Sir Frank Williams, the legendary Formula 1 Team Principal was famous for consistently asking one question when assessing any decision or function within the racing organisation: ‘Does it make the car go faster?’. Williams understood that the more complex the business the more important it is for everyone to understand and focus on the single over-arching objective. Otherwise people get distracted and end up make decisions that in reality don’t contribute to the core mission of the organisation.
Let me give you a practical example of this. Say one of William’s accountants came to him requesting the $5,000 purchase of software that better helped to process expense reimbursements. How might the accountant respond to William’s question?
Well there are many responses that one could envision. The accountant might suggest that the purchase of the software will free up time in the accounting department to help them streamline other costs in the organisation. The potential discovery of these savings could be better invested into the development of the race car. No doubt Sir Frank would probe as to what is the likelihood of savings to be discovered and to whether the accounting department has thought through the cost-benefit analysis of such an investment. As you can hopefully see this critical thinking exercise has been brought about by the asking of one clear question which goes to the aim of the organisation – to win races.
I propose that the Christian church could learn from Sir Frank in incorporating the following question into its everyday decision making:
How does this enable us to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ?
I have observed over a considerable period of time that the greater, greater, majority of Christian resources and energy is devoted to ‘maintaining’ disciples rather than ‘making’ them. After all, the church must take creative responsibility for the phrase ‘preaching to the choir’ as confronting as that is.
The church must rediscover it’s vigour and appetite for getting out there again and becoming uncomfortable. It’s not enough to just be on the race track. We should be trying to win and a missional question like the above helps us to do that.
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