DETROIT, MI – When I played basketball I would hear my coaches tell me all the time to “stop looking at the scoreboard.” Then when I became a basketball coach I told my players to “stop looking at the scoreboard.” Looking at the scoreboard can either make you lazy or discouraged, either way it does no good. If a team is “winning” they have a tendency to stop playing hard and to rely on their natural talents. If a team is “losing,” they become discouraged and no longer want to play the game they love.
One of the most dangerous things athletes can do when they are engaging in their sport is to look at the scoreboard. Although the scoreboard is an indicator of what is happening in the game, it does not tell the whole story. It only gives you a brief snapshot, but it does not show you a picture of what will happen within the game in the future.
As a church planter, I offer this advice to others pursuing God’s calling to begin a new church - Do not look at the scoreboard. We all know what the church planting scoreboard is. The ABCs, Attendance, Buildings and Cash. From the world’s perspective that may measure success, however it is not an indicator at all if we are being successful in the kingdom. If those are the measurements then Jesus would have been a failure! Leading a church is not a sport and the only scoreboard that matters is that we are being faithful to the assignment that Jesus has given us. Crossover Church was planted in September 2016, and we have come to realize that only He is in control of the outcomes. We are to live a life of faithfulness to Him.
God has called us to focus on the field, not on the scoreboard.
And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. - Luke 10:2 (ESV)
God wants us to focus on the field of people who are lost and who are waiting for laborers to share the gospel with them. The reason we can even dream about planting a church is because someone went out into the field and shared the gospel with us. The scoreboard lies, it doesn’t tell the whole story. No matter what it looks like, we are already victorious. We have already won the championship. We are on the winning team. Let’s stop looking at the scoreboard and start looking unto Jesus.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ken Nether was a typical teenager who “grew up in church but never grew up in Christ.” However, while he was playing professional basketball overseas, the God he heard all his life whispered “Go Home.” Ken decided to listen and has been following the path God has set before him ever since. Pastor Ken has been a teacher and basketball coach in the city of Detroit for the past 6 years. He is a dynamic communicator, insightful scholar who has the ability to connect with all people from all ages and backgrounds. On September 18th, 2016, Ken and his wife Tolice, alongside an incredible team, launched CROSSOVER CHURCH.