Owning Unity

02/2015 Filed in: Body of Christ / The Church | Character / Civic Education

Ownership implies the right to control something. Can unity be owned?

Last night, a friend told me how he had seen some ministries fail because their leaders/churches wanted exclusive control over "their ministries". They considered that they "owned them." This led my thinking toward the pro's and con's of ownership. It is a good thing that can motivate us to care and invest in something… but it can become destructive when the thing "owned" is meant to be shared!

As I spouted my thoughts, a phrase came out of my mouth, and I thought, "Oh - that sounded good." I had just said, "Unity cannot be owned." My mind was tracking on the idea that in our individual and corporate ministries, it is good to "buy into" what we are doing, but because we and these ministries are part of the Body of Christ, we cannot own them. The unity of the Body demands that we recognize the need to share and work with others in our ministries… even if it seems to weaken the ministry.

Ultimately, I believe Jesus has much more interest in the unity of His Body than he has in the success of an isolated ministry! Unity cannot be owned; though we must buy into it, it can only be shared!

What does this mean for us and "our" school ministries? Perhaps we may own the brick and mortar, but are consciously "sharing" (a two way street) the broader ministry that reflects the larger Body of Christ?