, whether unrealistic or too attainable?
Thanks Craig. Great word!!!
BD
This is really encouraging to read Craig. At a church I attended for quite some time there was the attitude and some sort of saying that “we’re the best church in town” and no one else is doing it “right”. This really lead to a spirit of pride and there was no unity among churches because no other church was as “good” as they were.
That is true. You have to give your best, do your best, but NEVER believe you’ve arrived to be THE best. Interesting balance, but so important.
Hey Craig-
I just wanted to tell you that I truly appreciate your candidness and humility. I love the fact that, despite having a hugangous church and perhaps from the outside it seems the best in so many ways, you are humble about it and realize there are areas for improvement. I appreciate that you speak as a friend sitting in the room does about his “little church on the other side of town” rather than the pastor of such a big movement.
May God continue to bless you as a daddy and a husband, and maybe a little toward your day job too!
Blessings!
Craig, this is why God has blessed you beyond all measure. For the pure and simple fact that your are humble and you seek him in all you paths. Continue the life for God, even when you aren’t the best of the best
Great thoughts and attitude. I used to be in a similar situation as Jack and it sure can bite you in the rear end down the line! I guess that’s one big advantage of being a church plant…you don’t have time to get a big head.
Love your kingdom minded spirit.
I think this touches on a really great concept Jim Collins (Good to Great) coined. It’s called the Stockdale Paradox, names after Admiral Jim Stockdale who was the highest ranking US military officer imprisoned in Vietnam. He was held in the “Hanoi Hiltonâ€? and repeatedly tortured over 8 years.
The Stockdale Paradox is a combination of two of Collin’s other theories, Unwaivering optimism and confronting the brutal facts. As an organizational leader it’s important to build a culture where optimism can run rampant and at the same time you address the fact that you’re not the best at everything, or maybe not the best at anything. Either way you must remain positive and work towards being better everyday, best or not.
How can we be proud when all we see of God is a poor reflection, as in a mirror?
Craig, does it bother you that a magazine (a Christian one, I assume) is implicitly comparing ministries against other ministries by giving a church some type of “most ______ Church in America” title?
I would think that it might cause some people to frown upon other churches that–while they may be healthy and fruitful–may have been overlooked and received no such commendation.
Excellent insight, Craig.
I wholeheartedly believe that the true nature of humility rests within a genuinely Christ-driven perspective. And yet, this is a paradox that is notoriously difficult to balance–as you have pointed out.
For instance, a humble man, woman, or even church, is not one that incessantly points out their flaws or beats up on their relative shortcomings whenever they receive praise because this would be dismissing what God has done through them. And every person and every church inherently does have shortcomings–after all we’re people.
And yet a humble person or church does not also believe that they have no shortcomings or that they can’t possibly do more or give more in order to help others better come to know and become more like Christ.
The humble person or church, with a genuinely God-centered perspective realizes that without Christ, all effort is vain. And that the goal of a church or a disciple of Christ is not to excel for the ’sake’ of excelling but to draw individuals into a relationship with God by reflecting and revealing the love of God through everything they do. It is only through that lens that all actions and seeming successes or failures should be measured.
Whenever that mindset is at the forefront of our thoughts and actions, the glory and graciousness of God shine through anything and everything.
And yet one might say that it is a balance not possible for people to keep, of which I would agree, but with God–nothing’s impossible.
I’ve attended (when I’m not travelling) and been a member of LifeChurch for 2 years, and have met Craig in person. I’ve never met someone who’s had so much success and responsibility and yet been as humble and sincere as Craig, I once made the comment “you’re a good man” (I didn’t remember at the time what Jesus said about being called “good”) he looked me in the eyes and said “No, I’m not”. I love his spirit of humility and the fact that he gives ALL credit to God.
Blessing upon blessing,
TG
I think that is a great perspective you need to have a very healthy view of your self and your church or you will find yourself falling into pride and arrogance.
What matters most to God reaching seekers and helping those in need. Love God, Love others. Everything else is just extra.
If you were gone tomorrow would your city even notice? We are called to impact the area God has called us to not accumulate titles.
So…
I go to so many church conferences where pastor say something like this:”We have the BEST staff in the WORLD.”
Good fun? Expression of Gratitude? Is it okay to pump staff up by saying that, much like running into so many restaurant’s that say something like “The World’s BEST Hamburgers.” Can this instill a sense of pride without being prideful?
Thanks for this reminder, Craig. It’s one thing to love our church and celebrate what God has done among us, but it is quite another to hold it up as an idol and diminish what God is doing in other congregations.
Wow, I appreciate your authenticity and humility.
Peace be with you!
Well of course Lifechurch is not the best Church and that is because The Life Centre is! ;o) (only joking) The only best Church is Christ Jesus Himself. Thanks for sharing this great stuff.
Best to let Jesus be the judge of those things, Craig!
Keep up the great work.
Agape,
steve
That’s why we love you so much! You understand and practice that what you do is only by His Unbelievable power. May we strive to be “the best” because we represent JESUS while at the same time NEVER believe the hype.
In terms of any organization, how long has “best” lasted. Very few are able to sustain. General Motors was once the “greatest” automobile manufacturer in the world. Now they are a mess.
Many become complacent, losing the very sense of urgency that started them on the path of “being the best” in the first place.
There is no greater purpose for sustaining that urgency than the ministry.
I think this is the BEST blog…maybe even the BEST blog post
j/k
Great post Craig! I want to always give my best in an effort that will never be THE BEST.
Okay, I thought I was just being a prude everytime I hear that. Something inside of me curdles like spoiled milk. I love my local church but there is but one body of Christ and the last thing I want to do is to feed the competitive monster that devourers the integrity of ministry.
P.S. I’m switching to soy as a result of this post.
AWESOME!!!! Thank you SO much! A few years ago, on my journey to discover what direction God had for me in ministrty, I was pretty discouraged about pastors. As a pastor myself, I began feeling VERY lonely. I knew there were good, sincere guys out there, but I was having trouble finding them. The attitude you displayed in this post is the kind of thing I LOVE and I am grateful for guys like you who want to help people and not just build a name for yourself. Thanks again!
Great post. If we’ve arrived at the best then we have no reason to strive and grow. Just like Paul said, “Not that I have attained,” May my church walk in humility and lift Christ up as the Best.
Doesn’t the Bible say something about God’s strength being perfected in our weakness? If that’s true then the more imperfect our churches are, the more glory God takes from our efforts- because it couldn’t have been us in the first place.
I met a pastor of a very large church who said that they intentionally try to have the best in everything- from worship software to youth program. He thought people would respond better because it would tell them that they are successful. With so much “strength” did he even need Jesus?
Of course I’m not questioning this pastors intentions or salvation, but when we try to be perfect we are implicitly turning our backs on Christ- telling him we don’t need him because we can do it ourselves.
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