When I was a kid I had friends who were avid fishermen. They'd do anything to keep each other from finding their favorite fishing hole. In my many years in the transportation industry I have learned to protect my own "fishing holes". I have become a firm believer in the truth of our government's World War II slogan, "Loose lips sink ships". I can't tell you the number of times I have listened to another driver on the CB radio bragging about his customer and how good his rates were and how he stays busy year round. In a very competitive industry where everyone is looking for customers like this, all I had to say was..."break one - nine, hey, what's their phone number, I've been looking for a customer exactly like that". You could almost hear the gulp and then the long pause, the back pedaling and an abrupt change of conversation. Big mistake.
Competition is tough. To stay in business you need to be constantly on your toes, constantly ahead of the game. You gotta' stay sharp, focused. You've got to think contracts, no compete clauses and fuel surcharges. I thought I'd left all that behind when we came down here. After all, missions isn't business, we support ourselves (and by that I mean we literally fund our own living expenses) which means we aren't looking for supporters and down here we're all working for the same boss, same cause, same team, right?
And then I realized that this wasn't actually quite true. Missions is run on donations and Supporters are SACRED. We don't sign no compete clauses, but it's understood. You don't mess with my supporters and I won't mess with yours. And honestly, I don't really have a problem with that. If you've taken the time to build a relationship with someone or a church, that's fine. After all there's only so much to go around. That's the way we've been taught to think. That's good business. That's the way fishermen think. But is that the way "fishers of men" should think? Hmmmm.
See, I recently had opportunity to experience the flip side of this. Go and See Ministries, that's our "business" name here -go ahead, click the link...check us out- recently had our first "client" come down to see about "investing" in our "work". They sent some "experts" to help with a "project" we were starting. I pitched our "vision" plan and the needed "funding" required to "move forward". They really liked what they saw and I think they may "partner" with us. (Hey, I hope you can tell I'm using irony here to make a point.)
But here's the honest truth. There is a dark and devious side to me that I abhor. I mean it. I found myself becoming protective of my "clients", my "team" my potential "funding" for my "projects". I'm embarrassed to say it, but...there it is for all the world to read. Michael Wolfe was more interested in seeing his little kingdom enlarged than seeing the Kingdom of God enlarged. God help me; am I really the only self centered Christian out there? Does any one else find themselves acting or thinking like this? Part of me hopes and prays that for Jesus' sake I am the only one, but the other side, the dark devious side of course, suspects that this is not the case. I suspect this because in many ways we have turned missions into business. I suspect this because people are people no matter what we do and money and power have the same influence wherever they are.
Okay, so what should we do when we see something we dislike in ourselves. Something like protecting our customer base so we can be sure there's enough for us. My suggestion is to confront it with honesty and then do the exact opposite. So here you are, against my better judgment, against every finely honed business instinct, here's the only church support base information for future projects we have.
Competition is tough. To stay in business you need to be constantly on your toes, constantly ahead of the game. You gotta' stay sharp, focused. You've got to think contracts, no compete clauses and fuel surcharges. I thought I'd left all that behind when we came down here. After all, missions isn't business, we support ourselves (and by that I mean we literally fund our own living expenses) which means we aren't looking for supporters and down here we're all working for the same boss, same cause, same team, right?
And then I realized that this wasn't actually quite true. Missions is run on donations and Supporters are SACRED. We don't sign no compete clauses, but it's understood. You don't mess with my supporters and I won't mess with yours. And honestly, I don't really have a problem with that. If you've taken the time to build a relationship with someone or a church, that's fine. After all there's only so much to go around. That's the way we've been taught to think. That's good business. That's the way fishermen think. But is that the way "fishers of men" should think? Hmmmm.
See, I recently had opportunity to experience the flip side of this. Go and See Ministries, that's our "business" name here -go ahead, click the link...check us out- recently had our first "client" come down to see about "investing" in our "work". They sent some "experts" to help with a "project" we were starting. I pitched our "vision" plan and the needed "funding" required to "move forward". They really liked what they saw and I think they may "partner" with us. (Hey, I hope you can tell I'm using irony here to make a point.)
But here's the honest truth. There is a dark and devious side to me that I abhor. I mean it. I found myself becoming protective of my "clients", my "team" my potential "funding" for my "projects". I'm embarrassed to say it, but...there it is for all the world to read. Michael Wolfe was more interested in seeing his little kingdom enlarged than seeing the Kingdom of God enlarged. God help me; am I really the only self centered Christian out there? Does any one else find themselves acting or thinking like this? Part of me hopes and prays that for Jesus' sake I am the only one, but the other side, the dark devious side of course, suspects that this is not the case. I suspect this because in many ways we have turned missions into business. I suspect this because people are people no matter what we do and money and power have the same influence wherever they are.
Okay, so what should we do when we see something we dislike in ourselves. Something like protecting our customer base so we can be sure there's enough for us. My suggestion is to confront it with honesty and then do the exact opposite. So here you are, against my better judgment, against every finely honed business instinct, here's the only church support base information for future projects we have.
New Generation Fellowship, Jacksonville, FL.
Give them a call or better yet, stop in and see them next time you're in Jacksonville. They're on S. Cahoun Rd just north of I-10. They're a small church with a limited budget, but they're good people and they'll help you if they can. Pastor Steve, you can thank me later.
Hey, New Generation? That sound just like MY organization, Next Generation, Inc. Don't touch that one, it's MINE!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is ironic that our willingness to drop off the face of the earth and lose our native comforts somehow catapults us unwittingly into the twin roles of Public Figure and Money Grubber.
All of your nouns in quotes cut through me like a knife. I often feel like I have no language to communicate about my work and calling. I inevitably feel like I am simultaneously exaggerating the situation and interesting it.
It is a bit tiring. The. I was honest too. :-D
So very true Joe! Sometimes I think we'd all be better off just to pray for what we need and let the Father worry about it. That's what my boys do when they want something. Sometimes my answer is no, sometimes yes and sometimes I tell them if they really want it they need to work for it. I don't know if that's a good allegory, but I think that perhaps it is worth considering. When are you planning on dropping off the face of the earth?
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