Mt. Hood Christian Center

I’ve been talking and thinking a lot about the law of the scoreboard lately.  This is the principle that explains how we look at certain things in church to measure our success.  Typically, the scoreboard for church is what is referred to as the 3 B’s: budgets, buildings and butts.  In other words, success is measured by how much money is coming in, the size and utilitarian aspect of the facilities owned and operated and how many people are sitting in the seats.

The church has this scoreboard because those things can be easily quantified, classified and frankly, though few will admit it, we are in competition with other churches.  If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have been asked dozens if not hundreds of times, “how big is your service(s) running?” or something akin to that question.

I rejected this scoreboard many years ago; at the same time, I didn’t really have a good indicator that we were being successful as a ministry.  How could I trust my own feelings as to whether or not we were hitting the mark as a church?  This past week, God caused an obscure verse to jump out at me in Judges 5:2.  I share this verse with you now because I have adopted this principle as the scoreboard of success for Mt. Hood Christian Center.

“When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves--praise the LORD!”

When the people of God lead—when they do what God has asked them to do—thank God!  In short, when God’s people obey—GET EXCITED!  I am seeing God’s people obey, I see that we are scoring and winning, and I can’t help but get excited.  When the church is consistent in obediently stepping out in faith, expect big wins and big momentum of the spirit of God to sweep through.

How about you?  Are you scoring a win by being obedient in even the little things that God has asked you to do?