Matt Reeb: SUCCESS IN PERSPECTIVE—COACHING FROM THE OVERFLOW

Success in Perspective -

COACHING FROM THE OVERFLOW

Shepherding to Matt Reeb
Amy Boyle

Sometimes obedience looks like a bad decision. 

At least, in Matt Reeb’s case it felt like it was, when the transition meant uprooting his family from steady community and financial stability, to accept a low paying job away from the familiar and into the unknown.

But he has come to discover that a “win” according to God’s wisdom, is often different from how the world defines it.

Since his own college days, Matt has sensed a call to coaching—to the work of shepherding students into a deeper sense of “success” and “winning,” one with eternal perspective.

From Missouri to West Virginia, Oklahoma then Indiana—the Reeb family has followed that call toward coaching, even when it has meant moving across the country, multiple times… 

Matt Reeb now serves as the head coach for the Indiana Wesleyan men’s soccer team, where he leads a team of the nations, training up one of the University’s most dynamic and diverse sports teams. With athletes from nearly every continent, unified around the game and a shared sense of identity, “soccer is the platform” where shepherding takes place.

From Central and South American players who’ve been raised in nominal Catholicism, to North African athletes who’ve grown up in Muslim households, the team deviates from the larger demographic of the school not only in its cultural composition, but also when it comes to faith.

Matt sees “soccer as the initial platform” to introduce those who don’t yet follow Jesus, to a “Christian” who deviates from their expectations, where Christianity is more than a mere religion for the caucasian American, but is a personal relationship with God, for anyone from any nation.

As a coach, he is uniquely positioned to shepherd students who are struggling, and “set a standard” of excellence by simply being a presence that models to the players how to live.

And by “finding ways to notice” the “gifts and calling in others,” Matt also establishes a culture of trust and empowerment among players, where authority and leadership is delegated, and athletes also are given opportunity to “challenge” and “stretch” him by “their love for God.” 

“I’ve had to grow in patience,” Matt shared, in speaking to how his relationships with the team have also brought him transformation.

“We do team devotions during pre season,” and with having students on the team who are not believers, the coaching staff and Christians on the team, have had to sit in the tension of what it looks like to find balance between having an uncompromising faith, while remaining welcoming and hospitable to students who do not yet believe.

Establishing an environment where students are met with conditional love, where they belong before they believe, “this is when the walls start to fall.”

There was a player who was wrestling with God’s goodness and the reality of suffering, after losing his best friend and his grandma losing her house. Love from the soccer team met him in his grief, his questions, and his doubt, directing his heart toward a desire to know God.

The team also prays for a player on the team who still practices Islam. That student has not made the choice to follow Christ, but has been surprised to see a Christianity that is sacrificial, which is different from what he had expected to see.

Ultimately, the sport comes second to shepherding. On and off the field, whether during or outside of the season, often in ways that even exceed expectation, God has reminded Matt and the other coaching staff what a “win” looks like.

And easy as it can be, “to get caught up in the busyness,” the “crazy,” and the “odd hours,” Matt knows that success and priorities must be measured according to God’s perspective. 

His marriage with Caitlin and commitment to fathering their three boys: Sebastian, Malakai and Tobias matters more than the outcome of any game, and his performance in any position.

By simply “modelling,” a life of “walking with the Holy Spirit” Matt shepherds his family and his student athletes, showing them that before any success or approval from people, comes first learning to “sit as a beloved son.” 

From the overflow of that truth, shepherding puts “success” in perspective.