Momentum

Jim Collins has a whole chapter on momentum in the excellent book, Good to Great that illustrates how an organization (yea even a church) becomes a force in the life of a community, or a nation, or the world.
He asks the reader to imagine an enormous flywheel--a great rock balanced on a huge wooden rod. A large work force begins pushing against the rock. After a whole shift, owing to the enormous mass of the rock, they are only able to move it one foot. The next crew comes in seamlessly building on the work of the first crew, they move the rock two feet. After many days, each crew is moving the rock a quarter of a turn, then half a turn, then a celebration as a full revolution is accomplished in one shift. Eventually there is a full revolution per hour and so forth. Each shift builds on the momentum of the last and is able to push the rock faster and faster and faster until finally it is moving with a force so great so that a whole shift could miss a turn and momentum would keep the wheel moving.
The whirling flywheel is a picture of kinetic energy. Until all the pushes were applied, there was potential energy in the organization but no movement. It pictures all the effort necessary to create forward motion in a plateaued organization, not to mention one in slow decline (you have to stop the wheel from going in the wrong direction first!) The giant wheel pictures the idea that once some success is created, success tends to breed success. Now, imagine someone sees this whirling fly-wheel and says, "Which push was the key push that created this success? Which was the key push? Tell me how I can make my flywheel spin like this!"
The question itself makes the point and needs no answer. There is no one thing that creates momentum for a business, for an individual or for a church. It is the successive effort of thousands and thousands of pushes--those thousands of efforts to move that wheel just a bit that creates the enormous, unstoppable, whirling momentum. It is the hundreds of touches and contacts with neighbors or co-workers or prospects that finally yields a decision to follow Christ. It is one person's changed life that impacts another and another until the multiplication factor kicks in and the great flywheel is spinning on it's own. It is that casserole to a sick friend, that kind and listening ear at work. It is the volunteer stuffing envelopes or the faithful Bible teacher. It is the children's worker or the server in the church kitchen. It is the guy making coffee and the greeter handing out gift bags. It is the upward coach and the nursery worker. Those are all pushes of the giant wheel until people are coming to Christ in numbers you never imagined when you were first taking your turn pushing on the flywheel. Lives being changed, needs being met, disciples being formed like never before.
Every organization has those who stand and watch the progress, waiting to see what happens next. There are others who watch all the effort and say, "That's much to do about nothing." Still others choose to oppose the effort saying, that won't work, the wheel will never move like that! I'm going somewhere where the wheel is already spinning so I can enjoy the ride!" The more people who put their hand on the wheel and push, the more it will move.
It is so easy to look at a growing dynamic church and ask the wrong question: "What is the key? What was the change that created all this? What was the push that made it possible?"
There was no one push. Thousands and thousands of individual, heroic efforts by ordinary people over a long period of time made it possible.
Gradual, slight, incremental pressure, if consistently delivered, can result in monumental change over a period of time.
Will you put your hand on the wheel? Will you add your push? Will you lead the way to the wheel so others can join your crew? Let's consider these things as we approach the Leadership Summit in Salado.