Back in the day my Atlantic (Iowa) High School basketball
team excelled, coming within a whisker of going to State. After a highly successful year we lost a nail
biter to the #1 team in the state, Council Bluffs St. Albert (the eventual state
champion). That loss ended my official basketball
career. While I never starred on my
team, over the years I put in the hard work necessary to earn playing
time.
Back in those days we didn’t really have elementary sports,
so 7th grade basketball brought at least 25 guys onto the team. The weeding out process began right away. Some of the ‘lower end’ players had the joy
of playing on the ‘halftime highlights’ team.
While the rest of us took a break and talked to the coach, these guys
got to play a ‘game’ that meant nothing to the final score. The message wasn’t so subtle, “You’re not
good enough to be in the REAL game.” I
got stuck in halftime highlights once, but worked my tail off to improve and
get off it! It never happened again.
After that 7th grade year I somehow found myself
chosen to be a part of the ‘traveling team’ which went to tournaments all over
Iowa. A couple dads coached the team and
had total control over who they chose. Only
10 of the 25 were on it. With that team
I spent many hours honing my skills and winning tournaments.
It came as little surprise over the next years that those of
us who played the most off-season games and shot the most baskets got the most
playing time during the season. Many
people saw the writing on the wall and dropped out of the program. Others had to be bluntly told, “You’re not
going to play on this team.” By the time
our senior year rolled around only a few of us remained. Our success reflected our dedication to the
sport. We didn’t need a big team…we
needed the dedicated people on the team.
It nearly got us to state!
Success mattered!
Back in the day my Atlantic (Iowa) High School cross country
team had a little success. Our varsity
boys tended to finish in the middle of the pack…but I never ran with the
varsity. I spent my junior and senior
years on the JV squad (as part of the off season training for Mr. Blazek, my
basketball coach). Even though I’d never
been in a race before, the cross country team welcomed me with open arms. Anyone crazy enough to run 3.1 miles could
join the team, no experience (or training) necessary. While some of my teammates spent the summer
running countless miles, I did almost no running at all (unless there was a
cute girl who wanted to run with me!). I showed up to the first practices of the
year completely out of shape, but people encouraged me as I huffed and puffed
my way through practices. When race day
came I usually finished somewhere in the back half of the JV race. I had no illusions of grandeur but I really
enjoyed being a part of the team. We had
a load of fun…the team abounded in quirky people! Cross country teams have room for many. There isn’t limited playing time since any
number can run in JV races, so the more the merrier! Mr. Henderson and my teammates encouraged me
to be on the team and do my best, even though my best was frankly pretty
bad. All were welcome…no experience
necessary.
Two very different ideas of what it means to be a team! One team had high demands and weeded out
those not willing to put in the time.
One team had low demands and welcomed everyone. They each have their place.
I’ve known churches on both ends of the same spectrum.
Like my basketball team, some churches place high demands on
their members. They emphasize the Jesus who asked people to ‘take
up their cross and follow Him.’ Jesus is
serious about us…so we should be serious about Jesus. They hold up the marks of discipleship
(things like worship, prayer, study, acts of mercy & service) as definite expectations
of their members. Jesus isn’t something
to dabble in! Those who aren’t willing to
make the commitment are welcome to be a part of the ministry…just not as full
members. The expectation is that eventually
they will step up to the plate. Dedication
to the faith is central. I’ve seen some
of these churches grow significantly, though some people feel pushed away for
not being ‘good enough’ to be a part of things.
Do seemingly arbitrary rules trump grace in the desire for a ‘pure’
worshipping community.
Like my cross country team, some churches place very low
demands on their members. They emphasize
the Jesus who came to welcome all people.
Come as you are because grace abounds.
Once a part of the ministry folks are encouraged to grow in faith, but welcoming
trumps all. Too many expectations may
drive people away so they are kept to a minimum. The Christian life is offered as an
invitation, not a demand. I’ve seen some
of these churches grow significantly, especially among those who have been pushed
away from other communities of faith, but do they minimize the importance of
Jesus in our lives in the desire to welcome all?
Our culture likes to push at the extremes (and argue about
them), but might there be middle ground here?
How can a community of faith truly welcome all as Jesus did…yet also
expect that people of faith have some accountability in their lives? Let’s not fall off the cliff on either end!
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