What to Expect as a Player
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.”
2) You will be coached. Practice is hard. The extent of my own playing experience is high school, and those two-a-days were pretty rough. I can only imagine how it is for those guys playing at the college and pro level. But this is exactly what every player expects. If practice were easy, the game would overwhelm the team. During the game there are so many factors that come in to play: the pace, the speed, the intensity, the stress, and the crowd (more on them tomorrow). If practice were laid back and easy, the team would be woefully unprepared and would lose a majority of their games. The coaching staff wants the team to succeed, and will do everything they know to make that happen. (Read Ephesians 4:11-13 on the pastoral staff equipping the saints for the work of ministry)
3) You will play a position. My son plays little league baseball right now. He’s nine. He wants to be a pitcher. Every kid wants to either pitch or catch because they get the ball all the time. He can’t really pitch, but, because he’s expressed a desire to pitch, the coach has him pitch every once in a while. This works because it’s little league. There’s going to come a time, though, where either his skill will improve, allowing him to continue pitching, or he will be put in a position more suited to his ability. That’s reality. We can’t all do everything. It’s ridiculous for a right fielder to have an expectation of pitching, or for a left tackle to quarterback, or a striker to keep goal, etc… You get the picture. We’ve got to get out of the little league mindset and understand that we are suited to play a position, and then play that to the absolute best of our abilities. (Read 1 Corinthians 12:14-31 on how we are all parts of one body)
4) You might get benched. If a player is not helping the team, they get benched. If they become a detriment to the success of the team, they get cut or traded. That’s just a fact, as much as it hurts. This is a last resort of the coaches to maintain the integrity of the team. It’s is not something that they like to do, or even want to do, but their concern is the success of the team. They will spend their energy on the players that will put in the time to ensure they are playing at their best, and lay it all on the field. To focus on the “problem” players would be a detriment to the entire team. It is not the job of the pastoral staff to cajole, beg, and plead with people to serve. They are mandated by Scripture to equip the members to do the work God has called them to do. They present opportunities, and the members step in to those opportunities. I will go so far as to say that if you are not serving in your church, and you have been there for a year or longer, then you are either at the wrong church or in rebellion against God. The Bible is clear in saying that every member has a role to play in the body. If you’re not playing your role, the whole body is effected.
5) You might get injured. As a matter of fact, if you play in the pros, you will get injured. The difference between a good player and a great player is the ability to play hurt at the same level. As we serve the Kingdom of God, we will get hurt. Ministries will fail, people will hurt you, family will ignore you, friends will leave you, etc… Never quit! You aren’t on just any team, you are a member of His family. You are an adopted child of God and co-heir with Jesus Christ. If God has called you to do a certain thing, then keep doing it the best you know how until He moves you. He loves you, and He has placed you in a local church body to serve and be served, to support and be supported.
Let’s do what Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
