Daniel Fusco is one of more than 15 Kingdom leaders teaching during Exponential’s Online Community and Conference. Click here to learn more and register!
Heroes have long been a source of inspiration for our culture. Especially the ones who, in the face of adversity, stand alone and fight to make things right again.
There’s just one problem with that story…it’s not exactly true, is it?
Take the Lone Ranger, for example. He’s the quintessential example of a hero in our classic American culture. But how quickly we forget about his faithful friend Tonto…not to mention Silver, his amazing white stallion. Even the Lone Ranger didn’t walk alone.
We thrive when we collaborate. And that’s why I am so excited for this year’s Exponential conference. We’re gonna dive into what it means to get at the work of God’s kingdom – together.
When I think about teamwork in ministry, it reminds me of my church planting days. Before I became the Lead Pastor at Crossroads Community Church in Vancouver, Washington, I spent about ten years planting churches. I planted one in my home state of New Jersey, and later I planted two in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I can’t help but think of all the amazing teamwork that helped each church succeed. In New Brunswick, I was regularly helping out a homeless guy named Richard who was sleeping in the cemetery on the grounds of a historic church. It was a harsh winter…I can still remember that biting wind blowing and the 20 below zero wind chill. Richard had my business card on him, and one day out of the blue, I got a call from the pastor of the historic church where Richard was sleeping. The pastor said, “Can you help me figure out how to get this guy off our property?” I called around to the local shelters and finally found someone who would give him a chance.
As we were driving Richard over to the shelter, the pastor asked me, “So what church are you from?” I told him we were a new church plant, and we were meeting in the Student Center at nearby Rutgers University and looking for a more permanent location. Without hesitating he said, “You know what…I have a place for you guys, you can rent our church basement.” We were so blown away! It was a large space, had its own entrance, and we got to set up our stuff and make it our own. Not only that, they knew we couldn’t afford much, so they only charged us $500 a month!
On the flip side, when I was planting the church in Mill Valley, I met with a long-term pastor who had been in the community for 30 years. He said, “Don’t get too excited Daniel…you’re not gonna get anywhere. I’ve been here for 30 years, we have a building and we only have 30 people. You’ll quit before you get to 30 people, and that will take you at least five years!” I understood his feelings because Mill Valley was a hard place to plant a church, but instead of helping us figure out effective ways to reach people, he was telling us we might was well pack it up and go back to where we came from.
These experiences remind me that at the end of the day, Jesus has a soft spot in his heart for the Church, and he loves it when we work together on the same team. So let’s pursue collaboration with other churches and tribes above our differences, beyond our agendas, for the sake of our cities and the Lord Jesus.
Why?
Because we are better together.
Just like he said we would be.
Daniel Fusco is one of more than 15 Kingdom leaders teaching during Exponential’s Online Community and Conference. Click here to learn more and register!
