BOOK REVIEW: ETCHED IN EXCELLENCE
“WITHOUT careful attention, faith-based organisations will inevitably drift from their founding mission. It is that simple. It will happen. Slowly, silently and with little fanfare, organisations routinely drift from their original purpose, and most will never return to their original intent. It has happened throughout history…..”
With these opening words, Peter Greer and Christ Horst begin an in-depth practical exegesis on the unspoken crisis facing organisations. It’s called the MISSION DRIFT. Peter is the president and CEO of HOPE international, a global non-profit organization focused on addressing both physical and spiritual poverty through microfinance. Chris serves as director at the same place. Drawing from their own experience on contracts they had to let go of because the donors wanted them to tone down their Christian identity, they put together a 15-chapter study on staying mission-true.
“To be plainly instructed and consider that the main end of your life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ”; This was the founding mission of Harvard University. Harvard’s spiritual heritage is no longer visible. Eighty years later, a group of English pastors founded another university to correct the secularization at Harvard. Named after Elihu Yale, a rich philanthropist who shared in their concerns, they founded Yale University with the motto, “Lux et Veritax” meaning “Light and Truth”. But today, both universities are nothing like what they were established to be.
The fact is, mission drift unfolds slowly, and it carries an organization from its core purpose and identity. How can we avoid this? Chris and Peter make these clear points.
- Mission-true organisations believe the gospel is their most precious asset. We need to be fully convicted of this because we will be challenged in our organisations. Funds may be cut, some staff may not be recruited, because of who we are and what we stand for. Nonetheless, we must recognize that Christ makes the difference, and without a changed heart, prosperity can be lead to more brokenness.
- Mission-true organisations make harder decisions to protect and propel their missions. We must realize that the pressure to drift is constant, and we must be intentional in small decisions and make hard decisions to correct drift.
- Mission-true organisations assume they will face drift, and build safeguards against it. We must not assume successors will inherit the founder’s faith.
- Mission-true organisations have clarity and know why they exist and have guardians who understand the top priority of the group.
ETCHED IN EXCELLENCE
The scriptures clearly teach us in 2 Peter 1:5 to ADD TO OUR FAITH, EXCELLENCE. Unfortunately, sometimes, we hide behind our Christian identity and underperform. But our fruit tells a lot about who and what we are and must not be short of the standard of Christ. Slapping the symbol of a cross on a product package does not make it honour God, if it is not excellent. To us, there is no room for mediocrity. God created the universe and upholds it precisely because he is a God of excellence. The instructions he gave Noah and Moses for the ark and tabernacle respectively depict his art of excellence.
In a chapter dubbed “ETCHED IN EXCELLENCE: MISSION-TRUE ORGANISATIONS UNDERSTAND THE GOSPEL DEMANDS EXCELLENCE IN THEIR WORK”, the cites the example of Buck Knives, an American knife manufacturer founded in San Diego in 1902. It is the country’s most prominent knife company, making about 5 million knives annually. Its founder, Hoyt Buck, at age 13, made its first knife. He believed that his Christian faith demanded he approached his work with excellence as to the Lord. During the World War II, as a pastor, he made over 2,000 knives from the basement of his church and donated them to the American soldiers. Today, the Buck folding lock blade knife, Model 110 is the gold standard for lock blades in the U.S. To each knife they make, there is a personal lifetime guarantee message in the box to welcome the buyer to the Buck family and it reads:
As my father Chuck Buck would say, if this is your first Buck knife, “Welcome aboard.” You are now part of a very large family. We think of each one of our users as a member of the Buck Knives family, and we take care of our own.
Now that you are family, you might want to know a little more about us. Dad said it best when he said, “The fantastic growth of Buck Knives, Inc. was no accident. From the beginning, we determined to make God the Senior Partner. In a crisis, the problem was turned over to Him, and He hasn’t failed to help us with the answer. Each knife must reflect the integrity of management. If sometimes we fail on our end, because we are human, we find it imperative to do our utmost to make it right. If any
of you are troubled or perplexed and looking for answers, may we invite you to look to Him, for God loves you.”
We have stood by these values since 1902 and honor our products with this Forever Warranty. Please don’t hesitate to contact us regarding your knife.
CJ Buck
President, CEO, Chairman of Buck Knives.
The Bucks family believe the quality of their craftsmanship is crucial to validate their message.
Poor quality and Christian should never be used to describe the same organization. Substandard runs contrary to God’s calling.
Mission Dirft
The chapter encourages us in being mission true to :
- Maintain the highest level of quality. Poor quality and Christian should never be used to describe the same organization. Substandard runs contrary to God’s calling.
- Celebrate our unique societal contributions because of our Christian
identity. - Integrate the gospel into all areas of our programs.
Excellence must undergird mission-true organisations. We must not settle for mediocrity. Our faith demands that we be the best in class regardless of what type of work we do. Our programs and products must model the highest of quality.
