People are suspicious by nature - at least that's what I've observed through 30+ years of collaboration as president of the National Network of Youth Ministries. The potential for unity is often threatened if others look, sound, act or think differently than we do. Sometimes our hesitations to work together are from a healthy caution about diluting our energies or focus. But sometimes it's because we are so partial to our way of doing things that we quietly question if someone else's way of doing things is as valid as ours. I remember hearing one person's response to criticism: "Well, maybe our way of doing it wrong is better than their way of not doing it!" Of course, they were jesting - but maybe not so much!
We know that unity is very important to Jesus (John 17:21). So it just makes sense that disunity would be a priority for Satan. Often we play into the enemy's hand by allowing difficulties, differences, stereotypes or insecurities to hold us back from oneness with others in God's family.
Early, in collaborating at the local level, I remember the skepticism expressed about how difficult it would be to get some denominations or ministries involved. Some small churches were intimidated by the involvement of a big church in town. Others didn't have time or see the need to network. Our sensitivities about ethnicity, gender, age, worship style, social issues - the list is endless - can all work against our hopes to find common ground for cooperation.
Mutual Trust
We faced this reality as we prepared to host Atlanta 96 - a joint event held in the Georgia Dome uniting a record number of youth workers from 36 denominations and youth organizations. We asked a group of leaders representing several groups, "What will it take for diverse ministries to get behind such an effort - to consider bringing all their staff and to even conduct their annualtraining together?" I remember their response was unanimous: "Mutual trust!"
If there is a "secret sauce" for the networking recipe, mutual trust is undoubtedly the main ingredient. But it isn't as simple as calling for more trust. Partnership is a process, progressing from low to increasingly higher intensity as the risks and relationships grow. Networking is multidimensional - starting with connection, growing into cooperation, eventually enabling coordination and finally stepping up to collaboration. With the addition of each strand, the "partnering cord" strengthens. Jumping levels, however, often brings disappointing results.
[For more on this topic, see Chapter 5 in Better Together. You can order it from BetterTogetherResources or as an eBook on Amazon.]
The Kind of Unity Jesus Wants
In John 17, during His final earthly hours, we have an actual record of Jesus' conversation with His Father - about us! It is so moving to me to see Jesus' earnest prayer for every person in the world to experience the same love His Father has for Him (v.23).
The profound "Aha!" for me about Jesus' prayer was that His focus wasn't just on believers being unified or even on winning the world for Christ. His greatest concern was for us to be united with Him and His Father. And, look at the extent of this kind of unity: Jesus prayed that our unity would not only be LIKE He has with His Father, but that it would be the SAME as He and His Father share: "that they may be in us," Jesus prayed (John 17:21).
Many of us have longed for God to send revival and awakening in our land and throughout the world. We have prayed for it all our lives. But I wonder if we miss what Jesus wanted for us in the area of unity. Have we skipped His emphasis on the order of things in John 17?
First, Jesus wants us to experience unity with Him, God and the Holy Spirit. Think how that would transform us! (John 17:22) Then, in verse 23, it shows that out of that oneness we are "brought to complete unity" with our fellow believers - which, in turn, is a testimony to the world about the authenticity of Christ and the compelling love Jesus and the Father have for all of us (John 17:23).
Jesus doesn't want our primary focus to be on programs, knowledge, skills or even unity among believers. He first wants us to have an intimate relationship with Him and His Father- out of which everything else flows!
When it comes to bringing about more unity, pastor/author A.W. Tozer illustrates it brilliantly (full quote in Better Together, page 125): "Has it ever occurred to you that 100 pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other?"
Maybe our lack of getting "in tune" like that is why we don't see more unity. Jesus Himself said in John 10:27: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." I think that means more listening, seeking His will for our ministries and life circumstances. This comes by meditating on Scripture (alone and together) and waiting on Him to reveal how He wants the Scriptures applied in our situation. I think that means us talking less to God and God talking more to us. It means less planning first, and asking later for God's blessing of our decisions.
I sure don't claim to know how it all works, but I know that if I really believed God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are there at my prayer times or my planning meetings, I wouldn't be talking much at all. I'd be listening and taking copious notes! We can be assured: that kind of simple focus on our intimacy with God will lead us to the greatest possible unity and the most far-reaching impact for Christ!
May God continue to extend to us His compassion, patience and empowerment as we seek the kind of unity for which Jesus prayed.
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Paul is president emeritus National Network of Youth Ministries & consultant for The Savage Group. Excerpt from blog Paul Fleischmann's 2.19.15 blog, "The Kind of Unity Jesus Wants."