Alethia Church and Timothy Richard Tebow

I'm a pastor. at a church. called Alethia
Timothy is a qb. on a team. called the Broncos

I have finally found where our worlds collide. That is neat.

Our church (www.alethiachurch.org) has taken a unique approach to our leadership since day 1. Shared pastoral leadership with men who have full time jobs. 6 of our 7 pastors all work full time outside of the church. Most of us also have a wife and children. Our 7th pastor receives a full time paycheck, but also has responsibilities at home as his wife teaches, making him bivocational as well. Guess what? It's working. Well. I would dare say, it's a Biblical approach to elder led churches. The principles are this:
1) Shared leadership provides accountability
2) Shared leadership guards against ministerial burn out
3) Shared leadership provides a community of teachers
4) Shared leadership can lead to greater financial stewardship

This matter of leadership means that when I get up to preach, there's a sense of acceptance from men in the congregation. They know that I have been not only working my job, raising my kids, and loving my wife, but I have also spent time serving and studying. I believe this is one of the reasons why we have so many strong men in our church. Jesus is a savior that we can relate to. Our pastors are men that other men can relate to in this season of their life.

I believe this model is scary to vocational pastors.

It says that we can accomplish great things as a church without having to pay staff. If you have oriented your entire professional career around being a paid pastor and then a successful model comes along that renders most of those jobs in an unpaid capacity, that could be devastating. What happens if Alethia becomes a church of 1,000+ with one full time paid pastor? Churches that size typically have 5-8 full time paid pastors. What if this whole thing works?

Tim Tebow and the Broncos are winning football games using basic football principles.
1) Running the ball shortens the length of the game
2) Running the ball means less turnovers
3) Running the ball provides rest for your defense
4) Running the ball wins games

Brian Xanders, the Broncos GM, said that the team that wins the turnover differential and sack differential will win almost 90% of their games. It has been no secret that running the ball, stopping the run, and not turning the ball over will win football games. So why is everyone so shocked that they are winning?

Here's why.

The "NFL prototype" qb's are afraid that there's another way. The pundits think that they have it figured out. You need Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees to win super bowls. You have to be able to throw the ball with speed and accuracy. Nobody likes to be wrong, and Timmy Touchdown and the Broncos are proving them wrong.

What's going to happen if this works? Fullbacks will become Qb's. Coaches who have trained to have complex passing attacks will no longer be needed at the level they are. 16 year old kids who dream of playing QB in the league will have to start learning how to run and read LB's rather than coverages. The established elite in the football world are scared that the Broncos may actually win. Suddenly Tim Jefferson at AFA becomes just as coveted as Andrew Luck.

If Alethia and the Broncos are successful in winning souls and football games respectively using non traditional methods, the traditional methodists (pun intended) will have their cores shaken.

The days of the superstar pastor and superstar QB may be on their way out...or at least becoming less necessary.

Let us pray