The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics hosted by Brazil finished up ten days ago. Perhaps no other Olympic sport competition captures the essence of Next Generation Ministry (NGM) better than the 4×100-meter relay race.
Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us to run the race of the Christian faith with perseverance and to fix our eyes on Jesus while running. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:7 that he finished his race and that he kept the faith. Paul’s goal in running his race was to win the prize and he trained to win (I Cor. 9:24-27; Phil 3:14). Paul was speaking to training for godliness more than he was speaking to physical training (I Tim 4:7). Paul knew the ultimate prize was Jesus, but Paul also knew the good news of the “glorious gospel of the blessed God” (I Tim 1:11) had been entrusted to him to pass down the torch and legacy of his faith to the next generation. How else could the Great Commission (Mat 28:19-20) be fulfilled and how else could Christianity survive?
Paul was to pass down or handoff his faith to “reliable men” who were “qualified” to teach others (2 Tim 2:2). Paul stressed to his protégé Timothy and the church at Ephesus that they were to compete according to the rules (2 Tim 2:5) in order to obtain the crown. Timothy knew that his faith had been passed down to him from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Tim 1:5) and that he was to set an example to other believers as he ran his own race (I Tim 4:12). Believers are also told to “contend” for the transfer of faith as it occurs across generations (Jude 1:3) and to not allow anyone to “cut in” on the good race they are running (Galatians 5:7).
Do you know the USA’s Women’s 4×100-meter relay race history? In 1996, the summer Olympics were held in my back yard (Atlanta, GA) and the women’s team won gold! After that, however, the team’s luck ran out. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics (Australia), the US team lost by .25 seconds and finished 3rd after one muffed handoff. We must be careful to pass the gospel off safely and securely to the next generation that is to follow in our footsteps.
After every 100 meters exists a 20 meter exchange zone whereby the baton must be passed in. In the 2004 Athens Olympics (Greece), the women’s team was the fastest and the strongest team, but were disqualified after passing the baton out of the exchange zone. Being disqualified has to be the worst feeling in the world, especially after you know you would have won the race. I recently heard a Pastor say he would rather God kill him than be disqualified.
In the 2008 Beijing Games (China), American runner Torri Edwards was handing the baton off to Lauryn Williams in the final exchange when the baton slipped from Lauryn’s hand onto the track. Lauryn had dropped the baton. Team USA was disqualified again after being in the lead and for the first time in forty-eight years, the team was not allowed to run in the final medal race. The incident reminds me of the time a parent of one of the players on Alabama’s 2011 National Championship Football Team dropped the team’s Crystal trophy. In the case of the USA women’s team, the dropped baton cost the team gold. The gospel is too precious to miss, fumble, slip, or drop out of our hands in the handoff between generations.
Like the good news of the gospel that we are transferring from one generation to another, there is also a good news side of this Olympic story I have shared with you. In the 2012 London Games (England), the USA women’s team experienced clean handoffs at each exchange zone and smashed the world record winning in 40.82 seconds.
The individual 400 women’s meter relay record is held by Maria Kotch of East Germany at 47.60 seconds. Christine Caine in her book Unstoppable (where I’m getting most of my information from) says, “four champion runners collaborating in the relay are faster than a lone champion runner” because the “unified team of four completed their 400 meters a full 6.78 seconds faster.” In the same manner, I prefer next generation ministry to traditional silo’d ministry because parents, students, and leaders form a unified team approach who collaborate together to provide for smooth transitions between age graded ministries from birth through college. Just like the 4 x 100 relay race, a handoff is made three times at and from preschool ministry to children’s ministry to youth ministry to collegiate ministry. In this instance, the finish line is represented by disciples who have been made who in turn are now ready to make new disciples.
In case you did not know and were wondering how the USA Women’s 4×100-meter relay team fared at this year’s Olympics in Brazil . . . they won! After a collision between a Brazil and American runner in a qualifying race disqualified the USA team from competition, the USA team filed an appeal and won. The rest is history!
Sometimes life will knock you down; Don’t quit. The example of the USA team to get back up and the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 3:12-14 remind us to forget what is behind and to press on towards the prize for which God has called us heavenward for in Christ Jesus.
The divine gospel relay is the best race anyone could run. Leaders, let’s use the gifts and talents God has given us to serve Him in this generation.
The race goes on! I’ve talked about not letting past failures hinder you from running your best race but you also must not let past successes stop you from being your best in the future. After all, the women’s 4×100-meter relay team must now prepare themselves for a three-peat at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.