Beware! Tipping Sacred Cows Can Be Dangerous

Last week I introduced a new concept, new at least to me – “tipping sacred cows.” What a crazy notion! I took the phrase from the sub-title of Pastor Brad Powell’s book, Change Your Church for Good: The Art of Sacred Cow Tipping. I share Pastor Brad’s conviction: “I believe that the church is the hope of the world … when it’s working right. And therein lies the problem. Most aren’t!”

These three truths resonate with me:

1. The church is indeed the hope of the world!

2. The church is the hope of the world “when it’s working right.”

3. Sadly, most churches are not working right today.

The question we must ever ask ourselves is this: Is our church working right? Does the local expression of the Body of Christ called First Baptist Church, South Lyon, Michigan – a local expression we cherish – operate according to God’s vision, purposes, and values? The impact we make as the hope of the world provides our answer.

How many lives are we seeing transformed by the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ? How many people have we seen be born-again this week, this past month, or so far this year? How many of our friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors have been drawn to Christ by His work through us as “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”? The bottom line: Jesus Christ expects His body to make many and more disciples who engage in ministry and mission.

Jesus states unequivocally: “I will build My church, and the forces [gates] of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus’ claim bears three important implications:

1. First Baptist Church does not belong to the families who have invested their lives and livelihood here, though their investments have often been noteworthy. Neither does this church belong to any denominational entity, though we proudly align ourselves with the heritage and mission of the Southern Baptist Convention. This church does not belong to her pastors or her leaders, though their ministries have been praiseworthy through the years. First Baptist Church belongs to Jesus Christ alone. We are His church answerable to His design and desire for us.

2. The responsibility of building His church is … His. We may find certain methods, strategies, programs, or even gimmicks useful for a season, but the real Generator of growth in church life is the Head, Jesus Christ Himself. Make no mistake, He intends for His church to grow, to multiply. I am persuaded that He is so committed to building His church because He has commissioned His church to be the hope of the world!

3. Jesus also assures us that His church is to have an indomitable influence. The right understanding of His claim that “the forces of Hades will not overpower” His church is not merely that we will survive but that we will thrive. He does not emphasize here that we will be under attack “by the forces of Hades” but that the gates of Hell will be under attack by His church, and His church will prevail!

What has all this to do with tipping sacred cows? Well, I believe and contend that when the church is not working right, when the church is not growing and making disciples at a rate that threatens the dominion of darkness, more often than not the problem is with what we value. When believers value their way of doing church more that what Jesus says, they begin to cherish sacred cows.

What are we to do with sacred cows? Rick Warren famously proposed once: “Sacred cows make great hamburger.” We may chuckle at the witticism, but that approach would also be hurtful – to the sacred cows and to those who value them.

Let me close this week with some levity. Perhaps some folks have thought, as I did, that cow tipping was actually only an urban myth. My friend, Bert Spann, the pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Saline and an old country boy from Arkansas, assures me that cow tipping is an actual recreational activity, though he denies ever having participated himself. He did offer some counsel about how to “git ’er done,” though. I also found some sage advice from a sister’s blog called “emerginggrace.” Here are some realities to observe if one hopes to tip any cows safely and successfully – sacred or not.

1. Always remember, cows simply do not volunteer to be tipped. It is not natural to their preferred worldview. In other words, they will resist. For that matter, their owners are not to cozy with the notion either. They also will resist.

2. Make sure you have targeted a cow and not a bull! ’Nuff said.

3. A cow’s sheer body mass and center of gravity make the prospects highly unlikely, even for a group of people working together. In fact, the task requires a sizeable group with clearly-defined roles. Teamwork makes the dream work!

4. For the same reasons, momentum plays a key part in this adventure. We cannot simply stand still and pick up a cow. We have to get a good head start, build up speed, and hit the target squarely.

5. Apparently, cows are not all that susceptible to sneak attacks. They are hard to catch unaware. Moreover, if a cow is startled, they are quick to communicate to the rest of the herd that something is amiss. Think: Stampede!

6. Beware! Any attempt to tip a cow is by nature a dangerous activity. Despite a reputation for being placid and slow, a cow is actually quite capable of causing real and severe damage to humans when provoked or nervous.

Let’s moooove on! We will be chewing on this cud for some time yet. (Sorry, I could not resist)! Time to focus on Jesus!

Pastor Rob