{"id":3389,"date":"2012-03-24T13:33:19","date_gmt":"2012-03-24T13:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/owenstrachan.com\/?p=3389"},"modified":"2012-03-24T13:33:19","modified_gmt":"2012-03-24T13:33:19","slug":"shaka-smart-how-athletic-coaching-is-like-pastoring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thoughtlife\/2012\/03\/shaka-smart-how-athletic-coaching-is-like-pastoring\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaka Smart & How Athletic Coaching Is Like Pastoring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>Shaka Smart<\/a> is the basketball coach of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond. \u00a0For two years in a row, his teams have made it to the national tournament and overachieved. \u00a0He\u2019s coveted now by many larger schools who can pay him a great deal more money than VCU.<\/p>\n

But he just surprised the college basketball world by declining a $2.5 million\/year offer from Illinois to stay at VCU for half that. \u00a0Here\u2019s the rationale<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family is really, really happy in the city of Richmond,\u201d Smart said, repeating something he has said often. \u201cWe have a great group of guys. We have some of the best fans in the country. It\u2019s just a great situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cA coach told me a long time ago, don\u2019t run away from happiness, and that\u2019s what we have at VCU.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Few, head basketball coach of Gonzaga University, has had similar opportunities to jump for a bigger school and has likewise stayed at Gonzaga. \u00a0An ESPN story said this about his decision:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest mistake is that everybody tries to project their own feelings and own thoughts and own values into what you think a guy should do,\u201d said Few. \u201cIt comes down to what that individual person wants in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only people that matter is the coach and the family and what they want and value and where they\u2019re at in life,\u201d said Few. \u201cDo you want to pack up and move young kids, kids in junior high, high school? That\u2019s where it becomes an individual choice and situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The whole piece<\/a> is worth reading.<\/p>\n

I really like Shaka Smart. \u00a0He seems like an excellent coach in every way. \u00a0He builds his players up and doesn\u2019t tear them down. \u00a0I\u2019m impressed by his decision to stay\u2013for now\u2013at VCU. \u00a0He may well leave in the future, but even staying this long at a small school is unusual in the college basketball world when one has the kind of chances that Smart does. \u00a0Smart stayed because he genuinely likes VCU, and his family likes Richmond. \u00a0It\u2019s refreshing to see a talented young coach do this.<\/p>\n

It reminded me of a piece on pastoral ministry that Mark Dever wrote a little while back. \u00a0Dever suggested that his models for pastoral ministry are three Anglican bachelors who each stayed in a pastorate for decades:<\/p>\n

When I\u2019m asked about my models for pastoral ministry I\u2019ve often said, \u201cThree Cambridge Anglican bachelor S\u2019s\u2014Sibbes, Simeon, and Stott.\u201d Each of these men found a strategic location, began expounding God\u2019s Word, and stayed. Expositional preaching is foundational to a Christian ministry, and it\u2019s worth thinking about finding a strategic location and even remaining single. But for this article I want us to consider that other matter of longevity.<\/p>\n

First, the facts about these three. Richard Sibbes (1577-1635) began preaching in Cambridge in the early 1600s, and had a continuous ministry in London at Gray\u2019s Inn from 1617 until his death in 1635. Charles Simeon (1759-1836) preached at Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge from 1782 until his death in 1836, a remarkable 54-year ministry! And John Stott (b. 1921) began preaching at All Souls\u2019 Church, Langham Place, in London from his appointment as curate (1945) and rector (1950), and he preached there regularly until just a few years ago\u2014a ministry that, remarkably, even exceeds Simeon\u2019s in length!<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the whole piece.<\/a><\/p>\n

Not every pastor needs to stay in one place for their entire career to be faithful to Christ. \u00a0But this is an inspiring model. \u00a0Those that do stay in one church for decades will know a level of influence that pastors with shorter tenures simply will not. \u00a0There will be many good things that come from such a situation\u2013knowing generations of your people, becoming known in the community as a substantive and durable leader, and observing the gospel change hundreds and perhaps thousands of lives.<\/p>\n

In the same way that we could commend Smart for his wise decision, we can commend the pastor who labors to love a certain people for much longer than he could. \u00a0There is a beauty in that, a humility, and a reward to be had on the last day.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shaka Smart is the basketball coach of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond. \u00a0For two years in a row, his teams have made it to the national tournament and overachieved. \u00a0He\u2019s coveted now by many larger schools who can pay him a great deal more money than VCU. But he just surprised the college basketball […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1217,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,252],"tags":[13055,769,1403,13176,1724,13195,1938,2497,2629,3017],"class_list":["post-3389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-basketball","category-pastoral-ministry","tag-basketball","tag-charles-simeon","tag-gonzaga-university","tag-jesus-christ","tag-john-stott","tag-mark-dever","tag-mark-few","tag-richard-sibbes","tag-shaka-smart","tag-virginia-commomwealth-university"],"yoast_head":"\nShaka Smart & How Athletic Coaching Is Like Pastoring<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Shaka Smart is the basketball coach of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond. \u00a0For two years in a row, his teams have made it to the national\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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