No Perfect Churches

As 2006 winds down and we look ahead to 2007, we're doing some hardcore evaluating of environments at Catalyst. It can be a discouraging process because I see all the cracks and blemishes. It's exciting, though, because I know God is refining me, our team, and our environments.

I was really encouraged by Seth's post today. Here is an excerpt:

"If you read enough stories, it's easy to believe that Starbucks and Apple and the rest of the all-star list somehow manage to effortlessly create remarkable products and happy customers.

One thread that has become clear to me from reading my email is that there are no perfect companies, no ideal places to work, no marketers who always manage to please their customers.

The danger in celebrity worship is that it can persuade you not to bother trying. After all, the thinking goes, our organization is so thoroughly screwed up that we've never got a chance to be like them, so why bother? In fact, organizations like Apple struggled for years, and continue to struggle..."

And there are no perfect churches either. My heart is not for Catalyst to be a perfect church. I want it to be a healthy church. An effective church. An influential church. A contagious church. A missional church. I'm learning that it's easy for me to replace those adjectives with perfect, most of the time unknowingly. Anytime I say, "We're not as ________ as ________ Church," I have replaced the right adjective with the wrong adjective.

Thanks, Seth, for reminding me that there are no perfect coffee shops, computers, or churches.