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<\/a>What can Golden State Warriors teach missionaries? A lot. But the lessons we can learn might differ from what you\u2019d expect.<\/p>\n
For those unfamiliar with NBA basketball, the Golden State Warriors over the past few seasons are the best team in the NBA (aside from their collapse in the Finals last year). The use a \u201crun and gun\u201d offense, which means they play a fast-paced game and attempt an incredible number of 3-point shots. They are exciting to watch. And they\u2019ve won championships doing it.<\/p>\n
However, some people<\/a> think Warriors like Stephen Curry might hurt the game of basketball<\/a>. Commentator Mark Jackson said this,<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstand what I\u2019m saying when I say this. He\u2019s hurting the game,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cAnd what I mean by that is that I go into these high school gyms, I watch these kids, and the first thing they do is they run to the 3-point line. You are not Steph Curry. Work on the other aspects of the game.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I\u2019ve seen this dynamic myself when watching boys play basketball. But I\u2019ve also seen this sort of behavior from missionaries.<\/p>\n Missionaries sometimes adopt a \u201crun and gun\u201d approach to church planting. Unfortunately, some missionaries do so the same way that high school kids imitate Curry and the Warriors.<\/p>\n The missionary equivalent to \u201crun and gun\u201d is what I\u2019ll call the \u201crule of rapidity.\u201d<\/strong> It has many incarnations with various names, such as \u201cchurch planting movements\u201d (CPM), the \u201cchurch growth movement,\u201d some forms of \u201cdisciple making movements\u201d (DMM), Training for Trainers (T4). I\u2019ve critiqued this philosophy of ministry first here<\/a> and then here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here is the basic problem with approaches that emphasize rapidity above all else. By analogy, they suggest that church planters should only<\/p>\n (1) run fast breaks and After all, this theoretically would be the fastest way to score and win. Why waste your time setting up a play?<\/strong> Why use the low post? Pass the ball around? Run the clock down? And what if you ready yourself for an offensive rebound? Some people might accuse you of lacking faith. These things only slow down the advance of God\u2019s kingdom.<\/p>\n If mission strategists and church planters take this perspective, they effectively tell others they should be like Stephen Curry, or more accurately, have results like the Apostle Paul (though people often misinterpret Paul\u2019s own ministry<\/a>). Like Mark Jackson, we need to say to many missionaries, \u201cYou are not Paul.\u201d You might be a \u201cPeter\u201d (pastoral) or \u201cIsaiah\u201d (without converts) or \u201cJames\u201d (persecuted) or who knows who else.<\/p>\n Doing ministry by the rule of rapidity would be like the Warriors only attempting 3-pointers. As good as they are and as exciting as it might seem, this would be foolish. It also is not actually why the Warriors are so successful.<\/p>\n Getting beyond superficial interpretations of the Warriors\u2019 play, we can learn a lot. Here are four lessons we can apply to doing ministry.<\/p>\n People don\u2019t realize that the Warriors are an incredible passing team. They work together, freeing others for the best possible shot. It\u2019s not simply Stephen Curry to contributes.<\/p>\nDo Church Planters Hurt the Church?<\/h1>\n
\n(2) shoot three-pointers.<\/p>\nDoing Ministry Like a Warrior<\/h1>\n
Passing<\/strong><\/h2>\n