Is cooperation worth it? Is it worth the sacrifice, the effort, and at times the frustration? Well, thank you for asking! To answer this important question, let me share a brief personal story.
After we experienced the destructive tornado in Mayfield, Ky., in 2021, I thought about a few things in life I wanted to accomplish. I suppose it was kind of a “bucket list.” There was one thing I had dreamed about for decades, one thing I always thought would be neat – I wanted to become a pilot. My dad was a pilot earlier in life, so we always talked about airplanes and flying, we went to air shows, and we talked about famous pilots (especially Bob Hoover!). I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps, I wanted to take him flying one day, so I decided to start taking lessons.
I began by going to a local airport for an initial meeting with a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). In the very first meeting, we discussed the price of getting a pilot’s license. Let’s just say you learn very quickly in aviation that it’s not the cheapest hobby. There’s the cost of the airplane, the cost of maintenance, the cost of insurance, the cost of fuel, the cost of a hangar, and the list goes on and on! In fact, during an early lesson, my CFI asked, “What keeps an airplane in the air?” With great enthusiasm to share what I studied, I started to give a detailed response about thrust and how the airfoil of the wing produces lift, but he stopped me and said, “No, money keeps the plane in the air!”
It didn’t take long to realize I couldn’t afford to fly. I certainly couldn’t buy an airplane, and even the regular expenses associated with flying were beyond my resources. I wondered if my dream of becoming a pilot had come to an end. Was this the end of the runway?
Shortly after these initial conversations with my CFI, I learned of a local flying club – a group of pilots who pooled their resources to own and operate an airplane. And the club had an opening! I could purchase the available share and have access to an airplane. I thought it was an incredible deal! If I was willing to cooperate with 14 other like-minded people, I could gain access to something well beyond my personal resources. Needless to say, I joined the club with great excitement!
Interestingly, cooperation came with limitations. Sometimes when I wanted to fly, the plane wasn’t available. Sometimes the plane was undergoing maintenance. The weather didn’t always cooperate when I wanted to fly. Oftentimes, the plane wasn’t left as clean as I tried to leave it. When you cooperate with 14 others, even like-minded pilots, you learn quickly that people see matters differently. You learn that it takes work to cooperate – it doesn’t happen without grace, effort, and sacrifice. Yet, even in moments of frustration, I tried to focus on the fact that I was blessed to have access to an airplane.
And so, I think about the Cooperative Program. Is cooperating worth it? Is it worth the sacrifice, the effort, and sometimes the frustration? Alone, I don’t know a single church that can do what the International Mission Board (IMB) or North American Mission Board (NAMB) does, or what our seminaries do. In Missouri, I don’t know a single church that, alone, can do what our entities do. With our personal resources alone, we simply don’t have access to an airplane. But when we cooperate, when we pool our resources, when we join together as like-minded brothers and sisters in the Lord, we can accomplish amazing things.
Are there frustrations and limitations when we cooperate? Sure. But is cooperating still worth it? I would say absolutely yes!