First Notes: The Big Man in the Middle
Dear First Baptist Family,
I started watching the National Basketball Association (NBA) when players such as Michael Jordan and Charles Barclay were hitting their stride. There was also a player named Shaquille O’Neal.
“Shaq” was the quintessential big man in the middle. At 7’1” and 325-pounds, Shaq played as center for six teams over his 19-year career in the NBA. He was a monster player (shoe size 22) who took up a lot of room in the lane. All the team had to do was get the ball in his hands for a dunk or a little hook shot and they could score.
Today, one of the most exciting players to watch is Victor Wembanyama, a forward with the San Antonio Spurs. He’s not as large as Shaq, but taller at 7’4”. Incredibly, his shoe size is still growing by about an inch a year.
Watching Wembanyama play is mesmerizing. He’s a player who can do it all—shoot the 3-pointer, post-up shots, and dunk. He’s also a beast of a blocker, unanimously winning the Defensive Player of the Year award this season.
Like Shaq, when the team gets the ball into Wembanyama’s hands, the score is likely to go up.
I say all of this to point to a truth about the church. We are no longer in the center of culture. We aren’t dunking much these days. Christian teaching's influence has declined over the last 30 years and the church has struggled to keep pace in a rapidly changing world.
We could point to the change in culture around us, but a more productive response would be to look at ourselves. We (meaning not only us, but the broader church) haven’t focused enough on what Christian maturity looks like for the whole team and the kind of disciples we are making. We might also conclude that as teams go, we haven’t worked well together. We haven’t done enough to mobilize the Body of Christ, and we haven’t partnered enough with other congregations to accomplish the work of making disciples.
Because the church of the future won’t be able to depend on being the big man in the middle, we will have to work as a team. It takes a team of men and women who know how to function as one unit, adaptable and able to “shoot” (reach people) from multiple angles.
I'm not discouraged about the future of the church. And I love being a part of the First Baptist family. We're working better together, encouraging one another more, and learning how to identify and activate the gifts of more of our members. Everybody has a place in our family, and everybody gets to play.
If your gift is not activated, please reach out to me or one of our other pastors. It takes all of us. We're a family, and healthy families know how to work well together.
Have a wonderful week and much love to you –
Pastor Brent
P.S. Stay tuned for more information about something I mentioned in last week's sermon. As we prepare for our next fiscal year (July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027), we're introducing something new: asking people to prayerfully pledge their expected giving amount for the upcoming fiscal year. It's not a contract, and it's non-binding – more of a gauge so we can encourage generosity while also continuing to move forward as a family and team with a shared mission. I look forward to seeing how God grows generosity among us in the coming weeks. Also, I'm looking forward to celebrating Mother's Day with you this Sunday as we have a baby dedication and give thanks for the legacy of faith in families. My sermon text will be from 2 Timothy 1:3-14.
I started watching the National Basketball Association (NBA) when players such as Michael Jordan and Charles Barclay were hitting their stride. There was also a player named Shaquille O’Neal.
“Shaq” was the quintessential big man in the middle. At 7’1” and 325-pounds, Shaq played as center for six teams over his 19-year career in the NBA. He was a monster player (shoe size 22) who took up a lot of room in the lane. All the team had to do was get the ball in his hands for a dunk or a little hook shot and they could score.
Today, one of the most exciting players to watch is Victor Wembanyama, a forward with the San Antonio Spurs. He’s not as large as Shaq, but taller at 7’4”. Incredibly, his shoe size is still growing by about an inch a year.
Watching Wembanyama play is mesmerizing. He’s a player who can do it all—shoot the 3-pointer, post-up shots, and dunk. He’s also a beast of a blocker, unanimously winning the Defensive Player of the Year award this season.
Like Shaq, when the team gets the ball into Wembanyama’s hands, the score is likely to go up.
I say all of this to point to a truth about the church. We are no longer in the center of culture. We aren’t dunking much these days. Christian teaching's influence has declined over the last 30 years and the church has struggled to keep pace in a rapidly changing world.
We could point to the change in culture around us, but a more productive response would be to look at ourselves. We (meaning not only us, but the broader church) haven’t focused enough on what Christian maturity looks like for the whole team and the kind of disciples we are making. We might also conclude that as teams go, we haven’t worked well together. We haven’t done enough to mobilize the Body of Christ, and we haven’t partnered enough with other congregations to accomplish the work of making disciples.
Because the church of the future won’t be able to depend on being the big man in the middle, we will have to work as a team. It takes a team of men and women who know how to function as one unit, adaptable and able to “shoot” (reach people) from multiple angles.
I'm not discouraged about the future of the church. And I love being a part of the First Baptist family. We're working better together, encouraging one another more, and learning how to identify and activate the gifts of more of our members. Everybody has a place in our family, and everybody gets to play.
If your gift is not activated, please reach out to me or one of our other pastors. It takes all of us. We're a family, and healthy families know how to work well together.
Have a wonderful week and much love to you –
Pastor Brent
P.S. Stay tuned for more information about something I mentioned in last week's sermon. As we prepare for our next fiscal year (July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027), we're introducing something new: asking people to prayerfully pledge their expected giving amount for the upcoming fiscal year. It's not a contract, and it's non-binding – more of a gauge so we can encourage generosity while also continuing to move forward as a family and team with a shared mission. I look forward to seeing how God grows generosity among us in the coming weeks. Also, I'm looking forward to celebrating Mother's Day with you this Sunday as we have a baby dedication and give thanks for the legacy of faith in families. My sermon text will be from 2 Timothy 1:3-14.
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