Rules of the Infinite Game
If you’ve been following along in this series, we’ve been reframing what it means to be the church in the neighborhood.
In Part 1, we asked: What game are you actually playing?
In Part 2, we asked: Where’s the field?
Now, in Part 3, we’re asking: What are the rules of the game you are playing?
Why Rules Matter
Every game (whether finite or infinite) has rules.
Rules set the boundaries of play. They create clarity. They tell us what counts as the game and what doesn’t.
Think about it: without rules, basketball just looks like people running around with an orange ball. The rules don’t kill the game; they make the game.
The same goes for being the church in the neighborhood. If we’re serious about shifting from the old game of church growth to the infinite game of God’s renewal, then we need some shared parameters that help us know if we’re actually playing it or if we are drifting back into the old game.
And we’d argue there are at least three rules to the infinite game.
In this video, Tim Soerens unpacks what these rules look like in everyday neighborhood life — and why they matter if we’re going to play the infinite game.
Rule 1: Common Mission
The first rule is simple, but it can change everything: show up in the neighborhood.
Not show up to run events or recruit members, but to participate in the life of the place. To notice what God is already doing there. To join in.
As Pastah J puts it: “You’ll know you’re playing the game well if you love your neighborhood more.”
If we can say “yes, we are loving our neighborhood more,” we’re likely playing the infinite game. If not, we’ve probably slipped back into chasing numbers.
That’s the measure of the infinite mission. Not numbers. Not programs. But love.
Rule 2: Common Formation
The second rule is less about what we’re doing and more about who we’re becoming.
Because let’s be real: you can run all kinds of impressive programs, but if your life together doesn’t actually look like Jesus, then what are we doing?
Spiritual formation is the heart of the game. Are we becoming a people who reflect the character of Christ in the everyday stuff of life.
Here’s a simple way to think about it:
We know we’re “winning” when someone looks at us and says, “You remind me of Jesus.”
We know we’re “losing” when people read the gospels, look at us, and see a glaring gap.
That’s why formation has to be common → shared rhythms, shared practices, shared accountability. Otherwise, it’s too easy to drift back into performance mode, looking the part on Sunday but living a completely different story the rest of the week.
Rule 3: Common Relationships
And the third rule is this: the infinite game is a team sport.
No one can do this alone. If you don’t have a circle of people you’re practicing mission and formation with in your actual neighborhood, you might be doing something meaningful, but you probably shouldn’t call it “church.”
Church is the body of Christ. Which means it’s always “we,” not “me.” It’s people who commit to one another, not just an event you attend when it’s convenient.
This is where the game comes alive: when a community of people in a particular place are learning to love God, love one another, and love their neighborhood. Together.
The New Rules
So if you’re shifting from the old game of growth to the infinite game of renewal, here are the rules of play:
Common Mission: Join God’s renewal in your neighborhood.
Common Formation: Become more like Jesus together.
Common Relationships: Live as a team, not as solo players.
These aren’t rules to restrict you. They’re rules that set you free to be the church in the neighborhood in a way that’s more faithful, more human, and more hopeful than a regular scoreboard ever allowed.
Questions for discernment:
Does this idea of “rules for the infinite game” land with you? Why or why not?
What feels exciting about this framework? What feels hard?
Do these “rules” resonate with your experience of church? Or do they feel unrealistic?
What does it actually mean to measure love for your neighborhood? How would you know if it’s growing?
What practices actually help us resemble Jesus—not just as individuals, but together?
If you had to add a fourth “rule,” what would it be?
As you sit with these questions, we’d love to hear your reflections. Which of these rules feels most alive in your neighborhood right now? What feels challenging? Share your thoughts with your community — and with us — as together we learn how to play the infinite game of God’s renewal.
