Simon Senek’s latest book, Leaders Eat Last, noted that the desire to belong to a group is one of the most powerful forces at work in the human community. He quotes a leader who shouts to his group of new recruits: “From this day on words like ‘I,’ ‘me,’ ‘my’ will no longer be in your vocabulary. They will be replaced with words like ‘we,’ ‘together’ and ‘us.’ ”
The man shouting those words, as you may have guessed, is a drill instructor in the United States Marine Corps. Senek argues that this is the power behind the bond that these Marines share for the rest of their lives. In short, they belong. They come in as individuals and leave as a unit.
In the gospel of John, Jesus prays for the disciples, and ultimately for us, too, that we may all be one. By the time John wrote his story, the church had no doubt encountered conflict, disagreement and division. John recalls this prayer from Jesus as a way of reminding them that even in times of stress and worry they are to stand united.
I don’t want to reduce the gospel to a leadership manual. It’s much more than that after all, but there is a truth here for us. Organizations like churches become stronger when they stand together and find common ground. The church finds its strength when it can worship, pray and, yes, struggle together. “There’s always something,” my mentor in ministry used to say, “but the congregations that grow and thrive are those who know how to speak in the plural and describe themselves as ‘we.’ ”
Senek points out that sometimes the best tool to use is humor. He writes of the famous moment when President Reagan joked with the surgeon as he was being wheeled into the operating room after being shot, “I hope you’re all Republicans.” The surgeon, a self-described liberal Democrat replied, “We’re all Republicans today, Mr. President.”
In the church we’re all children of God, women and men living, loving, struggling, laughing, crying and growing together today and every day. I’m glad I belong to a church where all are welcome and all indeed means all. Let us pray together for the strength to be one.
Grace and peace to you,
-Glen
