We live in a hyper-competitive world. Try getting your child into a top school in any major Indian metro. Try telling a football fan that his team is horrible compared with the others. Competition, in fact, is so inculcated into our day-to-day culture that most of us don’t see it.
When it comes to our church culture, it’s often much the same: competitive churches, competitive leadership, competitive institutions and competitive work for Christ. Is this a bad thing? When we no longer question the underlying reasons for our actions, we have most probably lost the plot.
Defining it
The Webster Dictionary defines competition as “the act or process of trying to get or win something that someone else is also trying to win”. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “an event or contest in which people take part in order to establish superiority or supremacy in a particular area”.
Both of these definitions indicate that there is a striving for achievement, and that achievement is measured against someone else’s.
The church
Most would agree that the first part of these definitions is fine when it comes to the church. We are struggling and pushing to achieve something. In the context of the Gospel, it is our struggle to live holy and obedient lives in Christ. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul notes that “for this purpose (completeness in Christ) I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works in me”.
The second part of these definitions becomes more of a grey area. In the context of my faith, or even the church community, am I pitted against you? Am I looking to do better than you? The Bible doesn’t seem to use this language when it comes to faith. Yes, I follow examples of faith (1 Cor 11). Yes, I should be encouraged by another in faith (Rom 1:12).
In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul presents the metaphor of winning the race of faith. Although this could be understood as competitiveness, this analogy is not used in the context of beating others, rather so that we are disciplined towards the aim – an eternal wreath. Nowhere, in fact, does it seem to indicate that we are against each other or that I am trying to better you in faith. On the contrary, my job is to try and build you up in faith. (Jude 1:20).
The Bible does refer to competition once. Romans 12:10 tells us to “outdo one another in showing honour”. In other words, compete with each other to honour the other person. The topsy-turvy nature of the kingdom of God rears its beautiful head. The only time I am supposed to pit myself against you is in honouring others. I admit, I have never come home to my wife and proclaimed that I beat her hands down in honouring others. But that seems to be where Biblical competition lies.
To understand this in the context of the church is relatively simple. Our main job is to help the other person, church or institution as much we can, even if it is at our expense. In the kingdom of God, we are all on the same team trying to make the other team members play better. But what about other areas, like business and sport, where we are not necessarily on the same team?
Business
The chief argument for competition in the business world is that competition is what drives capitalism. There is some legitimacy here. Many Christian businesses, however, have shown that you can be both competitive and competition-honouring at the same time.
In one of the businesses I am a part of, although we are constantly pitted against other companies in securing clients, we have made a conscious decision never to put them down or measure ourselves against them. That is, when promoting ourselves, we won’t ever focus on the other companies in the same business.
Our focus is on our own performance – doing the best we can in order to serve the client to the greatest extent. Through this, all parties, especially the other companies, are pushed to perform better. Many Christian businesses use such a model and are able to thrive in a cut-throat environment.
The same applies for politics, too. I once heard Vern Ehlers, the respected Christian US Congressman, say that in his extensive political career he vowed never to degrade or attack those who ran against him. His focus was always on his own performance. Now retired, he still remains one of the most respected politicians in the country by all parties.
Sport
Most sports overtly set us against each other. The questions we have to ask here are how and why? Firstly, how are we being competitive? Do we want enjoyment, learning, unselfishness and good exercise to come out of the game, or are we simply in it to win?
The famous poem by Grantland Rice hits this point home. “For when the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name, He marks – not that you won or lost – but how you played the game”.
Most historians would note that a game like football has become much more competitive now than it ever was in the past. This fact should make us thoughtful as to how we might play the game.
Why? is another fundamental question to ask in any competition. Why is it we want to win? One-upmanship? Pride? Glory for ourselves? Or is it to glorify God? The famous Scottish runner and missionary Eric Liddell was clear as to why he ran competitively. He said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast! And when I run I feel his pleasure.” He recognised that the true glory for every activity should go to God. Only then can we fulfil our true purpose.
Education
Many Christian schools and institutions rank students or hold them in comparison to each other in studies or achievements. In one of my classes, my teacher was very set on drilling into me the fact that my brother was a much better student than me. It made me feel like I could never do well.
We have to ask those same fundamental questions when it comes to competition in education, too. Is setting students in competition against each other helping them understand and practice material?
Blessing the other
It’s important that we question the competition we might have or feel in our lives and look to see whether it is honouring God and giving Him glory. Christian ministry should always look to let the other shine and excel as much as possible – the other church, the other school and the other pastor. Such pursuit is honourable, trustworthy and pure.
Written by Jonny Abraham.
Jonny is the Chief Servant and Delegator of Fusion in New Delhi. He is passionate about servant leadership. In his non-spare time, Jonny consults on leadership training with NGOs, companies and UN agencies. In his spare time, he spares time for a lovely wife and two boisterous daughters.
Wow! I have never heard any one speaks this way before. I now understand what real competition means. Thank you for sharing your wisdom With us.