Three Ways LeBron is like a Great Church Planter
Among the many super-cool aspects of my job is that I get to represent The Episcopal Church in the “Ecumenical Partners in Outreach” gatherings. These are mainline denominational evangelism and church planting leaders — my tribe! We were having a meeting in Cleveland the evening of Game Four of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the night the Cavaliers finished off the Toronto Raptors 128–93. “Does anyone want to go?”, a colleague asked. “I’ve found tickets for $60!” I was sooooooo in.
I may never get to see Yo Yo Ma play the cello or Lin Manuel-Miranda play Hamilton, but watching LeBron that night was in the neighborhood. It was power, grace, excellence and complete control. Being with my church planting officer pals, I noticed three ways King James is like a good church planter:
Sharing the Ball. More majestic than his scoring was the way LeBron got the ball to his teammates. He put it exactly where they needed it, knowing where they would be and when. Over his head, behind his back, bounce passing — you name it. The best leaders and church planters are those who don’t do all the “scoring”, even when they could. They know that the team needs involving, supporting and assistance. Who do you know that is positioned for a sweet slam dunk? Will you give them the ball and let them do it? Too many planters “hog the ball” — not trusting the people God has sent them or are simply unable to let go. Those who make the (incorrect) argument LeBron is better than Michael Jordan say its because of the ways he distributes the basketball.
Practicing Every Shot. In Game Three, basketball nerds collectively freaked out about his second buzzer-beating shot in the playoffs. The admiring press-corps wanted to know, “how do you decide what you are going to do?” LBJ said, “I work on every shot.” So much of the life of a mission developer is frantic — you never know what the day will bring. Preparedness, then, is more important for us, not less. Take an inventory of your weaknesses (or ask a trusted friend) and work on them. Leadership, staff supervision, preaching, communications — not everyone is good at everything. Lebron tells us he never takes a shot he’s not comfortable with. Is the same be true for us? Need help in your “game”? I’d love to help you get the coaching you need.
Saving Steps. Once I noticed this, I watched in admiration. In a fascinating article on ESPN.com by Brian Windhorst, I read that LeBron is one of the ten slowest players in the NBA (3.8 mph). In the playoffs, he gets even slower (3.69 mph). Turns out, he walks 78.7% of the time! “It’s just trying to save pockets of energy throughout, especially the second half, when I know it’s going to be a possession game,” James said. “I try to save pockets of energy when I know I’m going to be needed [later].” Greatness. Too many church planters run themselves out too soon, spending precious energy at the wrong times. Be in it for the long haul, do what you need to do to make sure you have the juice to make the crucial shot when you know you are going to be needed. Take your day off, go on that date night, work reasonable hours: save your steps! If LeBron can do it, you can, too.
Even now, a week later, I really haven’t gotten over it. It was the best $60 I’ve spent in a while! If you are a church planter, or part of a team starting a new ministry, thank you for what you are doing! May we look to the likes of LeBron for inspiration and humbly pray that Jesus would help us be the best we can be — for His sake and for His glory.
