What football transfers can teach us about being an unleashed Church
Football transfer windows are among the most exciting periods in the life of the game. For weeks, fans follow every rumour, negotiation and “done deal.” Clubs search for players who can strengthen their squads, managers identify positions that need reinforcement, and players make important decisions about the next stage of their careers.
Some players are signed because a club needs a goalscorer. Others are brought in because the defence needs strengthening. Some are young talents recruited for the future, while experienced players are signed to provide leadership. There are also players who leave because their contracts have expired, they no longer fit into the manager’s plans, or another club offers them a better opportunity.
As the football world follows the transfer market, there is a spiritual lesson for the Church: God is also looking for people whom He can send into His world to fulfil His purposes. The difference is that God’s transfer window is not about money, contracts, or expensive signings. It is about availability, obedience, character and a willingness to be used by the Holy Spirit.
This thought fits perfectly with the 2026 theme of The Church of Pentecost: “The Church Unleashed to Transform Society Through the Gospel and the Power of the Holy Spirit.” The theme, drawn from Acts 8:4–8, Acts 13:1–5, and Colossians 1:4–6, calls the Church to move from being spectators to becoming active agents of transformation.
It also connects directly with Vision 2028—”Possessing the Nations II: Unleashing the Whole Church for the Transformation of Their World with the Values and Principles of the Kingdom of God.” The vision calls members to move beyond seeing the church service as the only place where they serve God and to take their Christian influence into society.
God Is Building A Team
No football club wins major trophies with eleven players alone. Behind every successful team is a squad of players with different abilities and responsibilities. There are goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, wingers, and strikers. Each player has a role to play.
The same is true of the Church.
The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:12–27 that the Church is one body with many members. Not everyone has the same gift, but everyone has a role to play. Some are called to preach. Some teach. Some evangelise. Some lead. Some serve children and young people. Some use their professional skills to advance God’s Kingdom. Others quietly support the work through prayer, giving, counselling and acts of kindness.
In football, a defender should not complain because he is not a striker. His job is to defend. A goalkeeper should not abandon his position because he wants to score every goal. The strength of the team comes when every player understands his or her assignment. The same applies to the Church.
God does not need every believer to do the same thing. He needs every believer to do his or her part faithfully. This is one of the great lessons of Vision 2028. The whole Church must be unleashed. The Church is not only the Pastor, Apostle, Elder or Minister. The Church is every believer who has received the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Not Every Transfer Is A Good Transfer
Football clubs sometimes spend huge amounts of money on players who fail to perform. A player may have an impressive record at one club but struggle at another. This reminds us that a good reputation alone does not guarantee effectiveness.
In the Kingdom of God, He is not simply looking for talented people. He is looking for available and transformed people. David was a shepherd before he became king. Moses was a shepherd before God sent him to Pharaoh. Peter was a fisherman before Jesus made him a fisher of men. Paul was a persecutor of the Church before he became one of its greatest missionaries. God’s recruitment system is different from that of football clubs.
He sees potential where people see weakness.
He sees a preacher in a fisherman.
He sees a leader in a shepherd.
He sees an apostle in a persecutor.
He sees a witness in an ordinary believer.
The question, therefore, is not, “Am I talented enough?”
The question is, “Am I available enough for God to use me?”
The Manager Has A Game Plan
Every serious football club has a manager with a strategy. The players may be talented, but they must understand and follow the manager’s instructions. A player who refuses to follow the manager’s tactics can damage the entire team.
The Christian life is similar. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and the Holy Spirit guides believers in fulfilling God’s mission. Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.”
Notice the connection between power and purpose.
The Holy Spirit does not empower us simply so that we can feel good during church services. He empowers us to become witnesses.
The 2026 theme, therefore, carries a serious message: the Church must not remain inside the “stadium” when the world outside needs the Gospel. The light must enter the darkness. The salt must enter society.
As the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Dr Eric Nyamekye, has emphasised, the Church’s real position is in the world, where it can influence and transform society.
Every Player Must Leave The Bench
One of the most frustrating experiences for a footballer is spending an entire season on the bench. The player may have talent. He may have trained hard. He may even have an impressive contract. But if he never enters the field, he cannot contribute to the team’s success. There are Christians who have spent years sitting on the spiritual bench. They attend services, listen to sermons, sing, pray and participate in conferences, but they have never entered the field of mission.
Vision 2028 is God’s call: Get off the bench!
Go into your workplace.
Go into your school.
Go into your business.
Go into your community.
Go into your family.
Go wherever God has placed you.
The world is the field, and every believer has been called to play.
The Transfer Of The Gospel
One of the most important words in football transfers is “move.” A player moves from one club to another. The Gospel also calls us to move.
In Acts 8:4, the believers who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word. Their movement did not stop the Gospel; it spread the Gospel. This is the picture of an unleashed Church. Persecution scattered the early Christians, but wherever they went, they carried Christ with them.
Imagine what would happen if every member of the Church carried the Gospel into his or her daily environment.
A nurse carries Christ into the hospital.
A teacher carries Christ into the classroom.
A businessman carries Christ into the marketplace.
A civil servant carries Christ into the office.
A student carries Christ onto the campus.
A farmer carries Christ into the farming community.
A media professional carries Christ into the media space.
A parent carries Christ into the home.
This is what it means to possess the nations.
The Deadline Day Is Coming
Every football transfer window has a closing date. When the deadline arrives, clubs can no longer make certain transfers.
The Bible also reminds us that there is a spiritual deadline. Our time on earth is limited. Jesus said in John 9:4, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.”
There is work to be done; there are souls to reach.
There are communities to influence.
There are broken families to restore.
There are young people to disciple.
There are systems that need godly influence.
There are people who need to hear the Gospel.
The question is not whether God has a mission but the question is whether we are ready to participate in it.
The Greatest Signing
Football clubs may compete to sign the most expensive and famous players in the world. But the greatest signing in the history of humanity was not made in a football stadium; it happened at Calvary.
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God made salvation available to humanity. We who were separated from God have been brought near through Christ. And now, having been saved, we have been sent.
Jesus said in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.” We are, therefore, not spectators of God’s mission; we are God’s players on the field.
The Holy Spirit is our divine empowerment.
The Word of God is our instruction.
Christ is our Captain.
The world is our field of ministry.
The Gospel is our message.
And the ultimate victory belongs to God.
As the football transfer window continues to capture the attention of millions around the world, may it remind us of another transfer that matters far more—the movement of God’s people from the comfort of the church building into the mission field of society.
The 2026 theme calls us to be unleashed.
Vision 2028 calls us to possess the nations.
The Holy Spirit gives us power.
The Gospel gives us the message.
And the world is waiting for the Church to enter the field.
So, as a Christian, your transfer is complete. You have been transferred from darkness into God’s marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9).
Now, get on the field.
The whistle has blown.
The game is on.
The world is the field.
Christ is the Captain.
The Holy Spirit is our power.
Play your part.
Transform your world.
Possess the nations.
Written by Joel Tabiri Tweneboah (Kusi Donkor Worship Centre, Odorkor Area)
