Flacco, Kaepernick, and Kingdom Leadership.

We’re just a few days away from Superbowl XLVII and I’ll probably watch the match even though neither my favorite team nor quarter back is in the game.  If nothing else, I’m sure there’ll be at least one good million dollar commercial in the mix.  But in thinking about these and other great teams, I’m reminded of another great leadership pointer we can learn from this spectacular sport.  The lesson being that it’s really not all about the quarterback.  Both Flacco and Kaepernick are great players, but the thing about them and other leaders on the gridiron is that the QB rarely makes the touchdown. Rather, they hand off or pass the ball to someone else.  It’s that person who takes the ball across the line and puts the points up on the board.  The truth about authentic Christianity and the true CHURCH is that we are all involved in a team effort.  In the CHURCH, leaders are not to “do the work of ministry” but to equip the Saints for “doing the work of ministry.”  The immediate context of Ephesians 4 refers to apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, but the principal is the same in every leadership situation.  So whatever your leadership responsibility is, make sure your hand offs and passes are right.  Get the ball into the hands of others so that the team can advance the ball.  Let them carry the ball across the line and put the points up. Let them celebrate the victories and simply be excited that they and the team won the day.

So, who are you pulling for in this game?  More importantly, who are you equipping in your life to carry the ball across the line?