A Leader’s Influence

by Timothy Davis
Pastor, Chapel by the Sea

I am a blog rookie. This is my first attempt to fling my thoughts into cyberspace in this format. I have been told not to be too clinical or preachy (tough for a guy who is a preacher). This is supposed to be a blog about leadership in the church. What follows may seem at first like a leaf blowing in the wind, but if you are patient with it, the flitting flora finally settles on the subject at hand.

Two amazing seasons of Anchorage West High conference football are in the books. Back-to-back conference titles, forever clenched in the gritty talons of the hungry Eagles, have been carried to the hallowed halls of Anchorage West High and deposited in the Eagles’ nest. Such success is to be celebrated. And so it has been and will be. But the Eagles revelry seems less about blustery gloating and more about thankful celebration. The feel of the locker room is less like a rollicking sports team sticking it to the competition and more about a solid family celebrating a great milestone. Each member’s contribution is noted with honor and thanksgiving. Their joy is a substantive thing.

In every game they soared on the uplifting thermals of yards gained and points scored, tackles made and victory won. And in each they encountered the demoralizing downdrafts of penalties and turnovers, dropped balls and missed opportunities. What has kept them in each game, what has allowed them to overcome each testy opponent? Some would say, “It’s their ‘wild, wild’ West defense. Quick, intimidating, crushing, swarming, they are hard to score on.” That is certainly true, but there is more. “Their quick-strike offense’s ability to beat teams deep through the air or with surprising ground bursts, that’s what wins them games.” This is true as well, but not the whole story.

I have paced the sideline for every minute of every conference game for two seasons. I watched and listened to the players and the coaches navigate the surreal emotional peaks and valleys that is prep football. And what I have observed impresses me to the core. In each game the Eagles strive to function as a family. No one is allowed to process a disappointing play alone. No one is allowed to feel sorry for himself. No one is allowed to take all the blame when things go wrong. No one is allowed to take all the credit when things go right. One guy’s frustration is everyone’s business. One guy’s anger is everyone’s concern. When one is injured everyone rallies. They are a family that happens to play football. This is what buoys up the winning ways of the Anchorage West High School Eagles.

They are resolved to give their best for each other because they love and trust each other as brothers. Their composure is anchored in a confidence born of trust. In a game where the potential for disaster is always the next play love and trust for one another is not optional for success. That kind of relationship does not just happen. Where did it come from?

Family values begin with the leadership of the team and trickle down. From the head coach to the assistant coaches to the team captains to the entire team, family is the issue. On and off the field family is an issue. You mess up you get disciplined. You are hurting physically, you get medical attention. You are hurting emotionally, you get counseling. You are struggling academically you get tutored. You miss practice the whole team is annoyed. If you are a member of Eagle football you have an advocate who cares about you as a person not just as a player. And now to bring the flitting leaf to rest on the subject.

I am called/gifted by God to be a pastor/teacher and have been confirmed by my fellowship as an elder. Leadership is my life. Leadership is influence. I have to ask myself, am I as good a shepherd for my church as my son is a coach for his football team? (Yes, my son Timothy is the Anchorage West coach.) What trickles down from my leadership that permeates the entire body with life-giving affirmation, support, and connectedness? Does love and trust buoy up my family with the confidence to give their all in service with and service for their brothers and sisters in Christ?

To one degree or another my leadership, your leadership impacts those being lead. How does your “team” reflect your leadership? Think about it.