Developing talent in the church

I think this week I'll post something here that I had written once upon a time.  I wrote the following article with the intent of publishing in our national church magazine ... but it never made it into print there.  A non-religious, soccer-oriented version of the article was published in the September 2012 Minnesota Soccer Times (article on page 14).  But church-oriented readers might appreciate the original spiritual version of the article.

**********************

Player Development on God’s Team

by David Sellnow

“Everyone is important on this team,” the soccer coach said at the 13-and-under squad’s preseason meeting.  He sounded like he meant it … but as the summer wore on, Mindy wondered.  She and three other girls spent most moments of most games on the sidelines.  For five minutes of each 35-minute half, they’d give the starting midfielders a breather—time enough for those players to come off the field and get water. Then the starters resumed their roles, and the subs became spectators once again.  Mindy’s interest in soccer waned.  She lost hope in her own potential as an athlete.  A year later, when the high school held tryouts for the JV team, Mindy didn’t participate.

According to Fred Engh, founder of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS.org) and author of Why Johnny Hates Sports, this sort of scenario plays out far too often in children’s sport programs.  Rather than encouraging confidence, strengthening skills, and building game readiness in all players on their teams, too many coaches are content to let weaker players be little more than benchwarmers so that the “better” kids can notch more victories.

I’ve been wondering—do we do something similar sometimes in our churches? Every individual in the church is an equally valuable member of God’s “team,” so to speak.  We know that there is no favoritism with God (Ephesians 6:9), and that the healthy involvement of every person in the church is God’s desire (1 Corinthians 12).  So we’ll want to engage in “player development” that not only helps each member of God’s team grow stronger in faith and faithfulness, but looks to get every teammate “into the game,” that is, actively serving in the mission of the church.

Sometimes we do that; sometimes we don’t.  A couple examples from actual congregations, in which “player development” was not pursued …

·         An accomplished violinist offered to play for church.  The pastor of her large congregation (not a fan of the violin) felt that pipe organ was the most effective instrument for corporate worship, and declined her offer.

·         At a tiny church, two members had some skill for keyboard playing—one quite more skilled than the other.  The less accomplished pianist was asked to discontinue playing for services, because the other volunteer was a stronger musician.

Now a couple instances of positive “player development” …

·         A small church didn’t have enough voices for a full choir, nor anyone with the qualifications to serve as choir director.  Undaunted, a small group of singers got together and practiced anthems they could sing in unison (sometimes accompanied by a member who played bluegrass guitar).  They also rehearsed new hymns so they could lead the congregation in learning them.

·         Before a church school’s Christmas services, students in the school’s band take turns playing solo, duet or quartet pieces as pre-service music while worshipers gather.

These few examples focus on involvement in church music—which is only one aspect of the church’s life.  Innumerable ways exist for involving God’s people in godly service, if we are willing to work with each person’s God-given gifts and acquired capacities.  For example, a college student didn’t think she could do evangelism, but her pastor asked her to come along.  Her bilingual fluency enabled her to serve as his translator when visiting nearby Hispanic neighborhoods.  (In the process, she became quite capable as an evangelist too.)   In the church that asked one of its two musicians to step down because her talents for playing and time for practicing were limited, could not a plan have been created to keep her involved—perhaps once a month, with simpler song selections and liturgy assigned for her days to play?

If our efforts to involve members consist of bulletin announcements saying, “Volunteers needed for this or that,” likely we’ll find the same group of “starters” stepping up to play all those roles.  If our concepts of Christian service tend to remain fixed, in the form of standing committees or particular duties that habitually have been in place, quite possibly we are overlooking unique aptitudes and varied talents that some of our members on the sidelines possess.

Just as every player on a sports team desires—and needs—to take part in each game the team plays, each member of “God’s team” needs nurturing and encouraging to use skills that God has given him, to employ abilities God has bestowed on her, to get into in the “game” which is far more vital than all mere earthly pursuits—the mission of Christ’s people to sing his praises and to “declare his marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:3).

Rafe Esquith, an award-winning teacher in a central Los Angeles elementary school, laments how many kids’ sports programs just “keep feeding the ball to their best players.”  (The chapter, “Put Me In, Coach,” in his book, Teach Like YourHair’s On Fire, would make profitable reading for every physical education teacher and youth sports coach.  The whole book is worth reading by anybody involved in teaching, at any age level.)  Esquith consistently labors in his PE classes to teach all the kids an understanding of the games they play and patiently instructs them in the fundamentals of each sport.  Every child is seen as a player in progress, as someone with potential to be shaped and developed.

A similar attitude will be beneficial in our spiritual pursuits as “teams,” that is, congregations.  The tasks and undertakings of different individuals will be different, but all can become part of the teamwork of church work.   God calls on every Christian to pursue life as a “living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. ...  In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:1,5-8).

If we consider the measure of faith and personal giftedness that God has granted to each individual in his church, how many other areas of service might we identify?

·         If a man has athleticism and the gift to teach patiently, let him coach at the church’s combination sports camp / vacation Bible school.

·         If a woman’s gift is a capacity for careful listening and godly advising, let her serve as a mentor for young mothers in the church.

·         If an older child’s gift is brotherliness—a kindness and gentleness in dealing with younger children—let him be a helper in the Sunday School preschoolers’ class.

·         If a teenager is gifted with artistic flair and a knack for expressing the gospel’s beauty in visual forms, let her create artwork for banners or for backgrounds on the church’s projection screen.

What opportunities for “player development” can you discover for the talented people God has put together as your “team”?