January 19, 2000
EDITORIAL:
Unfortunately, Chan's not alone
___You know you're in Texas when a football coach's firing dominates the news.
___Unless you just this minute returned from Outer Mongolia, you no doubt know the Dallas Cowboys fired Chan Gailey last week. Where we live, the media pulled out all the stops to report the big event --second-by-second coverage of the news conference, even crossing over normal programming changes; expert commentary from every sports writer who ever visited Texas Stadium; fan-in-the-street interviews; player exclusives; Cowboys retrospectives.
___Houston, you were lucky last week. Your historic disdain for the silver-and-blue 'Boys insulated you from the moment-by-moment mayhem.
___The phrase that surfaced over and over again in all that coverage was straightforward and simple--"the bottom line." Gailey got canned because the Cowboys weren't successful. And in Texas Stadium, success is only measured in Lombardi Trophies and humongous banners proclaiming the hometown heroes to be "World Champions."
___Never mind the obvious circumstances. The owner wouldn't let the coach be the coach. Wealthy young studs fumbled punts, dropped passes, crumbled on 3rd-and-1 and collected penalty flags like Pokemon cards. Players got hurt. And other NFL teams seemed to play over their heads when the Cowboys came to town.
___To a degree, I understand--if not agree with--the logic of Jerry Jones, the Cowboys' owner. Gailey's football philosophy clashed with the opinions of the team's offensive superstars. And it's easier to find another coach than to hire a quarterback and running back. So Gailey is gone.
___What melts my cleats, however, is the way fans and many sports media prognosticators talk about Gailey. To hear them tell it, he's sub-human. A losing season, and he's lower than the worn-out lining under the Texas Stadium turf. Never mind that he did his best under abysmal circumstances. That he exemplified integrity and character, sorely lacking in previous years. That he stood tall, treated others with respect and played fair. No Super Bowl, and he's stinkier than a laundry load of sweatsocks.
___No, this isn't a sports column. But when I think about how Chan Gailey was treated last week, I can't help but think about how far too many Baptist pastors and church staff members are treated every week.
___In 1998--the last year for which statistics are complete--at least 246 Texas Baptist ministers were forced out of their churches. That total includes 178 pastors and 68 staff members.
___Nationally, at least 1,174 Southern Baptist ministers--928 pastors and 246 staffers --got fired in '98. Those figures only reflect 26 of 39 state conventions.
___Of course, some ministers deserve to be terminated. Sexual and ethical misconduct certainly cannot be tolerated. And a small minority, like others in any vocation or profession, are not competent. But the vast majority of fired pastors are shown the door because of vision, perspectives, style and expectations at odds with their churches.
___And that brings us back to Gailey and the Cowboys. In the playoff game, as well as most of their eight other losses, I can think of four or five plays botched by player error--dropped passes, fumbles, penalties, blown coverages--that made the difference in the score. If the players had played to their potential, the coach still would have his job, and we'd still care what happens on Sunday afternoons.
___Similarly, how often do our ministers "fail" because we who sit in the pews do not live up to our Christian potential? We don't witness, tithe, attend, worship or help out as we know we should. And then we have "roast pastor" for lunch.
___Of course, we don't make millions like football superstars do. But our heavenly reward will make pro players look like paupers. Shouldn't we all do our part to ensure the success of our churches?
___ --Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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