1330 words but they are all fun!
One of my surprises in the past few years was walking into a church leadership team meeting in Fargo, North Dakota, and finding out they were all Atlanta Braves fans. "We try to go down to Atlanta every year to a weekend series." They had been to more games at the current ballpark than I had! (Give credit to Ted Turner's Superstation genius in the 1970s and 1980s.)
Most of America was cheering for the Braves against the Astros the other week. Thankfully, we were rewarded with a victory.
Below are a few lessons from this year's team that prevailed. This comparison is an analogy, of course, and imperfect. Baseball has a season (February to November) and a different set of circumstances than most churches.
But there are more "home games" than weekends; teams last a long time (the Braves in various cities from 1871), star players and average players, as well as leadership, administrators, and even organs.
Consider this edition – just for fun.
1. Never Give Up.
“Twenty-six years and 16 postseason appearances since that memorable Oct. 28 day in 1995, the Braves brought Atlanta its second World Series championship Tuesday in Houston. This team's one-of-a-kind story will be shared and referenced across generations with the simplest yet most invaluable lesson: never give up.”
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves were two games under .500 and in third place on July 1st. But they kept going.
As my "life verse" says: "Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will see the harvest, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9.
Too many give up.
The author’s copy of Sports Illustrated from 1974, complete with his childhood address. The only issue I have saved after subscribing since the early 1970s.
2. A solid, long-term leader.
Manager Brian Snitker is not Mr. Flash, with the Braves organization forty-five years before getting to manage in the World Series.
He was a minor league player, but an encouraging Braves administrator felt he could be a good coach. He served in multiple coaching and managing roles in all the divisions of the organization. He kept accepting the assignments, regardless of the status. Ego did not cloud his long-term hope.
Since becoming manager, he has quietly, solidly led the team to four division championships. At the beginning of each season, experts never predicted them to win the division despite their prior-year performance.
For more about Snitker and his mentor, Bobby Cox, and the quiet friendship and character of Snitker, see here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/20/sports/baseball/brian-snitker-bobby-cox.html
In the past few years, I have had the privilege to work with several pastors who have served in that role with the same church for 40 years or more. They thrived by not letting the highs make them prideful, or the lows take them down too far. A decision to remain is not always easy but has its rewards.
3. A mix of homegrown and imported additions.
The Braves invest heavily in their farm system and are known in the past for their player development. Many of the younger players were either drafted by the Braves or obtained by trade before they played for the team that drafted them.
But this year, they lost their MVP from 2020 (Acuna) to injury. A star pitcher to the same. Lost one star player to criminal charges. For the playoffs, they lost a starting player to COVID protocols.
But Brave's upper management went and found some talent. They traded and bargained for players who were not having great years. The MVP for the Series, Jorge Soler, was in a real slump with his former team. The MVP for the NLCS, Eddie Rosario, was injured and not playing for Cleveland. Joc Pederson, of the pearls fame, had also struggled.
But with encouragement and confidence building, these players made enormous contributions, each rising to the challenge.
Healthy churches have a mix of homegrown and "developed elsewhere" team members. The right combination makes it work. Invest in both. Don't be afraid to pick up a player from elsewhere that is underutilized in that other place of service.
Four more after the ad
Back when the Flipboard app came out, I started several magazine collections for Leadership Network.
I now have one just for readers of Church Leader Insider.
I try to flip articles of interest that include some background reading, statistical studies, and just things I find helpful for leaders of large churches.
I add stuff every day which will be too much for some readers. But for those that want to go deep, give it a look.
We have a special edition of the Pastor Forum Call coming up December 8th at 4 ET. It features the author of the new report: The Ripple Effect: Congregations, COVID, and the Future of Church Life.
If you are a Senior Pastor of a larger congregation and want an invite, send your name to Linda.Stanley@generis.com with “please invite me” in the subject line.
4. In addition to the anchor manager leader, an anchor star player helped lead the team.
Freddie Freeman, the first base star, has never played for another team. While only 32, in his 12 seasons, he has won Rookie of the year, MVP, Golden gloves, and is a five-time All-Star.
His talent, strength of play, longevity, and personality make him the clubhouse leader. When there is conflict in the clubhouse or a request from the team, he is the player leader who can bring calm and requests concerning player issues to proper attention and settle the situation.
Every team needs that type of player who, while being a star performer in their domain, can lift and encourage the rest of the team to continue to work hard.
5. The park
Living in Atlanta my entire life, I have seen the Braves play in three different ballparks in Atlanta. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was built in the 1960s and hosted them until 1996. Then "The Ted," Turner Field, after the Olympics. In 2017, they moved to my hometown and to what is now called Truist Park.
Each ballpark reflected the style and approach of its time.
The first was built for multiple sports, especially football. The second was an adapted building from the former Olympic Stadium.
The new park is the smallest by the number of seats of all three, but it also has spaces right outside the formal venue that the Braves could develop into a multiuse entertainment district. Interestingly, most of the parking is further away. Instead it is filled with music venues, stages, and outdoor spaces that attract fans even on non-game days.
A walk through there on a Sunday afternoon when the Braves are not playing will find families and outdoor bands playing in the public spaces.
As many of you saw during the Series, while 44,000 could be "inside" the park with another 100,000 outside watching on a big screen.
Some churches are now leveraging the outdoor experiences for weekends and other events to great effect. Some were pandemically induced, but churches have seen the opportunity.
6. Maybe it was just the ice cream machine.
Small morale lifters make a big difference.
On a road trip to Boston in June, the Braves visiting clubhouse had a soft-serve ice cream machine. It was a real hit.
They started kidding the clubhouse staff about getting one for their park. While it takes some work with cleaning and supplies, they ordered one.
You can read the story here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/28/sports/baseball/atlanta-ice-cream-world-series.html and many other places.
It's those small touches that can often build morale with the team. Not sure you need to install a weekend soft-serve machine, but what would you do?
I would love to hear touches like that I can share with our readers. Send them in, and I will share them in a future issue.
7. Their AAA team is close
In what is a growing trend, the AAA affiliate, Gwinnett Stripers, is about 45 minutes away from the big leagues. This allows numbers good players to be coached, trained and observed by the big-league team.
When a roster spot needs to be filled quickly, or an injured player needs to be sent for rehab work in the minors, no one has to move households. The drive may be longer, but a player can get “called up” in the afternoon and be on the mound that night.
In fact, it happened this year in the World Series!
Multisite churches will utilize some similar playbooks. Churches with extensive kinship and planting networks could do the same.
I once followed a large California church which enforced a rule for full-time staff that ¾ or their pay was for work at the sponsor church, but they paid them as well to serve another fellowship with at least a quarter of their time. Occasionally, they sent out a worship or youth leader for six months at a time to nearby churches to help out. What a kingdom idea.
How could you help foster kingdom growth in this way?
Catch up on the podcast - Great Things God Has Done
Not a week goes by when someone remarks to me:
“I just heard you on that podcast!” To which my reply is: “You listen to my podcast?”
And they say, no it was the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill.
Yes, I was on that one too.
But my interview podcast with Senior Pastors across the country is my primary podcast.
This week hear Greg Oraham of Foothills Church in Seneca, SC.