Excellenct Excellence

When the book In Search of Excellence was the rage it immediately began something of a debate in church circles. Initially, I remember many Christians questioning whether excellence was a legitimate goal for the church.

It seems today that the debate is settled. Church services today are typically much better planned and executed than 25 years ago. Even smaller churches give much more attention to small details to ensure that the poor quality does not distract from the message. And personally, I think that's a good thing.... to a point.

The focus of the debate when the book first appeared was whether we should choose excellence over Spirituality; whether excellence was essentially fleshly; whether human effort would replace dependence on the Spirit. The problem was that a false dichotomy was created: Why should dependence on the Spirit detract from a commitment to doing things well?

Ironically, we may need to re-visit the idea. Are we so committed to excellence today that we are willing to compromise spirituality and moral excellence? Do we demand the highest "quality" in our services, and spend so much time pursuing it, that we are no longer dependent on the Spirit? And do we choose human performance over spiritual reality?

The question should not be phrased as either/or. But when there is a choice, the choice is clear.