Three churches, located on different corners of the same intersection, didn’t get along together. One Sunday each of them opened their meeting with a rousing song service. It was a warm day and all the doors and windows were wide open. One congregation began singing the old hymn, “Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown?” The strains had barely faded away when the congregation across the street started singing, “No, Not One, No, Not One!” They had scarcely finished when the third church began singing, “Oh, That Will Be Glory for Me.”

Of course, this is just a humorous story, but it reminds us that a spirit of divisive competition does exist among some churches. Naturally, we will want to support our own church, pray for it, and rejoice in its growth. But we must never feel self-satisfied or be critical of churches that have problems or are not growing.

If there is a place for “competition,” let it be to oppose those who deny scriptural fundamentals and the gospel. But if a church is true to God’s Word and is winning people to Christ, regardless of its label, let’s rejoice. That should be our attitude when faced with the competitive motives of envy and strife. Let’s avoid church competition.

  — Richard De Haan