Battle Ships verses Cruise Ships

The HMCS Algonquin. A true Battle Ship! And below - a Cruise Ship!

The difference between a church that's all it can be and one that's just "cruising" along is like the difference between a battleship and a cruise ship.

On the battle ship, everyone has a job, knows what they're supposed to do and does it. Everyone functions as part of the greater team and works for the common goal, whatever that may be. The goals may change and the reason for the work may change but the team doesn't stop working together. They continue to be ready to do whatever is necessary to get the job done - at a moments notice. They are always on guard and always at the ready. Whenever a new ship-mate enters the ship, they are given a job and settle in to do that job. There may be a "probation" period but the new mate is still aware of their function and how they fit into the whole. The entire ship can be counted on to do the job it is made to do. Working as a team the Battleship accomplishes what could never be accomplished as individuals working alone or in smalled "teams".

Contrast that with the Cruise ship. Passengers on the cruise ship expect to be served, fed, and pampered while a crew scrambles to keep everyone happy. The passengers just sit about and enjoy themselves and when ever anything goes wrong, they feel they have the right to complain about it because, after all, they pay good money to be on this ship! They don't take ownership of the vehicle or the purpose of the ship nor do they try to assist when things go wrong. Sometimes they even hinder the proper operation of the ship with their actions and/or attitudes. While the cruise ship is luxurious, it certainly isn't very efficient or purposeful.

The church that's aware of it's purpose and efficiently working towards that purpose is like the battleship. And the church that is full of people just sitting around and expecting to be served is like the cruise ship. No wonder the church isn't very effective in our culture - we're more like cruise ships than battleships.

This illustration comes from a book I read called "Culture Shift". It was written by two Pastors (Robert Lewis and Wayne Cordeiro) - pastors of churches that are more like battleships than cruise ships (the churches - not the pastors). The book is for church leaders and helps us identify our distinct "cultural totems" and then transform our church into an entity that closely aligns with our God-given purposes. What I dream about is being part of a church that functions the way God intends it to function and impact the surrounding culture, the way that God intended. The cover of the book says that "real transformation is not about working harder at what you're already doing or even copying another church's approach but about changing church culture at a foundational level."

This book is a must read for any church leader!