Searched for a Fax Machine, Found a Woman Named Sassy

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

Episode: “Make Rebecca Great Again” (Season 1, Episode 7)

Get ’em, Nate. The team is anticipating an away game at Everton, at which they haven’t won in 60 years. This immediately causes them to feel anger and self-doubt. As Ted searches for a way to get them focused and fired up, he turns to Nate to ask for his ideas. Nate initially resists, but then changes his mind and tries to slip some thoughts under the door to Ted’s hotel room, but is caught. The next day, Ted says he liked what Nate wrote and insists that he give the pre-game speech. He does so, and ends up roasting half the players, giving them some tough feedback. It ends up working, and they win.

This is yet another instance of delegation, which can be critical in the right ministry moment. Especially early on in a minister’s tenure, the need to turn to others who know the congregation better will be critical. And there may come moments when it’s better for the church to hear certain truths from a fellow member than one some may still perceive as an outsider.

Hello, Sassy. Ted does a better job at separating his personal issues from the team’s needs this episode, even as he does his best to avoid signing the divorce papers that his wife has sent. He does still have moments where it spills over, first when he yells at Nate after catching him at the door to his room, and then when he has a panic attack during the team’s celebration. Most of the rest of his coping happens behind closed doors, where he self-medicates with help from the hotel bar. At the very end of the episode, he receives a visit from Rebecca’s friend Sassy, whom he met earlier, and they presumably consummate the instant chemistry that they had found together.

One could argue that certain behaviors exhibited this episode could spill over, in much the same way that it could for whatever coping mechanisms that ministers seek out when attempting to keep these sides of their lives separate. And yet, with intention and moderation, this will prove to be a healthier option than taking it out on your church.

When the pastoral becomes personal. Early in the episode, some reporters ask Ted about the impact of losing Jamie. His answer puts things more in personal terms than how it will affect the team’s play: he says that he’ll miss continuing to connect with him, and he thinks that’s more important. After he has his panic attack, Rebecca is the one who seeks him out to make sure that he’s okay, and he texts her a thank you later.

I can name many instances when church members have become more than congregants to me, when I have connected to them in deeper ways or they have reached out to check on me on a more personal level after something has happened. This is a natural occurrence, and while there may still be boundary-related issues to maintain, it can make an incredible difference in one’s ministry partnership.

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