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My 22-year-old son Joey was a phenomenal multisport, multi-position athlete in high school. He had the intangibles necessary to win — a big heart, a perceptive mind and a tough spirit. The sport he loved best was football and his favorite position was defensive end.

Joey learned a lot about life playing on the defensive line. I did, too, by listening and watching. One thing I learned is that football games are won or lost in the “trenches.” The trench is the place and space where leverage is gained or lost, where advance toward victory or retreat toward defeat is achieved or taken away. In football, if you don’t have a strong offensive and defensive line, or if either of those lines plays poorly in a game, you lose.

In The United Methodist Church, we are losing the game in the trenches. We’re losing the battle to make learners and followers of Jesus Christ in the places and spaces that matter most — in the streets, in our communities, with nontraditional families, and the like — the places and spaces where Jesus invested almost all of his time and energy, where critical masses of people hang out daily, and where we as a collective church don’t spend much time witnessing.

How do we change this? How can we creatively win the war in the trenches?

Move our best players and coaches to the trenches.

When the superintendent in the Texas Annual Conference asked Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell what it would take to turn around a downtown Houston church with nine members remaining in the trenches, Caldwell sent the best lay leader from his thriving south Houston congregation. Twenty years and 6,000 changed lives later, Rudy and Juanita Rasmus, lay folks at the time with a call and a passion, showed us  what can happen when we  move our best people to the trenches. World changing things can happen.

We need to reposition all of the leaders who know their “Romans 12” giftedness into the places and spaces where the harvest is ripe but the laborers are few. This includes empowering laity with “Ephesians 4” giftedness to plant new faith communities, start new congregations, and do something different in neighborhoods and communities where the trenches are loaded with potential.

Implement prayer and fasting strategies to win battles.

Nearly 15 years ago, after inviting pastor Dennis Blackwell of Asbury UMC in Camden, New Jersey, to lead a prayer weekend, Emory UMC  implemented a prayer and fasting ministry called “Jehoshaphat.” We were motivated by the story in 2 Chronicles 20 where King Jehoshaphat, surrounded by enemies on every side, called the nation of Israel into a season of fasting and prayer, petitioning God to intercede for them as they faced a heavy period of conflict.

The results of this ministry were so powerful that we began to use the prayer and fasting process along with sermon series and teaching opportunities to unite and align the congregation when facing opposition within and beyond our ministry. When led by the Holy Spirit, victories were won in the trenches.

One reason we are losing in the trenches is that we don’t have a deep bench in The United Methodist Church. Some would even argue that we have no bench and therefore can’t compete when our starters get tired. We are losing out in the field because we are relying on a system of recruitment that is limited, expensive, outdated, and in some cases not developing the skills needed in the trenches. We need cost-effective, alternative ways of preparing leaders who are called to the five-fold gifts of ministry in Ephesians 4 (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers).

Challenge churches to claim their ZIP codes for Christ.

ZIP codes were established in 1963 by the US Postal Service for mail to reach its destination or delivery point in a more efficient and expeditious manner. ZIP stands for “zone improvement plan.”

What if your church had a commitment to getting out into its ZIP code to deliver good news? Those with a zone improvement plan make it a practice to get out into the streets and neighborhoods, meet people, build relationships, and, after developing relationships and street cred, share what Christ has done in their lives. They sit where people sit, feel what people feel, listen when people talk, and then cast a community-wide vision that engages people in the trenches with life-changing transformation.

Operate from a position of strength.

One of my favorite vocal artists is Jill Scott. On one of Jill’s albums, “Beautifully Human,” she sings a song called “Talk to Me” twice — back to back. It’s the same love song sung to a man whose attention she’s been trying to engage with little success. The first song is sung in a R&B manner, but she can’t seem to get the man’s attention so she tries another tactic.  She then sings the very same song, this time in jazz and big band style, and wins the man over. Same lyrics; different genre.

Our denomination needs to stop bitching and moaning and “try another tactic.” We’ve been operating from a position of defeat rather than a position of strength. And we’ve been bitching and moaning instead of using our strengths more boldly and creatively to establish and do new things.

Rather than selling our buildings, for example, we need to find creative ways to leverage our physical resources, including land leasing, multipurpose usage, and collaborative partnerships. Some strategies may require churches to start nonprofit community development organizations to obtain grants and funding from secular sources. We need to operate from a position of strength rather than constant contraction.

What if the coaches and players in The UMC — our pastors and laity — dove creatively into the trenches?

I believe we’d start seeing the bloom of revival. I believe we’d gain the leverage we need to win. I believe a whole lot of hearts and lives would be transformed with the mind of Christ. Do we have the guts to dig in, try something different, and refuse to lose? The game is won in the trenches by the people on the frontline.

Joseph Daniels is district superintendent of the Greater Washington District and senior pastor of Emory UMC in Washington. He is author of the book “Walking with Nehemiah: Your Community Is Your Congregation,” coming fall 2014 from Abingdon Press. This piece is excerpted, by permission, from Circuit Rider Magazine.