John Calipari

Former University of Kentucky men’s basketball players have some advice for the highly touted crop of freshman players coming in—Listen to your coach! Those who have played for John Calipari know that he can come across as gruff and overbearing. They also know that he is a basketball mastermind. Coach Cal has a proven track record of improving the abilities of individual players and molding them into teams that compete for championships. Therefore, players would do well to heed his advice. Former players tell the new guys, “Listen to what Coach Cal says, not how he says it.”

In the church, the elders might be considered our coaching staff. They are the leaders of the congregation, and we would do well to listen to what they say. (Fortunately, most elders are a bit more congenial than some excitable basketball coaches, and hopefully their vocabularies aren’t quite so colorful!)

If we want our churches to win a lot of victories, we would do well to listen to our coaches. Most churches are blessed with godly elders who pray, study the Bible, love their people and do their best to guide the church along the way. We should pay attention to what these leaders have to say.

“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”—Hebrews 13:17.