It seems as if I can go on any social media site and see someone lambasting the church. Christians have been behaving badly and this last year was terrifying with their behavior. Many people complain on social media. I would like to make a suggestion. How about we begin to fix the broken? It is what the church is supposed to do. It is time that the church fixes the church in order to heal the broken in the world. It will take faith, trust, and hard work, but it can be done because I’ve seen it happen inside and outside of the church. Using a mentor outside of the church, who took a broken and losing system to a very healthy program, guided me to some suggestions.
The times are changing, and with that change comes endings and beginnings. This last week we were informed of those changing times with the announcement that Coach K will retire from college basketball after this upcoming season. Times are changing, but we can learn from a leader who has had led young people to championships both on and off the court.
His numbers speak volumes of the impact he has made on the men’s basketball team and their legacy. In my small Bible College, our basketball team won three national championships three years in a row. Our coach was an incredible man of faith, a great leader, and a role model on and off the court. I wanted to join in on the college basketball craze that exists in many in the Midwest. My Indiana friends told me to follow Indiana University. My Kentucky friends told me that would be horrible and to follow the University of Kentucky. Here’s a little bit of information about me. I don’t go with what others tell me to do. I chose Duke University. They had good-looking players and they kept going to the Final Four and not winning, until 1991 when the dynasty began.
Here are the lessons I have learned from watching Coach K that can be applied to leaders in the church:
1. Believe in the people around you. So many of us as leaders complain about those whom we are leading instead of being grateful for those who God has given us to lead. We never know which ones will make a huge impact on the world. Instead of complaining about those whom we are leading, we need to guide them to improve their skills, which means we need to know what their strengths are. For far too long, the church has focused on people’s flaws instead of their strengths. It’s time we focus on people’s strengths and guide them to use those strengths in areas of service. Good leaders get the right people. Great leaders work with the strengths of those people, so they can use them in order to have a healthy and strong organization. Coach K always believed in and developed his players and assistant coaches’ strengths.
2. Do your research. So many of us as leaders get into a position of leadership and stop learning. One element of leadership I gained from observing Coach K was to never stop learning. When the game changed, he changed with it. He didn’t complain. He did his research. He studied. He continued to learn about the changes and challenges, which led to another championship in 2015. Leaders in the church must continue to learn with culture and be proactive instead of reactive.
3. Trust and be trustworthy. Duke University trusted Coach K, even though he had three losing seasons his first three years at the school. Coach K has continued to trust his assistant coaches, his athletic directors who are above him, and his players. Without trust, the system becomes broken. Leaders must begin to trust those they have placed within ministries. Those of us in ministries must trust our leaders and those with whom we are working. Trust builds into faith. When our churches lack trust, they lack faith. When we begin to trust, our faith in Christ grows.
4. Never give up, even when it looks bleak. Duke had a terrible season last year, but they entered the ACC tournament with the determination to win it. Unfortunately, Covid stopped them. Coach K had so many comebacks in his career, and he knows that panic is never healthy. There are trials. We have to learn how to endure them. Events occur in our ministries that can become out of our control. We cannot give up. Many people have given up on the body of Christ and claim that it is unredeemable. That is untrue. No one is unredeemable. We have to press forward, even when all looks bleak. The church has to lead in the direction that Jesus can redeem anyone. The church must set this example.
Coach K will enter the court for one last season as a head coach, but he will always lead. If we have been called to lead, we have to lead, even in positions that those around us might view as small. Nothing is small in God’s eyes. He can take a small item that the world sees and create a huge dynasty. It’s how He works. It may seem mysterious because we give up before we get going. It’s time for the church to rise and get going. It may be the farewell season for Coach K, but for the church, we need to have a revolution tour. It’s starting. May we rise from the ashes, heal, and begin healing others. It all begins with great leadership.
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