Spiritual Gifts and the Miami Dolphins

The coaching philosophy of Don Shula helps us understand the gifting of the church for God’s mission. Shula spent 26 years as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Under his leadership they had their famous 1972 undefeated season, including winning the Super Bowl.

While many coaches had philosophies of the game and forced their talent to fit their philosophy, Shula looked at the specific talents of his players and crafted a game plan around their gifts. If he was given an impressive quarterback, he crafted a plan based on passing. On the other hand, if he had a great offensive line,…