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| Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. |
| —Colossians 3:17 |
More and more, it seems as if we live in a mediocre society. Whether we shop for a new car, or a tasty hamburger for lunch, all that people seem willing to provide smacks of mediocrity. I often wonder where the excellence has gone and when it will return.
I have ranted on this blog before about some of the trials I face during my daily visit to McDonald’s. I know that some of you have just felt a shudder tingle down your spine. “McDonald’s! How can you write about excellence and include the word ‘McDonald’s’?”
I respect and understand your reaction. Nevertheless, I confess that I am somewhat addicted to the greasy taste of a McDonald’s double cheeseburger. My arugument consists of the fact that I cannot find any consistent level of excellence in the making and delivery of this product at any of the McDonald’s that I visit.
Once in a great while, my double cheeseburger will arrive hot, juicy, and properly made. I always order it with extra cheese, extra onions, and no pickles. Over the course of any given week, I only receive my daily double cheeseburger with a level that just barely touches on “excellent” maybe once, but never twice.
On top of the quality of the product, the level of customer service almost never reaches the level of “excellent.” The folks over at Chick-fil-A have ramped up customer service to the top of the scale. Wherever a Chick-fil-A exists, their level of customer service has tended to have a positive effect on the other purveyors of fast food. As soon as the Chick-fil-A opened in the town where I live, the personnel at the other fast food restaurants began to make just a little more of an effort to treat customers with a more friendly attitude. Of course, they never quite reach the level of customer service that one finds at Chick-fil-A.
Normally at McDonald’s, the person taking my order and the person receiving my payment does so with the attitude that they have extended a great courtesy to me by even deigning to pay attention to me. Of course, there are rare exceptions—three individuals that I can think of over my many years of visiting many McDonald’s. If I didn’t want to try to achieve an occasionally almost-excellent double cheeseburger, I would have long ago abandoned my visits to McDonald’s.
McDonald’s is simply a microcosm of our whole society in the United States. Whether we try to buy an excellent cheeseburger, or buy groceries, or shop for clothes, or attend church, excellence seems like a mystical quality that remains quite ellusive.
“Wait just a minute!” you declare. “Are you suggesting that churches are not making an effort to become excellent.”
Yes! Yes, I am. I know that the mere suggestion of such a complaint will be viewed by many as heresy. Even so, I must confess that, when I look around at most churches, I do not seem the kind of concerted effort that will move each church toward excellence.
Now I realize that my definition of “excellence” may differ vastly from some other person’s definition of “excellence.” So, let me hasten to state that I use the Merriam-Webster definition: “the quality of being the very best of its kind.” In other words, when I compare what takes place at a particular church with what takes place at many other churches, the excellent church—or the church that actively strives for excellence—is one that in every way rises above the norm.
Qualities of excellence become visible in every aspect of the church. For example (in random order):
- Decor
- Lighting
- Sound
- Comfort of seating
- Skill of the musicians
- Order of Service
- Friendliness of congregation
- Content of sermon
- Skill of pastor in delivery
- Attention to needs of congregation
- Interest in evangelism
- Commitment to spiritual formation
- Clear presence of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23:love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control)
And, your list may include other items that I have failed to include. The point is that, in all of these items, a church striving for excellence is following the admonition of the Apostle Paul, as stated in the verse at the beginning of this blog post. Whether we make double cheeseburgers or provide a place of worship for followers of Christ, every aspect of what we do should have the mark of excellence because God is excellent.
