One of the most helpful business books I have ever read is Jim Collins' Good to Great. Evidently, I'm not alone. The book, published in 2001 still ranks 26th on the New York Times best seller list. It has appeared on USA Today's top 150 books for 213 consecutive weeks. One of my prized possessions in my library is an autographed copy of Good to Great. I had the privilege, not only of hearing Jim Collins in a plenary session, but also in a much smaller breakout session where he talked about how his principles can work in a church setting.

Basically, his book reports the findings of extensive research where good companies became great companies. He established hard data for what constituted a good company and then what constituted a great company. The research revealed a handful of common characteristics which the great companies possessed that the good companies did not.

Over the next several weeks, I want to talk about "The Good to Great Church." America is filled with good churches. Chapin is filled with good churches. But where are the great churches? Chapin Baptist is a good church. But are we a great church? I personally don't think we are a great church, but I believe we can become one. How? One thing I know for certain. Great churches are not filled with good Christians. They are filled with great Christians.

The heart of my messages in this series is to challenge every member of Chapin Baptist Church to join me on a quest to become a great Christian so that we can become a great church. My messages also target guests who are deciding on a church home in the community. Over the next several weeks I will identify some key ingredients that are essential if we are to become the church God wants us to be.

Each week I have invited some of our members to share with you what brought them to Chapin Baptist and why they enjoy being members here. Today I've asked {Raymond Glover, David Bowers, Ed Lynch} to talk to you for a few minutes. {Introduce}

How can our good church become a great church? One way is by protecting the unity of our church.

One of the greatest hindrances to the growth of the kingdom of God is believers not getting along with one another. Churches fight (literally, sometimes) over some of the most ridiculous things. I was talking to a pastor the other day, who indicated his members were squabbling over the color of new carpet. One day I passed a church called the Corinth Baptist Church #2. I have a feeling members who started this church came out of Corinth #1. I've read and you have too of horror stories of church fights.

Out of curiosity I typed in "church fights" on my Google toolbar, and it produced 2.9 million links. Is there any wonder why there are so few great churches? Is there any wonder why non-Christians are not drawn to the local church? They face enough conflict in their world. Why would they want more?

Protecting the unity of the church lies close to the heart of God. But churches are filled with sinners because we are all sinners. And where there are sinners, eventually there will be conflict. Read the book of Acts, which tells the story of the first churches, and there you will find conflict. Read Paul's letters to various churches and you will discover conflict. That's why he often stressed to believers that every member needs to work at protecting the unity of the church. In his letter to the Romans he wrote, "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 15:5-6).

Don't miss the cause-effect relationship in these two verses. Where there is a spirit of unity, there is a unified voice which gives glory to God. Where there is a spirit of unity, the church can more effectively proclaim the gospel to a lost world.

If you're a member of this church, it is no secret that this family of believers went through a season of conflict in the last quarter of last year. Satan celebrated; God grieved. Some decided to leave and find another church home. I'm on this side. Which side are you on? I'm on that side. Do you think God is honored with side choosing? Just like there are no winners when a husband and wife split up, there are no winners when church members engage in conflict among themselves (other than Satan).

What can we learn from our experience? What can we do to prevent divisions in the body? What can we do to promote unity? The psalmist affirmed, "How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live together in harmony!" (Psalm 133:1). Unity is a beautiful thing and brings great pleasure and honor to God. Let me give you three biblical responses which inform us how to maintain and build unity. I call on every church member to put these truths into practice.

How can I protect the unity of my church? First of all, by acting in love toward other members. The Bible says, "Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it" (1 Peter 1:22, Msg). In other words, if you're a sinner saved by grace, then live like it by loving one another. Do you remember the song we used to sing years ago? "We are one in the spirit…And they'll know we are Christians by our love..."

Of all the people in the world, certainly Christians ought to lead the way in loving one another and getting along with one another. But, unfortunately, that is not always the case. If we truly loved one another, we would go out of our way to serve one another. If we truly loved one another, we would encourage one another. We do a good job of serving and encouraging those in our circles of influence. But I'm calling for the whole family of God here to serve and encourage those outside your circles. We are a family, a large family. Genuine love for one another builds unity in the body.

Can I get real specific for a few moments? Much of our recent conflict stemmed from issues that are going on in churches all across the country. It's the young against the old. It's the traditional against the contemporary. Sometimes we say things in derogatory ways that brings damage to the body. We make snide comments about the senior adults and the traditional worship service. Or we use derogatory words to blast the youth and the loud music at The Pointe. We say, "Those folks are standing in the way of growth." Or, "I'm afraid we're watering down the gospel and losing our Baptist heritage."

For the sake of the unity of the body of Christ, those unloving remarks must come to a halt. For the sake of those thousands in our community who are lost and without Jesus Christ, please, let's put this stuff behind us. We'll never become a great church until young and old can love one another and build up one another. God's doing some great things in young and old alike. He is changing lives with contemporary methods as well as traditional methods. Let's affirm that and love each other with the love of Christ.

How can I protect the unity of my church? Second of all, by refusing to gossip. You mean to say that people at Chapin Baptist gossip? Yep. You know how I know that? Because our membership is filled with sinners. And the Bible says if we can control our tongues, we would be perfect people. But may we never use this as an excuse—"Well, everyone has problems with the tongue…." No, God expects us to overcome these problems. I wonder how much gossip has gone on in the last six months.

What does the Bible say? "Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down" (Proverbs 26:10). Wow! The converse of that statement is true also: "With wood a fire keeps burning; with gossip a quarrel bursts into flames." What is the solution? Guard your tongue. The Bible says, "Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift" (Ephesians 4:29, Msg). Here's a good test: Will what I'm about to say promote the unity of the body or hurt the unity of the body.

If you have a problem with someone, don't go to everyone else and tell them the problem. Why would you do that? The Bible teaches you need to go directly to the person and try to work things out. Why would you spread stuff that is based on lies or half-truths? Because that's our way of bringing people down. How can the body ever be unified, how can a good church ever become a great church if gossip fills the hallways and parking lots.

Let me remind you that we all carry two buckets of liquid, one in each hand. One is filled with gasoline, the other with water. Be careful which bucket you use. If you hear gossip or the spreading of discontent or one member blasting away at a specific group, pour the bucket of water on that fire as quickly as possible. Don't pour gasoline on it. On the other hand, if God is changing lives in one segment of church life, don't pour water on it. Pour gasoline on it so that it will spread to the whole church.

How can I protect the unity of my church? Third, by following the leaders of the church. The Bible says, "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you" (Hebrews 13:17). This verse is very humbling for me. I never flaunt it because it generates the fear of God in my heart. There's a message for you and one for me. The message for you is to follow those who have been called as pastors of this church. The message for me is that I better be the kind of leader who stays in tune with God's heart and vision because one day I'm going to stand before Him and give an account of my leadership as pastor of Chapin Baptist Church.

I've been accused on occasion of being a dictator. If you only knew how far from the truth that is. On the other hand, I do believe that God is the one who called me to this church. And I also believe that the biblical model is not one where the pastor is a mere employee who simply follows orders from the church. Instead, the Lord calls the pastor to capture God's vision for the church and to faithfully lead the congregation to fulfill that vision. One of my constant prayers is, "God make your vision clear and give me the ability to cast that vision clearly so that your people will capture it and make a significant difference for your kingdom.

Jesus, just before the time of His crucifixion, prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed for Himself, His disciples, and then for all future followers, including us. Hear one part of His prayer for Chapin Baptist Church: "I pray…that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (John 17:20-21).

When Jesus prayed that we would be one, He wasn't asking God to make us all agree on everything. That will never happen this side of heaven. Believers will always have different views on the role of the pastor, the style of worship, the type of sermon, and church structure and polity. But here is where the oneness must come. The unity of the body is cemented when every believer is able to put differences aside and give one hundred percent focus to the vision of helping people connect with God and become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. That's the key. {Relate to Ed's testimony.}

It's amazing how unified the body is whenever we are focused on missions and ministry projects in the community. In other words, unity is protected whenever we turn our focus outward, making every effort possible to build bridges to a community that so desperately needs Jesus Christ.

What are you going to do to protect the unity of your church? Act in love toward every member. Refuse to gossip (or listen to gossip). Follow the leaders.