I love the NFL Draft.  Anyone that has been around me in March and April over the last few years knows that I get pumped for this crazy ritual.  I record the whole thing, try to follow along and keep track of where players go.  I get into the lives of these guys and what kind of impact they will have on the league in the following year.  There are heroes I root for and goats I boo when a team should know better.  In many ways, it is the dumbest thing I follow.  And yet, there are some lessons that we could all take away from this annual event in which rich men select certain others for football immortality.

And one of those places that could actually learn several lessons is the church.  I’ve come up with 8 lessons that could be learned from scenarios that will inevitably play out.  If you think of more, please add them in the comments.  I’d love to update this after the draft takes place.

1. We chase new messiahs. Every year each NFL team walks into the Draft looking for their next great player; the difference maker; the one that will lead them to the Promised Land.  We in the church tend to put our emphasis on finding that one new person that will transform our church for the good all by themselves.
2. We impose ecclesiastical superiority. Over the last 15 years or more, quarterbacks have been elevated and considered more desirable because they are seen as the leaders on the team.  The net effect has been to overemphasize the individual performance of one player while ignoring the contributions of the other ten.  In many of our congregations, we place the pastor in such an elevated place as to suggest that the rest of the church are of less value.
3. All ministries are important, but some are given artificially lower values. At the same time that teams rate QBs as more important, they consider other positions as being of far less value: especially place kickers and punters.  Even though a player at either of these positions could actually be the difference between a Super Bowl win or a 6-10 record, no player is likely to be drafted in the first three rounds to fill either position.  In the church, we don’t do a very good job of recognizing different ways of service and treating each ministry as being of high value.
4. Those most likely to have the biggest impact are rarely chosen first. In this year’s draft, most talent evaluators seem to agree that Eric Berry (safety) is the most talented player in the draft.  However, he doesn’t play one of the top 3 positions on the hierarchy list (1. Quarterback, 2. Offensive Tackle, 3. Defensive Line) and even though recent precedent has shown what a special player at his position is capable of (e.g. Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, Bob Sanders, etc.), most evaluators believe he’ll be picked no higher than third.  We so value certain types of people or certain positions in the church that we fail to regard the game-changers in our midst.  Even perennial All-Stars can be overlooked because they are in a ministry that is seen as less important.
5. Some leaders will allow potential talent to blind them; while few will allow good character to boost them. Every year, a highly talented prospect slides a bit because of concerns about his character, and every year a team picks him up because they look at what he could be.  This year’s example is Dez Bryant (wide receiver).  Few teams will draft a player higher than he is projected because he is not only talented, but a good leader and does right by his team and family.  An example of a high character guy is Patrick Willis (linebacker).  When he was drafted in 2007, 10 players went in front of him, even though he was seen as a serious talent with high leadership skills and as a tremendously generous man off the field.  As pessimistic as we can be in the church sometimes, we still seem to favor potential over what’s important.  We look for programs and all of the stuff and forget to look at what it takes to make these programs fly.  We want classes on subjects and fail to do the active work of discipleship.
6. We allow arbitrary traditions to dictate our strategy. There seems to be a rule that says only quarterbacks, tackles, and defensive ends should be taken first overall.  Tail backs, wide receivers, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties can go in the top-10 only if they are Pro Bowl-caliber players.  Interior offensive lineman shouldn’t be picked in the first round and kickers shouldn’t go until the last day.  I’m not sure where these rules come from and why personnel seem to operate by them, but they seem a bit strange.  In this year’s draft, the top-10 will likely include one quarterback, four offensive tackles, two defensive tackles, and one safety.   That doesn’t look like a terribly balanced team, does it?  Not only do we treat some ministries as more important, we don’t have real reason to do it, other than our tradition.  And because we make certain gifts for ministry more important, our leadership teams rarely reflect the diversity of talents within our congregations, let alone the community at large.
7. We choose which histories serve us best. In the last several decades only a few players outside of the aforementioned hierarchy (QB, OT, DE) have gone 1^st overall, and many of those have flopped, so teams don’t draft outside that group.  At the same time, half of the quarterbacks that are drafted #1 also flop, but teams still gamble away.  We choose the histories that justify our insecurities and prejudices and ignore the ones that tell a different story.  In this way, it is a little like proof-texting (where we take a passage from the Bible out of its context to prove a theology we already possess).  We don’t take traditions that inform our present action, but those that encourage growth or maintenance or reclaiming the glory days.
8. It all comes down to money. In the NFL, they have a pay scale that is determined by the top pick and goes down from there.  Regardless of history or tradition, the truth is, with the Rams looking to hand out over $42 million in guaranteed money to the top pick in the draft, they aren’t likely hand that to a punter.  Because of the money, the top picks in the draft aren’t necessarily the most talented or best performers, but the most talented at positions in which teams are willing to shell out tens of millions of dollars.  The dirty little secret of the church is that most of our decisions tend to be governed by money.  From worship to mission to formation to buildings and grounds, the impetus for decisions is rarely need or interest, but in beliefs about the way money should be spent.