More and more these days, pastors are taking second jobs in addition to their ministry work, and not just for financial reasons. Many pastors see a second job as an opportunity to minister outside the church building’s walls and to build credibility in the community. As bi-vocational pastor Ben Connelly wrote , “God seems to be working through my bi-vocationality, not in spite of it.”
CBS sportscaster James Brown—or “JB,” as his viewers know him—understands the tensions of bi-vocational ministry. Most people know the three-time Emmy Award-winner as host of The NFL Today on CBS Sports and Thursday Night Football on CBS Sports and NFL Network, but he’s also an ordained minister. He’s fond of saying, “That which I do in my profession is my avocation, but the Lord’s work is my vocation.” Pastor Maina Mwaura sat down with Brown to learn about his introduction to ministry, how he balances his dual roles, and the challenges of displaying a vibrant faith in a secular work environment.
How did you get into ministry?
Clarence Givens, our founding bishop and pastor at Rhema Christian Center Church, was quite a persuasive man. He asked my wife and me to become the youth directors. I thought, You have to be kidding me! I’m going to go into his office with my wife and let him know I can’t do that. I’ve got too much on my plate right now. And that’s exactly what I told Dorothy, my wife.
Now it makes me laugh because when we got into his office, I said, “Look, Bishop, you’ve got all of these responsibilities for me, and you know how busy I am. What is it exactly that you want me to do with the youth director position? I’m prepared to take it on.” And my wife started laughing, as if to say, “You get all bold talking about what you’re going to do, but when you sit in front of him, that all goes out the window.”
So in 2002, my wife and I became youth directors. And I was ordained in 2009.
Looking back, I know it was the Lord guiding me. God sees the end from the beginning. Imagine a parade coming down the street in Washington, D.C., and somebody is sitting up on top of the Washington monument, 555 feet high. They can see where the parade started, where it’s moving, and where it’s going to end. That’s how God sees my life. I only see a little bit ahead of me. Isn’t it awesome to have somebody who sits high to tell you where to go?
How was preaching different from being in front of millions every week as a broadcaster?
It was a night and day difference! Sermons are serious business because you’re preaching the Lord’s Word. It’s not a pep talk. It’s not a motivational speech to a corporation. It’s about rightly dividing God’s Word, knowing that I want his Word to fall on fallow ground, receptive hearts that are searching.
[For more thoughts on preaching from James Brown, watch this video on PreachingToday.com.]
After you finished your time in youth ministry, what did you do next in the church?
Our role in the youth ministry led to us overseeing many different ministries. From there, I joined the staff as a confidant to the pastor, and I started preaching as well. The story of Moses and Aaron helped me learn to serve in that role. Aaron was there to assist Moses and help him keep his arms up, which is exactly what I learned to do, by simply being available.
This grew me into the role of speaking at different churches. My wife and I are very active in our church, but over the last several years my ministry has grown to look more like an itinerant speaker. I like speaking in different churches, but when given the chance, there is no place like home.
Can you think of anything from before your time in ministry that prepared you for your current roles?
Before I become a broadcaster I worked at Xerox and Eastman Kodak in sales and sales management. Sales isn’t about running your mouth; it’s about being an effective listener and observer to know what a customer is looking for, hearing what they’re saying is important to them. Some people think being in sales is about telling customers 1,000 pluses of a product. But the truth is, all you need are five key points. For example, if you’re selling a car, what’s the gas mileage? The safety reliability of the car? Can I get four grandkids in there? What’s the cost of service? Good salesmen listen for those things and sell to them. My time in sales helped me learn to listen—to people and to the Holy Spirit.
Tell us about your wife, Dorothy. How do you minster together?
My wife is an awesome woman of God. She is no nonsense when it comes to internalizing and obeying the Word. She teaches the Tabernacle of Moses at our church’s Bible college. I learn at her feet. She likes to say, “You know, James, public speaking and preaching are what the Lord has gifted you to do. I prefer to be a teacher and a supporter of you.” But whenever she is called on to preach, she is excellent at it.
My wife is very strong. She has a packed schedule. She sings in the church’s choir. She’s an active evangelist. She’s diligent in attending Bible study every Wednesday. She teaches. And she also has a full visitation schedule, visiting those in nursing homes and assisted living.
How do you balance your roles as a sportscaster at CBS and a minister?
My call as a minister, my belief in Jesus Christ, is the foundational stone. Everything else emanates from that. When I was working in corporate America, our executives would talk about understanding the objective and subjective criteria for being successful: how to avoid the landmines that might bounce you out of the corporate environment; your dress and attire speak volumes because people will make a judgment about you before you open your mouth; how you interact in diverse environments, because it takes a team orientation to do well; promptness; overcoming adversity; etc. Those are all excellent points, but as I grew in my understanding of God’s Word, I discovered that all of those points are rooted in the Bible.
The Word of God undergirds everything I do.
For example, think about how you speak, the type of language you use. Well, the Bible says, “evil communication corrupts good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33, KJV). So even though I’m around athletes and there can be a lot profanity in the locker room, people like Tony Dungy, who won the Super Bowl, show that it can be done the Lord’s way. You don’t need to engage in profanity-laced tirades to encourage somebody to excellence. God’s Word does that. The Word of God undergirds everything I do.
What can you say to pastors who work in low-key environments about how to use their influence for the kingdom?
The Bible uses the human body as an example of the body of Christ. The little finger plays just as important a role as the head. The kneecap plays just as important a role as the liver and the kidney. “Every joint supplies” (Eph. 4:16). It is not a matter of the venue or the platform; it’s how well you maximize being in that venue, that circle, that circumstance.
I try to always remember what the Bible says: “Pride cometh before the fall.” One of the biggest gut checks for me was when I went to speak at one of our sister churches in the afternoon. My wife and I pulled up in the parking lot, and I noticed there was only one other car. And I thought, Whoa, is this worth it? That was my ego and pride getting in the way. Was I expecting to see an overflow in the parking lot? The Holy Spirit captured my attention right off, and I snatched myself back into understanding that whether it was one, one hundred, one hundred thousand, one million, I still needed to go in there and do what the Lord said to do. So I went in there prepared to give it my very best, even if it was just one person. Later, it filled up to about 75 or 100, but it made no difference.
I’ve been humbled to speak within my area of understanding of the Bible, not trying to be anything I’m not. To make certain the Holy Spirit is guiding me. I’ve been in big churches, megachurches with five or six services over the course of a weekend. But I’ve been in small churches that number 50. You go out there and you do your best unto the Lord as if you were speaking to millions. I want to be prepared each and every time because God is judging me in terms of what I’m doing.
What challenges have you faced in trying to do both ministry and sportscasting?
Balancing both can be tough at times, because I enjoy them both. CBS does not pay me to proselytize. However, my job is to model what I believe, whether it’s in the secular field or doing ministry. We have to give it to God and allow him to use us wherever we are.
Early on, I wanted to blend in. When people around me engaged in profanity, they would say, “Oh, JB, I’m sorry,” and I would say, “No, no, it’s okay.” But it’s not okay. So now I don’t say that. When they say, “JB, oh, I’m sorry,” I appreciate that, and I think it’s a show of respect.
Once, a number of years ago, I was asked to co-host an early Saturday news show on the day before Resurrection Sunday. The boss said, “In one of the segments we’re going to have two pastors in here. One is a very well-known pastor. The other is retired. And we’re going to discuss the Resurrection. Is it real or not? One pastor takes the Bible literally and believes the Resurrection happened as the Bible says it did. The other pastor believes the Bible is really a book of stories and fairytales to make a significant point for us to follow.”
Then he said, “JB, I want you to anchor that segment.” I said, “You might not want me to do that segment.” He said, “Why?” I said, “Because I can be impartial in terms of the questions I’m asking, but I am a Christian. I’m a minister, and I’m speaking tomorrow at my church about the Resurrection.” He said, “Good, you’re perfect for the segment.” That was nothing but the Lord touching his heart.
And during the interview, as I went through the questions hearing both sides as a journalist, I thought, There are a bunch of people out there who might be tempted to believe the gentleman who says the Resurrection isn’t real. I don’t want to stand before the Lord and say I didn’t speak on that.
I couldn’t help but ask the one who didn’t believe the Resurrection was real, “How do you reconcile that? The Resurrection is the lynchpin upon which the Christian faith is held. How do you justify that?” Then when I closed out the segment I said, “Gentlemen, I thank you both very much, but I just want to make it clear that I certainly believe the Resurrection is as the Bible says.” Now that would seem to be grounds for dismissal because I’m supposed to be impartial. But certain things are non-negotiables, and my faith is one.
How do your coworkers react to your faith?
It comes out in different ways. I don’t go around trying to beat people over the head with the Bible. I try to live it. I’m flawed. I make mistakes. But I try to acknowledge those mistakes, ask for forgiveness, repent of them, and move on. In my job, I think they know who I am and Whose I am, but I’m not trying to twist anybody’s arm. I hope I’m modeling the Bible without sounding like a preacher when I talk to them. Once people see that I want to listen and understand what they are going through, that wall comes down. At the end of the day, I want people to know that I care about them.
When I was working at Fox, Terry Bradshaw was going through some personal difficulties and challenges. Most of my colleagues probably think I’m kind of square because they see me reading the Word, and I don’t go do a number of things the other folks do. But when Terry had his challenges, he said, “JB, when we leave the set tonight, would you mind taking me home and praying with me? I just want to talk through some things.” That lets you know you are getting through.
You can read more about Brown’s work and faith in his book Role of a Lifetime: Reflections on Faith, Family, and Significant Living.
