by Hansol An

As the football season comes to a close, I’m reminded of a phrase that became very popular over the course of the season, to the point that it almost became a cliché. The phrase “next man up” has been around for a while but it really seemed to come into vogue this year. Whenever a player went down with an injury, there was a coach or sportscaster close behind wielding this most apt and realistic solution to an unwanted situation. In football there is a real and immediate need to move on. Not only must the show go on, it must go on right now – “So who you got to replace your MVP?” There’s no sympathy from the other team that you lost your best player. The scoreboard doesn’t care that the heart and soul of your team is out for the rest of the season.

I’ve said before that in some ways, a football team is analogous to a church. As with a church, every member of the football team has an important part to play. Teamwork is critically important in football. For a team to succeed its players have to fulfill their individual roles during each and every play. One player neglecting to fulfill their role would seriously hinder the ability of the team to succeed. The same could be said for a church.

The ‘next man up’ philosophy seems to carry over to the church analogy as well. As Lighthouse Bible Church prepares for its third church plant in three years, its members are well acquainted with the idea that when someone leaves, another member has to be ready and able to takes their place. For all intents, it is expected that someone will be the next man (or woman) up. For some roles there is a person identified long before the need arises, but for many there isn’t a clear successor. But as our church has always endeavored to lead by the Word of God, the members have been taught to be servants first, and we’ve been fortunate to have many willing servants over the years.

Christ taught his disciples to emulate him as a servant (John 13:12-15). Paul reminded the Philippians to regard others as more important (Philippians 2:3-4). We all have to be reminded of our duty as a member of Christ’s church to serve one another. Sometimes in ways that are personally challenging and require self-sacrifice but if ever there was a worthy cause, it is the love of Christ. Since we know that as a church we need to do the work of spreading the Gospel, when a need arises, many should be willing to fill it.

At a smaller scale, College Life regularly has to replace servants due to graduation. Thankfully this ministry has always included heavy student involvement but that also means that most people only serve a year or two before they have to move on. The staff doesn’t take this for granted even as the students continue to raise the bar year after year. We know that service in any ministry can’t be forced, each believer should be challenged by the example of Christ to serve others the way he did: in loving sacrifice. Sometimes that means serving in unofficial ways like providing rides or encouraging a friend, going out to Campus EV, or Morning Prayer. If we all do our part, this ministry will continue to successfully fulfill our calling in this life and further the Gospel of Christ. So be ready to step in when the time comes.