Every year I ask Grace the same question: “Is this worth it?”

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“It” being coaching the Williams Club Cycling Team.

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When we moved to Williamstown in 2019 it made perfect sense. I was hired to serve as the Pastor of Community Outreach at CBC, so I needed to get out into the community fast. I needed to meet non-Christians and build relationships. Making connections at Williams was essential to being visible in this community. I even tacked on coaching nordic skiing at Mt. Greylock for a few seasons too! God gave me gifts with kids and with sports so I used them! Students from Williams came to Church, families connected to the college began attending our services, and I was able to see visible fruit of how God used that time and effort for his glory.

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Yet, every year the equation changes a bit. Is coaching still worth it 6 years later? I’ve now served as the Lead Pastor of CBC for almost 3 years, we have 2 other full-time staff at the Church, and the Church has grown so significantly that we’re praying about and making plans for an addition to the Church. There is a lot going on in our Church and every moment is precious.

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Just as the Church has grown so has our family. Grace and Lucy Joy are my top priorities and Lucy has a little brother showing up in July!

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So why do I still coach? Why do I travel with Williams students around the Northeast during April, missing Sundays and spending hours cheering on college kids as they ride their bikes quickly in circles?

It comes down to two things: trust and discipleship.

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Trust is developed over time. Often we have a tendency to read the New Testament, and the Apostle Paul’s life in particular, on 2x speed! We see so many miracles and conversions that we forget the more than 10 years Paul spent after his conversion before his first missionary journey or the 2 years he spent just preaching and teaching in Ephesus. Building trust takes time, and several recent studies on evangelism have shown that in our post-Christian culture “trusting a Christian” is often the first step someone has to make in their journey towards following Jesus. Coaching is a way to build trust, not just with the athletes that I coach but with their families, with my co-workers, and even my co-workers’ families! Unfortunately there are so many negative images of Christians in the media and so few Christians in our area that we are often the first follower of Jesus someone genuinely gets to know! 

Discipleship is about all of life. Spending hours driving around the Northeast and eating meals with college kids allows me to really share life with these students. All of a sudden they don’t just know me as the pastor in town who happens to coach their club team, but as their friend and someone who takes an interest in their life. I get the privilege of being someone who shapes their life and who models following Jesus to them.

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The equation might change in the future (I hear having two kids is pretty different from having one!) but this year we decided that God is still calling us to invest in students at Williams through coaching, even if it makes our April an even crazier month than usual! Jesus tells us over and over again that the good news is like a seed that is planted in the soil of our hearts (Mark 4). Let’s keep praying for opportunities to plant seeds and for the God who gives the growth to create new life in others (1 Corinthians 3:6). To God be the glory!

 

As ever,

Pastor Tyler