What Ministry Teams can Learn from the Washington Nationals
While I love sports, baseball is my favorite sport to have played and watch. Growing up in Washginton, DC in the late 70s and 80s we never had a professional baseball team in DC. Sure, we’ve had teams but they moved and became the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins. So my family and I rooted for the closest team, the Baltimore Orioles. While I loved rooting for them (and still cheer them on from afar still), they weren’t my hometown team because I didn’t live in Baltimore.
In 2005 the Washington Nationals came to DC from Montreal. Have you heard of the Nationals? Considering that they are the 2019 World Series Champions, I hope you have. Well, when the Nationals came to town, they immediately became my favorite team. Now, while they are the Champions this year, we had several years of real hardship and disappointments. However, this year they put it all together.
Below is a list of things that made the 2019 Washington Nationals a World Series Championship team. See what they did and then discover how they directly apply to your ministry and, in turn, can make into a Championship Ministry Team.
They united in adversity. The Nationals didn’t have the best record in the Major Leagues. They actually started off 19-31. This was the same record as the Detroit Tigers at that time. The Tigers went on to lose over 100 games whereas the Nationals went on to win the World Series. The Nats could have choosen to let their poor record destroy their team. However, they choose to unite together, wipe out the distractions and perform as they knew they could. Ministry Application: Your team will have adversity from time to time. How you handle it will determine whether or not your team works well together to accomplish your mission or not.
Everyone contributes. The World Series MVP was Stephen Strasburg. He has an amazing playoff run as a pitcher. However, you know who else could have won the MVP? Anthony Rendon, Adam Eaton, Howie Kendrick or Juan Soto. The point being was there was not just 1 standout player for the Nationals. They had so many people make big plays and do the right things to help them win. Ministry Application: Every person on your ministry team is valuable and should be contributing. As the team lead it your job to make sure they are set up for success to lead and contribute effectively. Take time to meet together as a team and as individuals to work through that with the team members so they can be as effective as possible and contribute.
Have fun. You may not know the name Gerardo Parra. In fact, when my daughters and I went to the July 4th game we didn’t know who he was either (they had just recently signed him). He is an Outfielder for the Nats. One day he choose to change his walk up music to “Baby Shark” for his son. It was silly and fun. What ended up happening was that “Baby Shark” overtook the fans and the team and they all started embracing the phenomenon and having fun with it. Another thing the Nationals did to have fun and change the atmosphere on the team was to have every player who hit a home run come back into the dugout and do a happy dance (see some of the dances here). Ministry Application: Ministry teams can be all about the mission. While that is fine, it’s important to have fun together and build a community together as well. The more fun you have together the more relaxed you all will be working together for the mission
Find the right people to fit on the bus. The General Manager, Mike Rizzo, had to make changes throughout the year to address weaknesses in the team. But he didn’t just spend lots of money to get the “best” players. He got the right players to help. He got a utility player here and a reliever there to strengthen the weaknesses in the team. And each of those players Rizzo got played HUGE roles for them down the stretch and in the playoffs. Plus, they were great “team” guys that made the Clubhouse atmosphere great. Ministry Application: Finding the right people are better than finding the “best” people. Make a determination on what your ministry team needs and then recruit leaders that best fit those areas. The more teachable and flexible leaders you have who can meet the needs of your students and be apart of the team, the more effective your ministry team will be as a whole.
Conclusion
The Washington Nationals proved a lot of people wrong, especially after the 19-31, this season. No matter what the current state of your Ministry Team is, the great news is that you can become a Championship caliber team as well. These are just 4 areas that worked for that Nationals that can directly impact your ministry team as well. Do not wait til it’s too late the make the adjustments. Seek God’s guidance as you evaluate and adjust your team and see how God can help your team work together and make an eternal impact in the lives of students.
How about you? What else can you learn from the Washington Nationals that can help your ministry team? Share your thoughts and experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick when you share.
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