An Owner Mentality
Scripture: John 10:11-13; Revelations 3:20; Matthew 9:37-38
Introduction:
Today we celebrate the first step in our transition from this place to the place where God has chosen to plan us. We will leave this place and not return. We have been renters since the inception of this Church, eight years and 4 months. This morning marks the last day of our being renters and I want to share with you from my heart on this special occasion. My message this morning is titled “An Owner’s Mentality” and if I offend some of you or make you uncomfortable please consider the offense as a growth opportunity.
As a Church, we are about to experience the most critical transition that we will make. It does not matter how many more buildings we purchase after this building, making this first transition from this school to a permanent place requires not only a physical transition, but a spiritual one. We must transition from being renters to being owners and it must happen quickly. We cannot invite people into our building if we act as if we are still renting. So let’s talk about what it means to have an owner’s mentality.
Before I get into the heart of this message, I want to give you an example for you to reference and think on throughout this message. Imagine yourself purchasing a new home, but you do not have the time or energy to get it ready for you to move in. Imagine you waiting for someone else to do what you should do because you know sooner or later someone else will get it ready for you. Now imagine taking this same mentality into your new home. Can you see this with your mind’s eye?
I want you to know that we have individuals who are not members of this Church do more to get us into the building than some of you. We have one individual who has taken an owner’s mentality for our building and he is not a member and he is not getting paid doing what we should be doing. Yes we might not have the skill that he does, but there is something you can be doing. I want to set this up first because we need to transition from our current mentality to one of an owner.
I. An Owner’s Mentality
Last week I had a conversation with Justin. He had on a nice Blue Valley jacket. He asked me what my message would be about today and I told him I would be talking about a renter’s mentality versus an owner’s mentality. He had this look on his face as if he did not understand so I asked him two questions. The first question I asked him was if he owned the jacket that he was wearing and he answered that he did. The second question that I asked him was that if he had just “borrowed” the jacket from Quanzee would he treat it the same way as if he owned it. Justin thought about it for a moment and then answered no; that if he had just borrowed the jacket from Quanzee he would not treat it the same as if he owned it. You see, there are some people who will borrow your things and will take care of it better than they would their own possessions – but they are in the minority. The mentality of most borrowers is the same as the renter, especially in this message this morning. Most people have the mentality that if they borrow something from you it is a freebie – if they break it then you must fix it since it is yours. For example, your neighbor asks to borrow your lawnmower and you agree to let them use it. You fill the mower up with gas and take it to your neighbor. Now your neighbor begins to mow his yard which contains rocks, sticks and other trash. As you watch you neighbor, he just mows right over the rocks, sticks and other types of trash without having a second thought about what those things were doing to the blade. In the neighbor’s mind the lawnmower is not his so he does not have to do any maintenance. If the blades need sharpening later, that is your responsibility, not theirs. And what makes it even worse is that some neighbor will use up all of the gas in the lawnmower and come and knock on your door asking for more (it is your responsibility to keep the gas in the mower since it is your mower). The borrower does not give the same consideration that the owner does. Let’s look at the renter. Most of us have visited someone’s apartment or home where they were renting. Or maybe you came in and rented a property after the previous renters moved out and you saw what was left behind. Now I will admit now that in some cases there is no difference in how they look from a cleanliness standpoint, but there are remarkable differences in the mentality of the renter versus that of the owner. For example, whose responsibility is it if the carpet needs replacing? The owner’s not the renter. For some people because they do not own the place, they treat it that way. They stain the carpet; knock holes in the walls; and damage the appliances all because they can and they know they do not have to replace it. The mentality of the renter and/or borrower is that they get all of the benefits of the use of the item without any of the responsibility for taking care of it unless there is something specifically expressed in the contract or agreement. This mentality did not just evolve during our times, it has always existed.
This morning I want to walk you through the spiritual mentality of four different individuals. I will talk about the owner; the family member; the visitor; and lastly the renter. As I describe each of these individuals to you, I want you to determine which of these you will be when we walk into that building next week. If you currently do not have an owner’s mentality I hope that you will choose to have one before next week. So let’s start with a visual of a home owner.
II. Owner; Family Member; Visitor; Renter Mentality
When a person goes out and purchases a home, they become the owner. If this is a husband and wife, they are generally the co-owners of the home. If they have children or other family members living with them, they are considered family members, but not owners. They get to live in the home and enjoy all of the benefits of it, but the house does not belong to them. When friends and other individuals visit the home, they are visitors. Visitors do not live there and only enjoy some of the benefits of the home while they are there. Finally, if the owners decide to purchase another home and they want to rent out their first home, the individual who rents the home now are the renters. The original owners still own the home, but they are allowing others to live there for a fee. With these modest descriptions in the natural, let apply this to the spiritual.
The Owner
Turn with me to John 10:11-14. It reads “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and I am known by My own.”
Jesus gave us the classic example of what it means to be an owner – spiritually. In this example, Jesus says that He was the good shepherd and not a hireling. A hireling in this Scripture can be compared to a renter or even a visitor. Jesus explains the difference between being the owner versus a hireling (renter, visitor, etc). Jesus said that the owner would give his life for the sheep – meaning that he would do any and everything to protect what was his. If a wolf came and snatched one of his sheep, the owner would run out and fight with the wolf, even unto death, in order to save the life of his sheep. The owner recognized that the life of his sheep rests in his hands and it was no one else responsibility but his to take care of the sheep. Now consider what He said about the hireling. Jesus said the one who was just “hired” to care for the sheep, and had no ownership in them, would not risk his life for the sheep. If a wolf came the hireling would throw up his arms and run in the opposite direction to save his own life. He would not fight for the sheep because they did not belong to him. He was not vested in them – he was just hired to watch over them. Because he was just a hireling and did not have a vested interest in them, it was not his responsibility to risk his life to save them for the few dollars he was receiving to care for them. Does this make sense? So considering what Jesus said, let’s go back to the owner of a house.
The owner of the house ensures to the best of their ability that what is needed for the house is done. When repairs are needed, they find a way to get it done. They anticipate the need and budget accordingly. They care of the house and ensure that everything is working the way it is supposed to. They do this because they are the owners. Spiritually this mentality understand that when it comes to God’s business, they have a vested interest in making sure they are where they need to be spiritually and they are on the front lines making sure that what needs to be done is done. It is not just the physical things for the Church that they take care of, but the spiritual things as well. They spend time praying; they spend time studying God’s word so they are prepared; they spend time looking after the needs of the Church and those who visit. They do this because they are owners. They know that what others see in their building and/or their life is representative of them as a whole so they want to make sure that what is seen is the best. Someone with an owner’s mentality does not wait to be called upon, they anticipate and volunteer. Someone with an owner’s mentality does not see a task as someone else’ responsibility, but something that needs to be done and they do it. Someone with an owner’s mentality seeks to fulfill, to not be filled. Now let’s look at the family member.
The Family Member
Remember the family members are those that live with the owners of the house but they do not own the house. The best example of this is our children. Our children live in our home but they do not own them. They have all of the benefits of having a house without any of the worries. As a matter of fact, they enjoy those benefits so much so that sometimes they mistakenly think they do have some ownership and the rights of an owner. Family members understand that when something breaks it is not their responsibility to fix it, even if they were the one responsible for the breakage. Family members understand that as long as they follow a few simple house rules, they can basically live free of the burden of having to make a house payment. Family members understand that they do not have to worry about if all of the bills are paid; their worry extends only to the simple things that affect them. For the family members it does not get any better than this. As long as they do not have any chores to do and there are no “unfair” expectations placed on them life is extremely good.
Consider this example of a family member. Everyone is sitting in the family room watching TV and the doorbell rings. The family members continue to watch TV because they know sooner or later the owners will get up and answer the door. The same applies to the telephone – which rings off the hook because the family member knows the call is not for them because everyone they want to talk to has their cell phone number and will not call the house phone. So if the house phone is ringing, it must be for the owners so therefore it is not their responsibility to answer the phone. How does a family member mentality shape up spiritually? Well someone with a family member mentality loves being a part of the Church and partaking of everything that is happening as long as it is not an inconvenience to them. Someone with a family member mentality does not mind helping out around the Church as long as it meets the few, well defined, and preset criteria for their willingness to help. For example, I can help on Saturday morning from 9-9:15 because I must be at so and so place for the rest of the week.
The person with the family member mentality does not anticipate what the needs are because that is the owner’s responsibility. Their role is to express a need, but not to fulfill it. The person with a family member mentality comes and goes as they please because they know the owners will take care of what needs to be done on a daily basis. Jesus said in Revelations 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
If you have a family member’s mentality you will allow Jesus to stand outside and knock until His hand fall off as you will wait for the owner to answer the door. On the owners can do what Jesus wants done and therefore only the owner can answer His call or His knock on the door. Jesus is knocking on the door of everyone here who has a family member mentality because He wants you to become an owner. Let’s look at the visitor.
The Visitor’s Mentality
All of us have had the opportunity to visit someone’s home. As a visitor, you are cautious as to how you walk and how you carry yourself. When you need something you ask because you do not know the layout of the land and you do not want to go walking through someone’s home and their private areas. Visitors come, but they do not stay. They may visit you for years, but they will always be a visitor because they are not the owner or an immediate family member. They may be your best friend, but when it comes to your house, they are still a visitor. They have no authority whatsoever about what happens within your house. A person who has a visitor’s mentality spiritually is very similar. This individual is best known as the person who always refers you to someone else when you have a question or something comes up. How many times have you been in a store and someone comes up to you and asks a question and you have to explain to them that you are a visitor and do not work there? This is what the person with a visitor’s mentality does. They may have been a member for 20 years, yet when someone asks them a question, they refer them on. The person with a visitor’s mentality operates as if nothing pertains to them and they are not responsible for anything. If there is a need at the Church it is the owner’s responsibility to meet it. If the owners cannot meet it surely one of the many family members can. The person with a visitor’s mentality can attend as often or as little as they please and everyone should be happy when they do show up – because they are a visitor. When we get to the new church next week, will you be a visitor?
The Renter
The last individual we will examine is the renter. The renter has a basic relationship with the owners, but for the most part, no relationship with the family members or the visitors that visit the owners and the family members. They will have their own circle or family members and visitors, but they will be separated from the owners from whom they are renting. The renters, after signing an agreed upon contract, pays the owners a certain amount each month for the right to stay in their home. They do not own the home, but as long as they are making their payments, they have the right to stay there. If something goes wrong with the house, the renters contact the owners to have it fixed.
Because the renters are not the owners, they do not have to worry about property taxes; upkeep beyond the daily maintenance they agree to do and none of the other things an owner has to be concerned about. The renter stays until they find something they like better. How does this play out spiritually? Well if we think back to Jesus’ example, the renter is the first one missing when something bad happens. They will drop and run in the middle of the night leaving you with the damaged property and the bill. A renter’s mentality says that everything is the owner’s responsibility. In the Church they are members as listed on the roster, but they do little as far as helping to meet the needs of the Church and the community in which it serves. They have a lot of suggestions and opinions, but when it is time to work, they shift from giving recommendations to standing on the sidelines while the owners implement their recommendations. They tend to shy away from getting involved with anything that will tax them too much spiritually. Because they are not the owners they do not care as much – whether something succeeds or fails has little impact on them. Are you going to be a renter when we arrive at the building next week?
Conclusion
This day is our last day as renters – from a physical viewpoint. Although this is a day for celebration and rejoicing, I know in my heart that some of you will take with us next week to the new location a family member, visitor or renter’s mentality. If a majority of us do not adopt and begin to walk in an owner’s mentality we will experience more problems there than we ever faced here. If each of you do not step up and begin to take ownership role in our Church we will continue to beg for help and participation and only have a handful show up. We will continue to try and get things done with a few while a majority of you, even some of you who carry the title of a leader, stand on the sidelines because you are too busy with everything else. We will continue to have all of the spiritual matters handled by a few individuals because you do not see yourself in that role. When visitors come in and you’re the only one with something in common with them but you do not reach out because you’re not an owner, their needs will go unfulfilled and they will go somewhere else.
If you do not take on an owner’s mentality, you will continue to make statements like: “I will do it for you! This is you’re ministry! God did not call me to do it! I don’t have time! I did it last week!” Should I continue? “I already have one job how many things do you want me to do? I think we should pay someone to do it! See I know you it would not work!” Should I continue? No I think I will stop here. I pray that you will join me and take an owner’s mentality as we begin a new journey. For all of my leaders, if you cannot make the transition to having an owner’s mentality you will need to step aside as a leader because my leaders will need to be owners. If you are not willing to be an owner, you are no longer fit to be one of my leaders. For those of you thinking about being a leader in this Church, if you want to be a leader in any capacity, you must begin by becoming an owner.
Please pray about your mentality. I will leave you with these words of Jesus because they truly fit our situation: “Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
May God bless and keep you is my prayer.
