Mike 
I grew up competing. I competed in school for the best grades. I competed in track to win the race. I competed in Monopoly and Risk with my family members. Everyone around me knew that I was out to win.
I may be more competitive than most people, but competition and the desire to win is woven into the American psyche. I suppose that’s why I was intrigued when my adult children introduced me to cooperative games where individual participants work together to “win.” I’m not talking about an uneasy alliance, where two people might gang up to defeat another player (and then ultimately turn on each other). These are games like Pandemic, where the players only succeed by working together.
This new concept of competition and wining is desperately needed in many churches and ministries. Far too often, we treat the church down the road (or even the department down the hall) as our enemy. We think that we “win” by beating them or that their success is a setback for us. In our heads, we know that “our struggle is … against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). But we often fail to act accordingly.
What would it look like if we adopted a cooperative posture – one that defined winning as taking new ground against a common enemy? Evidence might include several churches coming together to serve a local school. Or a struggling church donating its property to a vibrant church because doing so will have a much greater Kingdom impact. It could even be seen when a specialized staff position is shared among several churches because none could afford it on their own.
How can you redefine what a “win” is for your church or ministry? Here are three simple suggestions to help you start:
- Focus on the Kingdom. Jesus instructed us to “seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matt. 6:33). It’s hard to devolve into petty squabbles and competition if we’re putting God first.
- Begin a conversation. You can’t find common opportunities with someone that you don’t know. Some conversations will be dead ends, but some will be far more fruitful than you imagined. You’ll never know which it is unless you start.
- Set goals that are too big for you to achieve. When we can see how to achieve our goals on our own, we’re unlikely to collaborate and cooperate with others. Big goals will push us toward partnerships with others and toward God.
