Excellence - Part 1

Perhaps when a church introduces things like standards, training, expectations or evaluations it reminds people of jobs or families where results were preeminent and people didn't matter.   That is a valid concern.  Let me clarify, then, what I mean.  When I suggest that we as members of Christ's church should pursue excellence, I am suggesting that:

#1.  Excellence is not something that is competitive.  In other words my desire to be a better at  ________ is not to make you look bad.

#2.  Excellence is not simply related to so-called important things.  In other words to be a person of excellence is not saying I get to be excellent in this and the rest doesn't matter.  Excellence and integrity go hand in hand. 

#3.  Excellence is not simply a legal thing.   What do I mean by that?   It not enough that we make choices of right or wrong.  Even within right choices there are choices that are more excellent than others. 

#4. Excellence is not simply a mechanical thing.  In other words you could be skilled in something and not be excellent.  

#5.  Excellence is not a cleverness thing.  To be excellent is far more than being talented, gifted or successful.

#6.  Excellence is not perfection.  Edwin Bliss once said, "The pursuit of excellence is gratifying and healthy. The pursuit of perfection is frustrating, neurotic, and a terrible waste of time."  I'm not sure I agree with him totally, but this I know: seeking to do better is possible in this world;  seeking to do it perfectly is not.

So let's define excellence.   To be excellent means to "go over the top".     The words excel, surpass, exceed, transcend, outdo, outstrip all suggest the concept of going beyond a limit or standard.   

But it's more than that ......