Bowling & Leadership

When was the last time you went bowling? If you own your own bowling ball and one of those wrist guard things I’m not talking to you. Bowling is much harder than it actually looks and for most people is much more of a social event than it is any kind of sport. In theory bowling is pretty simple, all you have to do is roll a ball straight for sixty feet and knock down some pins that each weigh between 3 lb 6 oz and 3 lb 10 oz. But there are all kinds of other things you must consider and contend with, mainly wearing someone else shoes. Maybe I’m the only one that has issues with wearing someone else’s shoes? The bigger issue to contend with may be that the lane is only 41 to 42 inches wide.

Gutter Guards

Have you ever been bowling and seen the gutter guards that can be used so that you NEVER throw a gutter ball? I think they’re supposed to be for kids but I don’t see why adults can’t use them because they really help my score.

Gutter guards may help you bowl better but they really stink when it comes to being a pastor or church leader. Too often church leaders see their primary role as being gutter guards for their their church – you know – protect people from rolling gutter balls. It is easy to think that if I just keep people from going in the gutter than I’ve done a good job.

Most of the time this comes from wanting the best for people but what is intended to help people is actually harming them. The church says (verbally or non-verbally) be very careful and stay in between the lines. The ‘don’t do this and don’t do that’ list gets longer and longer. The fear is that people might make a “mistake” and by putting up the gutter guards we can prevent people from rolling a gutter ball. The problem is that by doing this people never really learn how to “bowl” in the real world.

Many times church leaders don’t clearly understand their role, and by guarding the gutters and trying to prevent people from rolling gutter balls, churches are only producing behavior modification and not true life-change. So much time and energy is wasted because of a fear that people might make a mistake and church leaders start making lists of things (gutter guards) to add to Jesus so their church people can be good little Christians. If you follow Jesus and speak in tongues, or follow Jesus and vote for a certain political party, or follow Jesus and subscribe to a certain educational form for your children or follow Jesus and sing certain kinds of worship music, then you’re bowling well.

Charles Spurgeon says it like this:

Remember, sinner, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee–it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee–it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that is the instrument–it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not to thy hope, but to Christ, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Christ, the author and finisher of thy faith; and if thou doest that, ten thousand devils cannot throw thee down…There is one thing which we all of us too much becloud in our preaching, though I believe we do it very unintentionally–namely, the great truth that it is not prayer, it is not faith, it is not our doings, it is not our feelings upon which we must rest, but upon Christ, and on Christ alone. We are apt to think that we are not in a right state, that we do not feel enough, instead of remembering that our business is not with self, but Christ. Let me beseech thee, look only to Christ; never expect delieverance from self, from ministers, or from any means of any kind apart from Christ; keep thine eye simply on Him; let his death, His agonies, His groans, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look for Him; when thou liest down at night look for Him. (The Forgotten Spurgeon, Iain Murray, 42.)

Gutter guards never see the sufficiency of Jesus, and instead of equipping people to follow Jesus and Jesus alone church leaders find it easier to herd people between the lines.

If you’re a church leader you should be doing two things – bowling well and teaching others to bowl well.