Build Your Team
True confession here: I am a big sports fan. When asked what I watch on TV, I usually respond that it “has to have a ball.” Football, baseball, basketball — heck, even Jai Alai — it doesn’t matter too much; if there is a ball and a way to score, I’m in!
Some people find sports tedious and overly competitive. They remind us that the term “fan” comes from “fanatic” and philosophize that “winning isn’t everything”. True, sometimes people become a bit overzealous about sports. But there are lessons to be learned for the local church, if we want to pay attention.
What impresses me most about sports though isn’t the craziness of it all, but rather the discipline to do it well. I have coached teams in numerous sports. I have coached teams that were un-victorious all season. I have coached teams that were undefeated all season. Through it all I learned a whole lot about motivation, faith, people and teams. So, I understand the things that make one team great and another team miserable.
These factors are at work businesses, in politics and in local churches as well as on the sports fields. So, in the next six articles I want to talk about TEAMS. Why do we need them? How do we create them? How do we teach them? How do we create a winning team? How do we inspire them to excellence? And how do we keep the team going?
This isn’t easy work, which is probably why most pastors have trouble with it. Teams can fail you, turn on you, disappoint you, and yet, if you do it well, teams can be a tremendous and indispensable asset.
Take the time, make the effort, and your ministry will be stronger for it.