I have visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway  a couple of times during my life, but never when a racing car was buzzing around the track – at least, not until now.  A couple of weeks ago, I attended a few hours of the Indianapolis 500  Opening Day.  It was a last minute decision during a few free hours prior to flying on to another city.  I had no idea what to anticipate.   

I was amazed at the close access fans had to the pit area, the track, and the drivers and crews.  I could walk just about anywhere in the public areas.  The track appeared vast.  The bleachers and stands looked like they could accommodate several hundred thousand people; yet, only a few thousand people were strolling around the grounds on opening day.  The announcer’s voice chattered deeply over the loud speakers. The voices of concessioners could be heard as I strolled around the inside center track area.  People stood quietly hoping to see a race car driver and perhaps ask for an autograph.  Whistles blew as security guards protected fans while crews driving and riding on electric carts carrying tires and supplies zipped through the middle of pedestrian areas.   However, no sound overshadowed the roar of the race car engine or the buzz of the Indy car dashing by at 224 MPH (360 KPH.)

It was a thrilling experience.  Sure, I thought about the consumption of fossil fuels, the emissions pollutions, and these type of concerns.  But, I must admit – in the moment, the vibration of the engine and the speed of an Indy car was exhilarating. 

On opening day, most cars only went around the track one or two times.  Then, as the car came to an abrupt stop in the pits, engineers efficiently stripped the body away from the car and ran tests, studied configurations, and adjusted, if ever so slightly, mechanisms.  It appeared to be a system of striving for perfection.  In its simplest form, the engineers were hoping that their ingenuity would enable the car and driver to go around in circles (or actually ovals) faster than any other car and driver combination.  Their ultimate destination on race day is to be first to the finish line – which, allow me to state, is still just a point on the oval track.  These racing teams often spend their careers and their best skill to achieve the goal of the cars going faster and more efficiently around the track.  Oversimplified?  Yes!  I mean no disrespect to the race car industry.

I departed the Indy Motor Speedway and drove my rental car a few miles to the airport.  I then boarded a plane and flew in it from the Midwest to the Northeast.  In my rental car and plane rides, I had travelled well over 500 miles.  As I rode on the airplane, I thought about destinations.  This weekend, Indy cars will travel 500 miles only to arrive at almost the same point on the oval track as they started.  Well, not all of them.  Some cars may have engine failure; others may crash.  Everyone will not complete the race.  The cars will be as perfected as possible; the drivers as mentally prepared as possible; the crews as conditioned as possible.

I wonder how many faith-based organizations and churches spend most of their systemic energy, their best talent, and their major funding trying to perfect their system, but really only travel in circles or ovals.  The staff and volunteers may end up so focused on perfecting the organization that they lose sight of the destination or they misinterpret the true destination.  The vision for an organization is certainly not to end up where it began.  It is not to go around the same track again and again.  Our vision should point to reaching a different place than where we began.  The vision is seldom actualized by driving in circles or in a straight line, for that matter.  Moving toward the vision will have curves and bumps.  It may require repositioning, intermittent assessment, and maybe even completely new parts.  Ultimately, our vision should be pointing to God’s call for our ministry. 

I encourage you:

• To step back from the pit area of your church or faith-based organization
• To examine the whole, not just the individual parts, of your church or faith-based organization
• To be certain that the start and finish line are not one in the same
• To make sure that the goal is not limited to going faster and faster with greater efficiency
• To utilize the best talent of your staff and volunteers to work toward the vision
• To prayerfully consider the identified destination making sure it leads to God’s call
• And, finally, to maintain your personal exhilaration as your church or faith-based organization strives for vitality and relevance in today’s fast paced world.