Oscar and Making Heroes

Church Planting Series, Part thirty

It’s Oscar time of year! Yes, you may be a connoisseur of the red carpet, a viewer of the very famous, a watcher of designer outerwear, a groupie of the acting-gifted. Or maybe not.

I’ll be honest, whenever I see Hollywood awards shows, I feel like they’re very self-indulgent. An award extravaganza amounts to actors throwing a big party and patting each other on the back publicly in order to self promote, create more revenue, and position themselves for bigger and better contracts.

But in the midst of the glamorous gowns, the insipid speeches, and the drawn-out demagoguery, could there be a bright spot? Is there a lesson to learn?

Recently, I heard Reggie McNeal speak about apostolic leaders. Addressing what was created to be a living organism, the Church, McNeal commented that the Church needs to celebrate the right things. The living, breathing, changing, on-the-move Church needs to rejoice in the risks it takes. It needs to share success stories of outstretched arms of salvation being brought to the hurting and lost.

McNeal said that apostolic leaders and a truly apostolic Church “make heroes of the right people.”

Could it be that the Oscars are closer to apostolic leadership than the Church?

Think about what the Church does with its risk-takers, change-agents, and new idea people. Too often, it buries them beneath criticism. It shuns them. Even when these on-the-edge entrepreneurs are solidly proclaiming Biblical truth, the Church has responded with complacency or cruelty.

A local pastor may suppress the gifts of a layperson. A denomination may hiss over the newest local church that is growing. Why? It may be that no one wants to risk compromising the glory of God. But I think there’s another reason. I believe that the Church, in part, is imprisoned in unhealthy fear and ungodly egocentricity. Instead of lifting up others for the sake of the Kingdom, the church has fallen into the trap of pushing others down for the sake of itself. It is madness. It is contrary to our calling.

So, as we create enemies, Hollywood makes heroes. As we decline, Hollywood identifies and lifts up its best to increase its market share.

What if we decided to follow Hollywood’s lead? Not in Hollywood style, of course, but in God’s style. What if we made heroes of good and faithful servants? What if we celebrated and learned from missional risk takers? What if we listened to people who had new ideas—-and tried them out! What if we lifted up exceptional Kingdom advancers to increase Jesus’ market share?

How will you lose yourself and make a hero of one of Jesus’ servants this week?