by Patrick Sawyer, Missional Living Pastor
On Saturday, December 30, 2023, the University of Georgia football team played the Florida State football team in the Orange Bowl. A few weeks before the game, FSU announced they would play the Orange Bowl without twenty-one players due to what has become part of the college football landscape known as player opt-outs. Opt-outs are where players choose not to play in the team's bowl game for some specific reason. Some players decided not to play because they were in the process or had completed transferring to another school. Other players chose not to play to prepare for the National Football League.
Some people may be thinking, "What is the big deal? It is just a regular bowl game that really does not mean anything." Of course, I could see it this way, but my concern is what seems to be happening in the bigger picture. Before ministry, I was in the college football world where it was "we" before "me ." College football has always been a team sport where players come together toward a single mission to win football games and, hopefully, championships.
I believe what we are seeing is a move away from "we" over "me" to "me" over "we ." Many players today seem to be only looking out for themselves. For these players, the mission is no longer a team concept but more of a "me" concept. Think about this: in a "me" concept, if I am no longer happy with my team, I can transfer to another school. Instead of finishing the season with my team, I can opt out of the bowl game and not risk getting hurt or go ahead and get ready for the next level of football. It's all about what is best for me, not the team.
I believe we see this problem creeping into the church today. Many Christians today come into church with a "me" over "we" attitude. It's all about my needs, my desires, and my comfort. Many church members want to come on Sunday, enjoy community, and sit in the church service but do not want to be asked to serve the church, community, or world. This is not what they signed up for. Trevin Wax states, "Belonging to a church, in the sense of embracing membership that goes beyond therapeutic benefits or perks and privileges, doesn't make much sense." [1] Like college athletes today, if church members are no longer happy or comfortable at their current church, they can leave and go to another church. Often, these people bounce from church to church in the same way we are starting to see more college football players bounce from team to team. Trevin Wax believes some church members view the church as a restaurant. [2] He states, "What happens here is that church members migrate from one congregation to another, enjoying for a season the preaching and music here, sometimes coming back to their go-to-congregation when they're in the mood for something more familiar, or heading over to a third church for a mission trip." [3]
For many Christians, the purpose and mission of the church is achieving personal happiness and comfort and not really about worshipping God or loving and serving others. Wax states, "Expressive individualism does not empty the church of its members. It merely fills the pews with people who see their church attendance as another expression of their own identities, an aid in their own pursuit of happiness." [4]
I believe the problem with this is it does not line up with what Scripture teaches about the Christian life and the purpose and mission of the church. Do not get me wrong, there is an individualistic component to the Christian life. When Christ came and died on the cross, He died for the salvation of individuals, so we are saved individually. But the moment we become disciples of Jesus, we are brought into the community, which is the church. The Christian life was never meant to be lived alone. It was always meant to be lived in community. Doug Ponder states, "Jesus did not die to rescue isolated individuals; He died to create the church." [5]
In the Old Testament, when God set apart Israel, He brought them into community. He taught them to love God above everything (Deuteronomy 6:4-5), to love one another (Leviticus 19:18), and also to be a witness to the world (Isaiah 43:8-10). This was the purpose and mission of the people of God. We also see this in the New Testament. The purpose and the mission of the church were to love God (Matthew 22:37), love one another (Matthew 22:39; John 15:12; 13:35), and be His witness to the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).
In Acts 2, Peter is preaching at Pentecost, where 3,000 people come to believe and were baptized, and then we see a picture of true biblical community. The early church came together in community and loved and worshipped God. "They were devoted to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (v 42). They also came together to love and serve one another. "And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people (v 44-47)." There were no individuals. There was no "me" over "we." They were all focused on God first and then on one another. They were also focused on the mission God had given them. "And the Lord added to their number daily (v 47)." The early church was not focused on their needs, desires, or comfort, but they were focused on taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who had yet to hear. It was not about their personal mission but about the mission God had given them together.
The problem with individualism, when it comes to the purpose and mission of the church, is that it takes the focus off of others and makes it about ourselves. If we are only focused on ourselves, then we will never die to ourselves, which Jesus calls us to do (Matthew 16:24-25), and we will live for Him. If we are focused on ourselves, then we believe the church's purpose is to serve us and not for us to serve the church. Some people are joining the church to consume and not to contribute. Wax states, "We have the opportunity to stand out in the world by choosing to die to ourselves, to lay our lives down for something greater than ourselves. The New Testament tells us to crucify the self the world tells us to be true to. Nothing is more non-conformist and radical and rebellious than seeking conformity with Christ and the death of your old self." [6]
If we are only focused on ourselves, then salvation becomes about us and not about others. The truth is that the moment God saved us, we were called to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). If you are a follower of Jesus, then you are called to go and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15) and make disciples (Matthew 28:18) of all nations. If we make salvation only about me, why would we sacrifice and give up my comfort to take the gospel to those who have yet to hear? Why would we go to places like Nepal, Yemen, Syria, and many others if it is all about me?
If we are only focused on ourselves, then we will focus on our personal kingdom and not on God's kingdom. We see this in the book of Jonah. When God called Jonah to preach repentance to the Ninevites, Jonah disobeyed and fled to Tarshish. Jonah was focused on himself and not on God's kingdom. Jonah did not want to risk his personal life for the lives of others. Jonah had no problem with God giving him mercy, but he became angry and disobedient even at the thought of God giving mercy to the Ninevites. Jonah's focus had shifted away from God to himself.
During Jesus' ministry, He was not focused on himself but on God's kingdom. Acts 1:3 says, "He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God." Jesus spent his last days on this earth preaching the kingdom of God. We also see this during Paul's ministry. Acts 28:30-31 says, "He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance." Like Jesus, the apostle Paul spent his last days on this earth proclaiming the kingdom of God. From the beginning to the end of the book of Acts, Paul shows us how God's people focused not on themselves but on God and the spreading of His kingdom. This is the purpose and the mission of the church.
Where is your focus today? When it comes to church membership, do you focus on "me" or "we"? Do you come to church with the anticipation of serving the church and others, or do you anticipate being served? Are you always asking what the church can do for you or what you can do for the church? Andrew Bertodati encourages us to be rooted, not detached, from the church. [7] He states, "In an age of consumerism, rootedness calls us to reject viewing our church and community exclusively by what we can receive from it. We are encouraged to ask questions about how we can contribute to and bless our church family and neighbors." [8] Are you focused on building your own kingdom or God's kingdom? Are you focused on your personal mission, which is seeking personal happiness and comfort, or on God's mission, which is dying to yourself, getting out of your comfort zone, and taking the gospel to your community and the world?
[1] Trevin Wax, "Why is Expressive Individualism a Challenge for the Church?" The Gospel Coalition, October 18, 2018.
[2] Trevin Wax, "Your Church is Not a Restaurant," The Gospel Coalition, October 24, 2018.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Trevin Wax, "Why is Expressive Individualism a Challenge for the Church?" The Gospel Coalition, October 18, 2018.
[5] Doug Ponder, "How Individualism Corrupts the Church's Mission," IMB.org, March 14, 2019.
[6] Trevin Wax, "The Faithful Church In an Age of Expressive Individualism," The Gospel Coalition, October 22, 2018.
[7] Andrew Bertodati, "3 Ways Church Membership Challenge our Individualism, ERLC, March 8, 2021.
[8] Andrew Bertodati, "3 Ways Church Membership Challenge our Individualism, ERLC, March 8, 2021.