Do any of these names ring a bell to you?
- Bruce Arians
- Gus Bradley
- Mark Trestman
- Rob Chudzinski
- Mike McCoy
No? That’s what I thought. Meet 5 of the 8 new coaches in the National Football League! I personally think the NFL knows how to find future leaders better than any organization, especially the church. For example; when a church is searching to fill a key leadership position, they usually begin their search process by posting a job opening and begin accepting resumes. This is a recipe for disaster and a sure way not to get the leader your looking for.
Here are 5 things the Church can learn from the NFL about finding new leaders:
1. Look at successful organizations for future leaders – 4 of the five new coaches listed above were offensive or defensive coordinators for successful organizations. The other guy, Marc Trestman coached the Montreal Alouettes for 5 years where he won two Grey Cup titles, the CFL’s version of the Super Bowl which caught the attention of NFL owners. NFL Teams don’t look for the perfect resume, they look for the people who are proving themselves in a successful organization!
2. Look for the leader you want – Long before this last season ended the rumor mill was spitting out the possibilities of the 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman being somebody’s next head coach. The NFL doesn’t wait for the right leader to come their way, they find the leader they want.
3. Look beyond the sidelines. Usually the guy they’re looking for can usually be found in a booth above overlooking the playing field! The NFL knows that the leader they want is most often unseen.
4. Look for a leader who nobody knows their name. Read the above list again. The NFL knows that a nobody can one day be a somebody and do something great!
5. Look for a leader that can give you an immediate boost. There is no such thing as next year in the NFL. You have to advance the ball to win games! The NFL understands that the leader they hire must give an immediate boost to their their team. They don’t have time for another losing season.
If the church went about finding leaders like the NFL, more churches would be revitalized, churches would grow, and we would see the Kingdom advancing in our cities. Too many churches are dying because we’re looking for the superstar, but the NFL many times will look for the perfect second man to lead their teams to the next level!
Do you think the way we find pastors and leaders for the church needs to change?
I agree. When we choose leaders in the way you suggest we align ourselves with the natural laws of growth. Growth is a present dynamic in all people that desire to reach a higher concept. However when you just throw out applications it’s like having someone bring you a plant and saying “what about this one?”, not knowing what type of soil, nutrients or most importantly, the fruit it bears in season. Great post. We want leaders that make touchdowns.
“We want leaders to make touchdowns!” Love that Joel and it’s true. We are guaranteed to SCORE when we find someone that has successfully supported at great leader and organization. I
I checked out your site http://www.godspromisesforu.com very nice. You need to enable distribution to other social media channels so people can share the promises.
Moses was on his last leg and God looked down and promoted Moses’ offensive coordinator; Joshua. Great post!
And he took them across the goal line right into the promised land baby!
Anyone can make a resume’ say anything. I really don’t think I’ve ever hired anyone off a resume’.
The important questions are, is the guy proven, does he share your core values and will he fit into your organization i.e. the church? Blessings!
I know. It only took me 14 months to learn that during our search for a worship leader.