Group or team?
A few days ago, we visited “De Voorhof”—a small, Bible-believing church in Apeldoorn. Before the service (where we got to give a short presentation about God’s work in Schwerin), I briefly talked with the pastor and, out of curiosity, asked him how much time he had spent preparing. The answer was somewhere between 10 and 14 hours. (The sermon was about 20 minutes long.) That sounds like a lot of time, right? Well… no… not when you really think about why something takes that much time.
The reason for those hours mostly had to do with all the conversations and decisions about how and why the service was put together. If the sermon is about A, then the songs should also be about A, and the kids’ service too, and the prayer as well. That way, it’s one service that fits together as a whole—not just a bunch of random pieces with “everyone doing their own thing”—but a solid, well-connected worship service for God’s glory, in this case with the theme “witnessing.”
Isaiah 43:11–12 : “I, only I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me. I am the one who has declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And I am God.”
And that church service? The songs, the kids’ ministry—literally everything was focused on that one theme: “witnessing.” Everyone involved in that service was working together as one team, with one goal: to bring God’s Word around that theme of “witnessing.” It was amazing—we were so encouraged, filled with joy… but also, honestly, a bit sad.
Sad? Why’s that?
Well… we see a lot of “players” on the “field” called church or missions. And in this worship service, all for God’s glory, it was so clear—this was a real team. And honestly, shouldn’t that just be normal?
But unfortunately… what we saw on Sunday sadly isn’t as normal as it should be.
Because let’s be really, really honest… how often do we see this:
A church service or outreach event with theme X, but songs about theme Y… which have absolutely nothing to do with it. But the songs sound nice… and the guitarist had a great time with that cool solo… the kids’ ministry is doing something on theme Z, and the offering ends up being about A…
Now look—those themes, X, Y, Z, and A, are definitely worth digging into! No question!
But in terms of effectiveness when it comes to our testimony? It reminds me of the difference between a group of people and a team. Both might have the same number of people in the same place.
But still… when we truly work together as a team (and not just as a group)… the message, the Good News, our witness for God’s glory becomes so much stronger, so much more stable, so much more effective!
And when setbacks come, you face them as a team, you go through it together, you stand by each other. Steady, secure, on solid ground.
Something to think about, maybe—if you’re active in your church, congregation, or organization: are we really a team? Or are we just a group of people?
It’s BEAUTIFUL to witness a team working together for God’s glory like that… it should make all of us a little jealous… and really, shouldn’t that just be the norm? Or…?
Ecclesiastes 4:9–12: Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up! Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, But how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
Something to chew on this week, maybe: the difference between a team for God and a group of people just doing something…?
