When the Church Becomes a Club: A Call Back to the Great Commission

I believe it was Stephen Covey who first said that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. I have now walked with Christ for 48 years, and I have seen that the Body of Christ (the Church) is multi-faceted. Like a diamond with its many cuts glimmering in different colors, the Body of Christ in each location emphasizes different goals and priorities in ministry, reaching beyond the local area to the world. Sometimes, we find that the main thing ceases to be the main thing. What should the "main thing" be in each local body of Christ? Plans and strategies are good, but they are merely tools. A strategy or mission should support the Great Commission given to the Church. I want to highlight this point with a story I came across.

The Parable of the Lifesaving Station

Once, there was a humble little lifesaving station on a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks frequently happened. The building was just a small hut, and there was only one boat, but a few dedicated members kept a watchful eye on the sea. Without worrying about their own safety, they ventured out day and night, tirelessly searching for those in need. This remarkable little station saved many lives and gained a good reputation because of it. Some of those rescued, along with others from the nearby areas, wanted to join the station and donate their time, money, and effort to support its mission. They bought new boats and trained new crews, expanding the small lifesaving station. However, some of the newer members felt dissatisfied with the building's crude, poorly equipped condition. They believed a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge for those rescued from the sea.

They replaced the emergency cots with beds and upgraded the furniture in a larger building. Now, the lifesaving station has become a cherished gathering place for its members, who have redecorated it beautifully and furnished it like a club. Few members were now interested in heading out to sea on lifesaving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to handle that work. The purpose of lifesaving is still being discussed, but most team members are either too busy or lack the necessary commitment to participate personally in lifesaving activities. Around this time, a large ship hit the rocks and was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold, wet, and half-drowned people.

They were dirty and sick; some had different skin colors, others spoke a strange language, and the beautiful new club was significantly messed up. Consequently, the property committee quickly arranged for a shower house to be built outside the club, where shipwreck victims could clean up before coming inside. At the next meeting, the club members were divided. Most wanted to stop the club's lifesaving activities because they were unpleasant and disrupted the routine. However, some argued that lifesaving was their primary purpose and reminded everyone that they were still known as a lifesaving station. In the end, they were outvoted and told that if they wanted to save shipwrecked individuals in those waters, they could set up another lifesaving station down the coast. They did.

As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes as the old one. It grew into a club, and yet another lifesaving station was established. If you visit the seacoast today, you'll find many exclusive clubs along the shoreline. Shipwrecks still happen often in those waters, but now most people drown instead. My brothers and sisters, we must focus on what matters most. People are drowning all around us. Keith Thomas

Taken from the Discipleship series, study 4, A Disciple’s Main Purpose

Here’s the YouTube video talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbqQ2YPSt4I&t=4213s