Nothing fancy. Here’s some links you can follow if you’re wondering how you can help with tornado relief for the folks affected. Alabama was hit terribly hard, and so many have lost loved ones and their homes. Please keep them in prayer, and do all you can to help.
As I find more links, I will update this post, so check back often.
I watched a video about a year ago that floored me (you can watch it after the jump). If you watch to the end you’ll hear a woman ask, “How did he do that?!” Isn’t that a question all of us ask from time to time? We look at a Fortune 500 company, or a large and vibrant church, and wonder how in the world did they get there? There’s a tendency to look at our current circumstances and determine that it is impossible to get from where I am to where I want to be…or where God is calling me to be. It would be like watching only the last few moments of the video, and not getting to see how it all started. What I love about this video is that it’s a perfect illustration of how we can all not only be a part of a movement, but actually start one.
So I’ve been talking a lot about the fans and players this week. I wanted to wrap up this little soapbox chat by addressing the expectations of coaches. Using the same analogy, the coaching staff is the pastoral staff with the senior pastor being the head coach. Before you ask, Jesus is the owner/general manager.
1) You’re expected to have a game plan. I coached high school football for six years. Two of those as a head coach. I’ll be honest, I am a pretty decent defensive coordinator, but I am a horrible head coach. No really…horrible. I think I accrued a 4-16 record in those two years. I cringe when I think about it. One of my assistants called me out in that second year and said, “It just feels like your calling plays. There’s no real plan. No set-up.” Nothing is worse than following a coach who’s only real game plan is “win the game”. As a pastor, you’re expected to have a game plan, a vision, for not just the church, but for the community your church is in. If everyone in your church followed God’s lead 100%, what would your church look like in five years? How different would your community be? You’re not expected to have all the answers on how to get there. That’s what assistant coaches (and players) are for. Have a plan and communicate that plan often.
2) You’re expected to take care of the staff and players. A disconnected coach is not only not respected, but ruins any morale and cohesiveness on the team. A coach that doesn’t care about his staff and players can’t expect them to care too much about the success of the team…or to stay on the team for very long.
3) You’re expected to understand the game. This one is pretty much a no-brainer. If a coach doesn’t understand the game, he or she has absolutely no business coaching. One of the roles of the coach is to teach the players, and develop the other coaches. After a season together, everyone should be better at their jobs than they were before the season started. As a pastor, you may not be able to lead worship, or pastor kids or teens. However, you can put resources in the hands of those leaders that will develop them as specialists and leaders.
4) You’re expected to win. A win in sports is easily defined. A win in ministry is a little more etherial and difficult to define. However, Jesus defines some things that are not wins in His letters to the churches in the book of Revelation:
- A reputation
- Lukewarmness
- Doctrine that leads away from God
- Leaving the first love. That is, a love for Jesus.
Our job as coaches / pastors is not to build or draw a crowd. We are under-shepherds of the Great Shepherd who is busy drawing sinners to Himself. Jesus is building His Church. We join with Him in seeking and saving the lost. That is the goal, the touchdown, the score. As pastors and church leaders, we must never forget that Jesus’ primary concern is people not processes, denominations, or programs.
What other expectations for coaches, players, or fans can you think of that I’ve missed?
It never ceases to amaze me just how emotionally involved fans are with their team. I’m not talking about the occasional attenders, here. No, I’m talking about the come-to-every-game, scream-until-I’m-hoarse, paint-my-entire-body sort of fan. For a professional people watcher like myself, these folks are a gold mine!
As I said in an earlier post, fans like to cheer when their team is winning, and yell when they are losing. It seems that every fan knows exactly what to do to remedy a bad situation. They know what the players need to do, and what changes the coaches make, and they will express their opinions until their voices give out. The game is ridiculously easy to play and coach when you’re in section 212, row 13, seat 5. No matter how loudly a fan yells, however, a coach will never listen to their “advice.” They will listen to their assistant coaches who are specialists in teaching a particular position or scheme. They will listen to their players who are actually out there in the trenches and doing the job. But they will never, ever listen to the fan screaming their heads off in the stands.
Oddly enough, this doesn’t stop the fan from yelling.
Fans are funny people.
Fans in church are no different. Attending, but not committing. Complaining, but not serving. Opinionated, but not generous. Will cheer when things are going well, and yell when they aren’t. All the while having the unrealistic expectation of being heard.
Fans are funny people.
Are you a fan of your church, or a member serving in your church?
I am really stuck on this comparison of the local church to a sports team for some reason. Church members are the players and the pastoral staff is the coaching staff. The general manager is Jesus. Today, I wanted to list off some things you can expect as a player on a team.
1) You will be expected to play in the game. Every player on a team has the expectation of playing time every game. With very little exception, that is exactly what happens. When the coach calls their name, they head on the field. It’s the whole reason they are a part of the team…to play the game. I have never seen an instance of the coach calling for a player to head in, and they say, “No thanks, coach; but thanks for asking.”
