Building a Winning Team (Part I)

As I write these words, I have been in Mason for two weeks, settling into my new role and responsibility as the Pastor of this congregation. I have learned a lot from many of your leaders already about the pulse of this place. I also know I have a lot more to learn, and you will all have an opportunity to take your turn sharing your thoughts and feelings about the past, the present, and the future of this congregation in the months to come.

Meanwhile, while I am busy learning, I thought it might also be helpful to share with you a bit about my understanding of the role of the Pastor in the life of the congregation. Pastors must operate within the boundaries of two job descriptions simultaneously: the responsibilities of the offices of “Minister of Word and Sacrament” and “Pastor” as defined by the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), on the one hand, and the “position description” that is created by each local congregation every time there is a pastoral vacancy, on the other. Yet even with these two written job descriptions, there is still room for latitude and interpretation as the Pastor seeks to be faithful to his or her calling. So, let me tell you, in simple terms, how I see my role here. To do that, I’d like to use an analogy that I understand is near and dear to many people’s hearts here in Mason: soccer. Simply put, being a Pastor of a local congregation is, in my mind, a lot like being a soccer coach and a soccer referee at the same time.

A good soccer team has to have a good coach: someone who can teach players how to dribble, pass, and kick; someone who can help players understand the nuances and importance of the different positions; someone who can help players know how to effectively communicate with each other when they are in the middle of a game; someone who can make sure that all the players understand the game rules; someone who can teach people how to be in just the right place at just the right time so they are ready to receive a pass from a teammate; someone who can see latent talent and potential in players; someone who can build players up without tearing them down; someone who can help players to become the best that they can possibly be, both as individual players and together as a whole team. I have watched enough of my kids’ soccer games over the past several years to know that there are many different kinds of coaches – and I have watched enough to know which coaches I have more respect for than others. I am not, for example, a fan of coaches who shame or ridicule players in the middle of the field in front of all their teammates! I much prefer the coaches who give praise when praise is due, who constantly seek to teach, and teach, and teach some more, who are good-natured, friendly, and inspirational, who care more about playing a good game than about beating the other team, who work with players to help them overcome their limitations or their fears, who help players to become more assertive without becoming more aggressive, who use the more experienced players to help teach the less experienced ones, who make sure that everybody on the team gets a chance to play, who never assume that the “star players” on the team will be around forever, but are constantly working to build up other players to become future leaders, and who – when a player makes a really bad play – pull that player aside and talk quietly with them about what they could do differently next time. Those are some of the qualities I see in the coaches that I most respect . . .

. . . and they’re also some of the qualities I see in the Pastors of congregations that are healthy, alive, vibrant, and flourishing.

I seek to serve that kind of a church . . . and to be that kind of Pastor.

So, take everything I’ve just said about coaches, and apply it to Pastors. Teaching . . . equipping . . . mentoring . . . coaching . . . building people up (without tearing them down) . . . helping people to understand the rules (our polity), the skills (gifts for ministry), and the duties and importance of the different positions (elders, deacons, committee chairs, etc.) . . . fostering effective communication skills throughout the whole congregation . . . maintaining a positive attitude . . . building a winning team.

That’s the kind of Pastor I want to be. An effective coach . . . for a winning team.

Peace and blessings,

Rev. Bill Pinches
Pastor-Elect