The Cowboys lost again with another quarterback. I miss you, Tony Romo.
It’s tough being the quarterback. Everybody loves you when the team wins—except the haters who say the team won “in spite” of you. With a loss, you get more than the lion’s share of the blame. In fact, the only player whose won-loss record is mentioned is the quarterback. Can you imagine: “Billy Joe Bigboy is 2-4 at right offensive guard this season.”
In 2013, Sports Illustrated reported the NFL’s average salaries by position. Lowest were tight ends at $1.4 million. Highest were quarterbacks at $3.8 million. I have a theory why the QB gets the big bucks—and it’s not because his execution on any given play is more important than anyone else’s. He gets the big bucks because he is: (1) The most prominent face of the team and (2) The guy responsible for managing the team’s offensive attack.
I think every church, organization, or business has a QB. When I was a pastor, that’s how I saw my role. Whether it was Trinity Baptist Church in Tucumcari, NM or Eagle Mountain Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, TX, when a conversation happened about the church, my name almost always came up. I was “the face of the franchise,” if you will (whether I liked it or not). It’s still true in my current ministry.
So, in my role as QB, I understand several things:
- It is my role to call the play in the huddle. The only way to make sure that we are all moving in the same direction is to make sure that the play calling is clear and that everyone knows their role.
- It is NOT my role to be the Head Coach. According to several passages in the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. He is the One who sets the game plan, knows the playbook inside and out because He designed it, and sends in the plays to the huddle that I am supposed to call. There is some coaching that is a part of what I do, but it is only to encourage and empower others in their execution of the Coach’s game plan.
- It is NOT my role to be the only one communicating with the Coach. He can send the play to the huddle with any player on the team. My role as QB is to execute the Coach’s game plan, not my own.
- My objective is to help the team succeed by executing the Coach’s game plan, not to enhance my reputation by doing something spectacular.
So, what is your role in your church, organization, or business?
Are you the QB? Then how will you contribute to your team’s success through your play calling?
Is someone else the QB? How will you cooperate with his play calling so that the team succeeds?
How we execute as a team matters to our Coach.
