Oklahoma

Previously: Called to AFC Richmond, Just One of Eleven, The Christening of Nate the Great, Let’s Finally Talk About Rebecca

Episode: “Tan Lines” (Season 1, Episode 5)

Cracks in the armor. In the cold open to the episode, Ted shares with Rebecca that he’s waiting on his wife Michelle and son Henry are on their way to visit him. He also admits that he and Michelle have been having some marital issues, further hints for which are dropped throughout the episode. This includes an awkward exchange between them in the pub, and Michelle tearfully telling him that she’s going to keep trying to want to stay.

Ted’s personal problems eventually spill into his ability to coach the team. First, he opens up to Beard, Nate, and Higgins in his office, the first of their regular meetings to work through personal problems together. The most significant happening, however, occurs when Jamie once again acts disrespectful to Ted in the locker room. Ted admits that he’s not in the best frame of mind to deal with him, but when Jamie keeps pushing, Ted nearly goes off on him before his family interrupts.

A minister cannot simply and cleanly separate their personal lives from their professional responsibilities. The former will inevitably affect their ability to perform the latter. This is where attention to self-care, establishing support networks, and stepping away to regroup and process can be most critical, to keep oneself from acting in unfortunate ways when engaging in ministerial tasks.

The Team, The Team, The Team. During the match, Jamie scores two goals by himself, getting the score back to level after they had fallen behind. This is his latest instance of ignoring their practicing extra passes to open up opportunities for teammates, but this seems to work. Unfortunately, Ted can see the way Jamie’s selfish behavior is affecting the team, and he sprints up the stadium bleachers to ask Rebecca permission to bench him.

The benching of Jamie doesn’t sit well with anyone. Jamie, the crowd, and those watching at the pub all let him know that they’re less than pleased with a move that doesn’t make any sense to them. However, Ted talks during halftime about the importance of embracing change and the current culture of the team being broken. When they come out for the second half, Jamie’s absence turns out to be addition by subtraction, as they’re able to carry out the extra passes that they’ve been practicing and win.

Ministry will sometimes entail decisions that won’t sit well with others, even if they’re meant to strengthen the congregation’s unity and effectiveness. In one way or another, ministers will need to take the time to explain why they have made changes, pointing out how the former way was not producing the results they intended. There will still be a lot of complicated emotions surrounding those decisions, so continuing to walk with the congregation through such cultural shifts will be critical.

For more about ministry transition, check out my new book, The Unintentional Interim: Ministry in Times of Transition.