Recruiters are always on the lookout for the next great player. The recruiters are the ones going out in the “real world” finding future football disciples. They are watching the players coming up in the ranks. They talk to players about their organization. You would never hear a recruiter saying, “Our team is horrible. We never have any fun.” Or “Our coaches are really tough.” NO! They are championing the cause of their team and filling prospective players in on the benefits of their winning team. They say things like, “Why don’t you come out to one of our games. We’ll take great care of you. You’ll have a great time. Just check it out.”

In the church, recruiters are the people who are looking for those who have not joined God’s team. They woo them and draw them in saying, “Why don’t you come to church with me this Sunday and check it out. I’ll show you around and introduce you to folks. You’ll have a great time.”

Coaches devote their lives to developing the gifts and talents of their players. They correct, guide, push and provoke them. They consistently point out the weaknesses of their players so they can be strengthened. Even NFL coaches take their players back to the basics regularly. They mature their players by keeping them focused on the basics, not on the tricky stuff. A winning coach will push their players until they think they cannot go any further. Great coaches celebrate the win by giving credit to their players.

In the church, a great coach will give their life to drawing out the gifts, talents and abilities of the people they minister to. A pastor who develops and trains leaders around them is a winning coach. A pastor who does not develop his leaders is a poor coach with a mediocre team at best. A Small Group Leader who can identify and train up other leaders in their group is a winning coach. Like coaches, great pastors and leaders identify the weak areas in their people in order to develop them into winners.

The players are about the win. You play because you want to win and you win by putting points on the board while keeping the other team from scoring. Winning football players spend a lot of time perfecting the basics. They watch game films looking for ways to improve. Winning players know how their adversary plays. Football is not about the glamour, celebrity or fame. It is not about the trick plays or who can kick the farthest. It is about who wins on game day.

In the church, the players are the men and women who serve to make game day happen. They are the greeters, ushers, check-in team, singers, musicians, media crews, children and youth workers, prayer teams and on and on. They are there to make the game happen, so people will come to know Christ and then grow in their relationship with Him. They are not there coddled. They are there to make it all happen so that people are saved.

Do you see yourself as a recruiter, coach or player? Tomorrow, I’ll post about cheerleaders, spectators and hecklers.