If you remember doing group projects in school, you know the challenges of cooperation. It could be that not everyone in your group did their fair share. And at some point, you may have said something like, “It will be easier if I just do it myself.” The reward for cooperation is not immediately obvious.
But I was recently in a meeting with a group of pastors, and our host, who also pastors a large church, stood to welcome everyone. As he finished his remarks, he said, “We are better together.”
I’ve heard that phrase quite a bit over the years, but as a pastor of a local church, I haven’t always believed it. Goals are set and accomplishments are measured based on how my church is doing, not how your church is doing. And they are certainly not tied to metrics that tell me how my community is doing.
Leaders get recognized and promoted based on how their leadership adds to the bottom line of their organization. So “better together” sounds good, but we’re not always sure it is good.
The Gospel is a Group Project
Jesus, however, modeled leadership in which he consistently shared ministry. From the very beginning, Gospel work has been a group project. He called twelve men to follow him. He shared his life, wisdom, and work with them and with others like them. Then he left them with it. And now 2000 years later, here we are!
Everything God does—from his triune nature of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to his call of Abraham in Genesis to be the father of many nations, to his gathering of believers in Acts in local churches that would start and support other churches—everything he does to restore what sin has broken, he does through group projects.
So unity is more than a feel-good sentiment. When Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would be “one,” his expectation was that our unity would amplify and extend his redeeming work among the nations.
How does that happen? When we are all so different, how are we actually “better together?”
Five Things that Get Done When We Work Together
Relationships Thrive
When Jesus called his disciples to follow him, he specifically called individuals from different backgrounds, different geographies, and different ideologies. They disagreed about many important things, but their relationships flourished in their unity around Jesus.
The Gospel peals away dividing differences and trains our hearts to see one another as more human. Our common need for a Savior and our shared allegiance to Jesus removes barriers between us and frees us to love one another.
Leaders Grow Together
Someone once told me, “If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know he did not get there by himself.” I’m not sure if turtles are the most inspirational creatures ever, but you get the point. The leaders at the top did not get there by themselves.
Take the apostle Peter, for example. Our Roman Catholic friends think very highly of him. We all have been impacted by his ministry, but it was the community of disciples and then the early church community that served as a sanctifying work in his life.
No leader grows in isolation. Our impact deepens and widens as we learn from one another and share the work along the way.
I don’t know how they built the pyramids in Egypt, but I’m certain “they” built them. Anyone can have an idea, but even the best ideas and then the best work to turn those ideas into reality requires a great big “they.”
A Community Ethos Emerges
I’m still working on this one, but I’ve noticed that when people work together, they start believing in one another in a way that is impossible otherwise. And when people start believing in each other, more people feel welcomed at the table.
I see this happening in my own community. Whether I’m in a coffee shop talking with friends, or at a business luncheon, or in a casual conversation at a funeral, I hear statements like this:
“This is such a special community.”
“People around here are so willing to help one another.”
“It’s so refreshing to see people working together.”
That kind of ethos does not happen naturally. Instead, it is cultivated through intentional cooperation and selfless partnerships across every sphere of influence in a community.
Vulnerable People Get Good Help
This is where the tangible results of “better together” become more obvious. All of us, regardless of the size of our church, business, or organization are limited in our ability to do good. We see problems and we have resources, but there’s always a large gap between the needs around us and our capacity to meet those needs.
Even King Solomon, who had a pretty large capacity, wrote this:
Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. 10 For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? 12 And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
When one works, one gets the credit. When many work together, a lot more people get the help they need.
Whether it’s disaster response and recovery, helping the homeless population, or educating our kids well, we all know the value and have experienced the impact of cooperation. No amount of money or skill from one can serve a community like the partnership of two or three or more.
The Gospel Transforms Cities
The birthplace of Christianity was first century Jerusalem, a major city in a Roman-occupied vassal. From there, it went to Antioch and then to the West, and flourished in cities like Ephesus and Corinth. None of these cities were bastions of spiritual or social heath. The powerful dominated the weak. Women and children were marginalized. Perversions of all kinds were celebrated.
Yet, the Gospel was planted in the hearts of local residents, churches were born, and followers of Jesus lived distinct lives of Kingdom influence. We often hear about the impact the apostle Paul made in these cities. His leadership was invaluable, but he wasn’t alone. There were others like Barnabas, Apollos, Lydia, and Timothy. Communities of faith loved one another, loved their neighbors, and moved the needle in their cities together.
Everyone is Better
We really are “Better Together,” but that’s not all. The people around us, the people we call neighbors, the school teachers and administrators who invest so much into our kids, the business owners and employees who help drive the economy, the healthcare professionals that keep us healthy, the first-responders who serve us so well—everyone is better when we are together.
Let’s Get Together
If you, your church, business, or organization wants more information about how to join Everyone’s Wilson or to build kingdom partnerships in your community, please reach out. I’d love to talk with you.