The 1958 Green Bay Packers were a bunch of losers. They only won one game the entire season. The program was in shambles, the coach was fired, and there wasn’t much hope for the future. The owner decided to take a chance on a guy who had never been a head coach of an NFL team.
The Packers were called together for a meeting, and the door in the back of the room swung open. The new coach walked straight to the podium, and the team wondered who this guy was. Quarterback Bart Starr recalled the story in an ESPN documentary.
“The coach looked at us and said, ‘Men, we will relentlessly pursue perfection, knowing full well we will never attain it. But, in the journey, we will find greatness.’ ”
Starr said, “I moved to the edge of my seat, waiting to hear what he would say next.”
The coach then held up a football. “Men, this is a football.”
For the next two weeks, the team got back to the basics of the game and perfected one play that was unstoppable: the power sweep. The focus on the basics transformed a team, a city, and an unknown coach whose name is now legendary — Vince Lombardi.
Our nation is moving in a direction that is contrary to Scripture. The majority of our churches are declining and losing relevance in the community, and sometimes there is a spirit of apathy among the members of our team. We are in desperate need of a big move of God.
Maybe the way to see something big happen is to do something small: get back to the basics. In all of the programs and busyness of the ministry, we have a tendency to forget the business of the ministry: love God, love others, and make disciples.
It starts with the leader. You are one of those leaders. Walk into the room this week — whether it is your family, Sunday school class, small group or congregation — and inspire them to pursue God and the lost. Remember that the team meeting may only last an hour, but the real work lasts all week. Building intentional relationships and loving those who are far from God takes work, and it occurs outside the walls of the meeting room.
The stakes are much higher than that of a football game. We are battling for the souls of mankind. We must be relentless in our pursuit of the lost. The Lord is worth it, and the value He places on the spiritually dead is priceless.
Lombardi would only coach nine seasons, but he would win five championships, including the first two Super Bowls (whose trophy now bears his name). Those losers on his team weren’t losers after all. In fact, the room was filled that day with future Hall of Famers — they just didn’t realize it yet. There were 11 Hall of Fame inductees who came from Lombardi’s team. It took a legendary coach to help them achieve their full potential.
When you look out over your team this Sunday, I pray you see a bunch of Hall of Famers ready to be inspired and put to work. See them like Jesus sees them. Lead them back to the basics, and be relentless about making disciples. Along the journey, you will find greatness.
— If you struggle with sharing Jesus with someone close to you, consider reading “Close Encounters” by Lee Clamp, available at CourierPublishing.com. Clamp is evangelism group director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Follow him at leeclamp.com and on Twitter: @leeclamp.