If you follow sports, you know that there is a difference between a great player and a great coach. The best players often do not make good coaches, and many great coaches weren’t exactly stand-out players. Phil Jackson, the great Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Laker is considered by many to be a coaching genius. Yes, he played professional basketball, but spent most of his career coming off of the bench.
When you think about it, the difference between coaching the game and playing the game makes sense. There are different gifts, talents, and analytical skills that are best suited to one role or the other. Some people are simply better coaches than they are players.
My question is: do “players” and “coaches” exist in congregational ministry? I’m thinking more along the lines of leadership roles more so than at a local congregational levels. Are seminary professors, theologians, writers, and consultants the coaches for leaders in ministry while pastors and ministers are the players? If that’s the case, then perhaps there are mediocre pastors or youth ministers who got fired from their last three churches because of poor leadership who can help coach the rest of us.
And, maybe we should stop looking at people’s personal “track record” as players and instead look at their record as coaches. Just because someone led and grew a youth ministry or church does not mean that they are qualified to write a book telling anyone else how to do it. They might be great players, but not necessarily great coaches.
Instead, we need to look at coaches’ “records” as coaches. Have they helped make better pastors and leaders? Have they helped other leaders to utilize their gifts? Do they have a record of making positive changes in real ministries?
Does any of this make sense? Who fulfills the role of a coach in ministry leadership? Or does the analogy not apply?
I agree that some are gifted in the ways you say. Also, there is a diversity of gifts within the categories of “coaches” you presented. There are some theologians I would never want as an instructor or consultant and some of those teaching types who aren’t the best at presenting their knowledge is monograph form.
I would also challenge that the idea of pastoral leadership as that of “player.” Where does that leave congregants? I’m wondering if all the leadership and teaching gifts that you have highlighted can take the role of coaching. Or, conversely, maybe these are leadership and teaching roles that can have a gift of coaching.
My hope would be that the leadership set aside by the Body of Christ for administration and oversight would be about the business of equipping the Body for ministry of reconciliation. A great coach knows how to motivate, structure and teach his/her team to accomplish a common goal.
Another question I have for you is based on the athletics coaches I have had in my life. Do you see coaches in the Church as the same kind of authoritarians that are to be obeyed at pain of death, or worse, being cut from the team? And who are the owners who can fire the coaches?
Hey Matt, great call. There’s a lot of great youth ministers out there writing books & speaking to leaders because of the success they saw at their church. I’m all about the help they offer to others, but many times they are simply sharing their strategy/programs, instead of broader ministry principles that actually apply in all circumstances.
Hey would you be willing to share this post in a resource library for youth pastors? http://www.calledtoyouthministry.com/resources
Let me know–God bless!!
good stuff. i often talk about pastors as “player-coaches.”
So my answer to your question, “Are You a Coach or a Player?”
is YES…i hope (:
Hi Matt, just wanted to follow up again and see if you might be interested in sharing this post in a resource library for youth pastors? http://www.calledtoyouthministry.com/resources
It would be a big blessing for us, and would be a great way to get the word out about your site too.
Let me know, thanks!!
Not at this time, thanks.
Sounds good Matt thanks.