My family took the best cruise anyone could ever take. It was not because it was a Disney cruise, but because I invited my parents to go and they paid for it! Our boarding pass gave us an all-you-can-eat buffet, programs for our kids, a talking mouse, and around-the-clock entertainment. They announced my name with applause as I walked on the ship, and it was clear that the focus of the crew was on me. They took our luggage, we stuffed our faces at the buffet, and lounged by the pool. We looked over a newsletter at the list of activities and chose a few that seemed fun. There were programs for the children so we wouldn’t have to entertain them, and at night there was a show that we sat around over dinner and critiqued. “The comedian was a little off tonight, but I liked the music.” Then it was time to get fed again at the midnight buffet! The cruise ship was all about me.
ClampLater that year, I stood on the deck of an aircraft carrier with my sons and noticed a stark contrast. From the moment you stepped on the ship, it was clear that the focus was not on the passengers but on the mission. The living quarters had bunks stacked on top of one another, and the mess hall didn’t have chandeliers. Every man had a job and worked together for the mission of sending the planes out to battle. If the planes were grounded, the battle was not being won.
Some view the church as a cruise ship. Pastors, staff and volunteers are seen as crew members to make sure your needs are met. In a “cruise ship” mentality, you say things like, “What programs are there for my children? The pastor’s sermon was a little off today, but I liked the music. I’m not getting fed. I’m not getting anything out of our church.”
God intends for the church to be more like an aircraft carrier, where a boarding pass is a ticket to come and die. Everyone is working together to fulfill the mission and win the war. People are being deployed each week to be missionaries to the workplace and the world. The team is bigger than just one ship. When they gather, you will hear them say, “How can I serve my neighbor better and make an impact on the community? What do you need me to do? How can we partner with other churches?”
A cruise ship church is all about me. An aircraft carrier church is all about the mission.
We are in a battle for the souls of mankind. This is no Mickey Mouse cruise ship. Be deployed.
– Clamp is evangelism group director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Follow Lee on twitter @leeclamp or on his blog at www.leeclamp.com.