The Parable of the Olympic Flame

This year, France is hosting the Olympic Games. And the Olympic flame traveling across the country has become a parable for the Church.

For the past few months, the Olympic flame has been traversing the entire nation, carried by athletes and ordinary people who take turns, all with a common goal: to advance the flame towards Paris and ensure it never goes out. It’s the same flame, but each time it changes hands, it’s like a new beginning with a different bearer taking it to a different place.

When I think about it, I can’t help but see a parable for the Church. Keeping the "fire of first love" burning is not easy, especially when the race is long and exhausting over time. Because aside from any spiritual consideration, the church remains a social group like any other. And like in any social group, the passing of time often diminishes enthusiasm, fervor, and spontaneity. Acknowledging this doesn’t minimize the action of the Holy Spirit but rather confesses the weakness of our human nature, which so easily falls into the traps of comfort, routine, and excessive structure. These are realities experienced by both pastors and congregations, which can eventually stifle the flame over time.

This sad observation is confirmed by history. How many churches and denominations, which we would now call "traditional" began in a powerful revival? Once again, there’s no judgment here, just the same admission Paul made: “our flesh is weak”...

So, what’s the connection with the Olympic Games? What if one way to preserve the flame was to pass it on to others?

In the church, this can happen in at least two ways. The first is replacement. One could consider that an outgoing pastor passes the flame to the pastor who replaces them. Most of the time, this "breath of fresh air" rekindles the flame, and the church enters a new dynamic with renewed enthusiasm and mobilization. But the flame remains in the same place, surrounded by everything that may have stifled it in the past...

The second is church planting.

Each church plant represents a new beginning, in a new environment, a reset in this race against time and weariness. It’s an act through which church planters voluntarily place themselves in discomfort and once again proclaim their dependence on God. Planting a church always involves returning to the very essence of the gospel, reminiscent of the early groups of believers we see gathering in Paul’s epistles: teaching, discipleship, prayer, breaking of bread, and relationships (Acts 2:42).

So, what’s the conclusion? Are we doomed to weariness and cooling off as time passes? The question may seem pessimistic. After all, history has also shown that communities can experience revival when they enter a season of reform and collective repentance.

But starting from the human premise that we are vulnerable to the wear and tear of time, what would happen if every church was aware of this and developed a culture of church planting to "pass the flame"?

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