Is there anything besides excellence?

The Leadership Journal blog had a fascinating link today...a story about excellence and if there is a viable alternative. It is a word synonymous with business and these days the church. But is excellence the penultimate with anything less a sin?

Daniel Schantz writes about this subject is an insightful article for the Christian Standard. Here's a quick taste of some of the article:

The term excellence is often spoken by church leaders in condescending tones, as if to say, “Others may be content with being average slobs, but not us. We must have only the best.”

This can be a slap in the face to members who don’t have the capacity or means to be excellent—the “good,” the “fair,” the “poor." Can only good-looking, gifted singers serve on the worship team? Must church buildings resemble palaces in order to be useful? Do all preachers have to be Madison Avenue models, professional comedians, celebrities, best-selling authors, and able to speak five languages? The gospel was targeted to the poor, not just to the exceptional.