Even before they became World Champions, Rev. Tamara Williams praised the Cubs for a winning strategy.
REV. TAMARA S. WILLIAMS
Superintendent, Albion District
Some of you already know that I’m a Chicago Cubs fan. My parents have always been Cubs fans, so I was raised to be one, too. We always listened to them on the radio (still do). Even when their games were occasionally televised, we would turn off the TV sound and turn on the radio, so we could hear Harry Carey, and later Pat and Ron – so that we could hear announcers who favored “our” team, instead of announcers who had to be neutral (or worse yet, favored the opposing team).
You probably know that the Cubs are notoriously bad. They rarely have winning seasons. They haven’t won a World Series since the early 1900’s. Even when they start off well, other teams get better while the Cubs get worse. It seems they always fall apart after the All Star break. BUT NOT THIS YEAR! This is a GREAT year for Cubs fans! We have a relatively young, very athletic team who just loves to play ball together! We have strong batting, excellent fielding, and our pitching is definitely improving (the top ranked pitcher of all teams this year). Every time I look at the team statistics and standing, it amazes me to see that they are still ranked at the top – including winning the first two National League post-season games over the weekend. How can that be? Don’t they know about “the curse”, and that they come from a long line of losers?!
I think it is important to note that these changes didn’t happen by accident. They began several years ago, when the owners decided they wanted a winning team. In other words, they had a vision of what they wanted. Then they had to develop a plan that could move them in the direction of that vision. They brought in an experienced leader, a “President of Baseball Operations,” who could help them reach their goal. And that’s exactly what he did! It hasn’t always been easy. He’s had to make decisions that weren’t popular, to say the least. Over the past few years, he’s traded away some excellent players – some of whom were my very favorites, and that really upset me at the time. But even then, he had a clear vision, and was “working the plan” to reach it. And though I wasn’t always happy about it in the moment, I can now see the direction he was heading, and the “big picture” he was following. I truly believe this is why the Cubs are a winning team this year!
“And though I wasn’t always happy about it in the moment, I can now see the direction he was heading, and the ‘big picture’ he was following. I truly believe this is why the Cubs are a winning team this year!”
I also believe this same lesson applies to the local church. God-in-Christ has already given every local church the same, all-important vision: “make new disciples” and “win souls for Christ.” To me, the question isn’t, “Do we have a vision?” The question is, “Have we internalized God’s vision and made it our own?” (GOD’S vision – not “my” vision or “our” vision, which is usually based on my/our comforts and preferences).
Once we have a vision of what God wants of us, then we must develop a plan that will move us in that direction. The leaders of a local church’s mission and ministry must be willing to make difficult decisions – decisions that may be unpopular and sometimes even upsetting — but decisions that nonetheless continue to move the church in the direction of its God-given vision. Local churches that do this often find themselves in the hard place of ending certain practices because a close, honest look reveals that those practices don’t really uphold the vision, while at the same time they require a large investment of time, energy, and resources from church folk. Problems usually arise because “we’ve always done it this way,” and lots of people “like it” and don’t understand “why we would change this, when so many people like it.”
It’s a huge challenge for God to help us church folk learn to look at all of the church’s ministry through the “lens” of “God’s disciple-making, soul-saving vision,” when for many years, decades even, we haven’t been. (I’m using the word “learn” on purpose; this is something most of us have to learn or re-learn. I always look for resources and ways to help the lay and clergy leaders of our district’s local churches grab hold of God’s vision, move in the direction of God’s vision, AND help the rest of the congregation do the same.
This time, I offer you the story of the Cubs. A vision was caught and cast. Leadership that understood and implemented the vision was brought on board. Changes were made that aligned with bringing the vision to life – sometimes changes that felt good, and sometimes changes that were painful and unpopular. And the passage of time was understood as a positive resource that allowed the vision to become reality – in other words, one step at a time is good, as long as it’s in the right direction! It takes time to “arrive.” Years have now passed since the owners of the Cubs fully embraced their new vision. Finally, they’re truly having a great season as a winning team. And I’m having a blast this year being a fan! Go, Cubs, go!
Last Updated on November 9, 2016