Dayton Moore is the General Manager of the Kansas City Royals. Around July of this past baseball season there was much debate as to whether I’d be able to type that sentence in November. After being swept by the lowly Red Sox and then losing the first game to the lowly White Sox the once promising Royals plummeted to a 48-50 record on July 21st.
The end of July is a critical time for big league teams, because the trading deadline typically falls on July 31st. This time of year is when non-contenders trade their stars for prospects and start playing for the future again. Many believed that the Royals needed to do just htat and that they needed to fire Dayton Moore and start over.
Consider this article on July 19th 2013: Time for a Change: Fire Dayton Moore. That sentiment was only stronger on July 21st of 2014.
Moore had lost the respect of the KC fan base. “The Process” that he spoke of eight years ago was a joke. Every move he made was heavily criticized. When word leaked out of the Royals talking with free agents it wasn’t viewed with seriousness—it was only his silly attempts to quiet a fan base.
And then the World Series happened
Following the Royals this offseason is much different than previous years. Seldom do I hear calls to fire Dayton Moore or snarky comments about “The Process” not working. Because it did work and the Royals really did make it to the World Series before losing to Joe Buck’s love child, the San Francisco Giants.
This proves the old maxim: winning changes everything. When you win all is forgiven.
This got me thinking about pastoral ministry. What does this principle look like in the life of the church? What does “winning” look like in the local church? Are there inherent dangers to this way of thinking?
The Danger of Becoming Uncritical
For those that are in a position similar to the post World Series Dayton Moore there is a real danger in becoming uncritical. Rather than every decision being seen with skepticism now every decision is viewed as a genius maneuver.
As a result, leaders become arrogant and/or lazy. And followers become blind to growing problems. When some folks begin to see the cracks in the foundation they are silenced and viewed as ignorant curmudgeons. By the time people are made aware of systemic problems the whole thing is already collapsing.
There is a time for celebrating the work of God in the life of a church. But let us never be convinced by our own press clippings. Every church can split. And every ounce of success that actually matters is owed to the work of the Lord.
The Danger of Opinion Polls
For those that are in a position similar to pre World Series Dayton Moore there is a real danger of changing the course amidst criticism. Even in July of 2014 people were calling for the Royals to blow up the whole thing. Trade James Shields. Send Hosmer back to the minors. Ship off Alex Gordon. Key components to “The Process”. Had Moore caved he’d likely be out of a job and the Royals wouldn’t have even made the playoffs. Sometimes leaders have to remain faithful even amidst discouraging opinion polls.
Faithful leaders must stay the course that God has set for them regardless of opinion polls. Of course, arrogant and foolish pastors will hi-jack this truth and remain doggedly in pursuit of their own agenda. But if you are a faithful pastor that is preaching the Bible and leading your church in a godly fashion then don’t stop doing this just because the opinion polls are starting to turn against you.
There is also a temptation for leaders in this position to pursue winning simply to prove a point. Such a leader will not listen at all to other voices. He’ll stay his course and his course alone.
Faithful leaders learn to give proper weight to both critique and praise.
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photo credit: Minda Haas via photopin cc
