When to Try Something New

Guest Post by Brian Jones

I thought since it was nearing Christmas I would remind us one of the greatest scenes in cinematic history where Flick got his tongue stuck to the flag pole in the movie A Christmas Story.

Flick: Are you kidding? Stick my tongue to that stupid pole? That’s dumb!

Schwartz: That’s ’cause you know it’ll stick!

Flick: You’re full of it!

Schwartz: Oh yeah?

Flick: Yeah!

Schwartz: Well I double-DOG-dare ya!

Ralphie as adult: [narrating] NOW it was serious. A double-dog-dare. What else was there but a “triple dare you”? And then, the coup de grace of all dares, the sinister triple-dog-dare.

Schwartz: I TRIPLE-dog-dare ya!

I am approached all the time by friends, neighbors, church members, and even staff members with the newest greatest idea for sports ministry.  Things like a barbecue cookoff, scuba diving, and even a dog costume contest.  Now, these are great ideas but sometimes these great ideas don’t fit into the ministry.  And yet other times the idea might be okay and I’ll say to myself, “sounds good…maybe I’ll try it.”

So how do you know when to try new things or not?

I start by asking myself three basic questions that I hope can serve and help you, too, when put in a similar position:

1.  Will it bring glory to God?

2.  What is the outreach potential?

3.  Do I have adequate support from others?

Along the way I have made some tough decisions on trying new things or shutting down old things. But thinking through these few questions almost always gives me enough clarity to move forward one way or the other.

I’d like to conclude with a quote frequently used by Randy Pope, the pastor of Perimeter Church in Duluth, GA.   “Dare to attempt something so great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!”

"It's the hard that makes it great."

Guest post by Scott Tyson

“It’s the hard that makes it great.” (Jimmy Dugan, A League of Their Own)

Coaching at any level and in any sport is challenging. If it was easy, sports outreach ministry leaders would not be scrambling two days before practices officially begin to fill the 8-10 vacant coaching spots (at least that has been my experience at times in the past). If it was easy, it wouldn’t produce much of a reward. I often hear the following at the end of a 12-week season (coach comes up close and starts to whisper in an apologetic tone), “Scott, I think I got more out of this than the kids.”

I know you are not coaching out of selfish reasons. I know you are not trying live vicariously through your kids by being their coach (or are you?). I’m confident your motives are pure. The “organizer” of the league called and ask for help. Your primary goal is to help fulfill a need and spend some extra time with your children doing something that is fun (better than working in the nursery or leading a Bible study). Some of you may even be attempting to actually have a real impact on one or more of the families. Bottom line – you signed up to coach for the right reasons.

But, who wouldn’t want to feel the way many coaches feel at the end? If you truly understand the mission and vision… if you put in the extra effort… if you view your role as “more than just a coach”…  you will be rewarded. You will benefit in ways you never imagined. Many of you already know what I’m talking about. Many of you have experienced it for yourselves. You also know that coaching is not easy. It takes planning and preparation. It takes patience. It takes time. It takes you out of your comfort zone if you are all “in”. Just like our opponents during competition, it takes us to a whole new level we never thought possible (or even thought about). I’ve taken hundreds of swings during softball batting practice and have yet to hit a homerun over the fence. However, during games, I’ve hit more than one (4 — but who is counting) – and yes all came on the same field as batting practice. I even hit homeruns in back-to-back games once. Why? Because competition raises my game to a whole new level.

Coaches have a unique ability to reach players when no one else can. My hope is that you take your role as a coach seriously. That you look at yourself as more than just a coach. That you understand the opportunity you have to impact someone’s life on an eternal level. What could be more rewarding than that? Avoid trying to ease your way through coaching. Make it “hard.” In the end, your efforts will be rewarded.

5 Fun Games for Young Soccer Players

All of the below games could be played with kids of any level but would particularly be good for kids 6 or under. Enjoy!

1. Pirate Treasure (Link); Skills Developed: Dribbling, defense

Create a grid about 30X30. Set up about 10 tall cones (the treasure) along one side of the grid. On the opposite side have each player (the pirates) start with a ball. 2-3 players will start inside the grid with an alternate color jersey on. They are defending the treasure (tall cones) along the side of the grid.

1. On the coaches command, the pirates attempt to dribble past the defenders in attempt to take the treasure.

2. To take the treasure, the players must knock down the cone with the ball.

3. Once they have knocked down the cone they must pick up the cone and take it back to their starting point while dribbling the ball.

4. If the pirates lose the ball to the defenders, they must start back over at the original starting point.

2. Snake in the Grass (Link); Skills Developed: Movement, spacing, dribbling

Create a small grid approximately 15X15 yards. All of the players should be inside the grid. The coach should designate two players to be the “snakes” by lying on their stomachs. Each of the players begin with one of their hands on the snakes in the grass.

When the coach yells “SNAKE IN THE GRASS” the non-snake players attempt to avoid the snakes as the snakes attempt to slither around on their stomach and touch a non-snake player. As a player is touched, that player too becomes a snake. The activity continues until everyone is a snake.

3. Red Light/Green Light; Skills Developed: Dribbling

This well known children’s game makes a great drill. All players start on one side of the
field with a ball. Coach yells “Green Light” and turns her back to the players. Yell “Red Light” and then turn back around. All players should have moved forward and now be standing still with one foot on the ball. Any player still moving or without his or her ball gets sent back to the starting line.

4. Traffic; Skills Developed: Dribbling, spacing, vision

Create a square playing area roughly 10 ft by 10 ft. Divide the players into two groups. Set
one group up on the north side of the square and the other team on the east side. Each player has a ball. On the start all players must cross the square, make the turn when they get to the other side and come back. Make it a race to see which team can be the first to get its players across and back 3 times.

5. Pass to Score; Skills Developed: Passing, spacing, vision

Divide the players into 2 equal teams and establish a playing area roughly half the size of
the field. Have the players spread out all over the playing area. Toss the ball in to start. The goal is to gain control of the ball and make 3 passes in a row between teammates. If the defense intercepts then that team tries to make 3 passes in a row. After a score of 3 successful passes, the coach restarts with a throw in. Play for a certain amount of time or until 10 points are scored.

A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

Written by Bob Schindler, COO of CEDE Sports

“Sports ministry in local churches is on the decline.”

I don’t remember when I first heard this assertion, but it has certainly been around for at least the last 10 years, since the Great Recession.  

Proponents of this perspective point to the following:

• Churches getting out of sports ministry 

• Sports ministries that serve local churches experiencing ongoing decline in the churches using their services

• Denominations reducing their efforts (or even eliminating them) to promote sports ministry

• National efforts to support the sports ministry movement closing their “doors”

While these claims have verifiable data, they represent only part of the picture. Before one can make the assertion that the number of churches doing sports ministry is on the decline there is another piece of the equation we must identify.  That is how many churches are getting into sports, rec and fitness during the same time frame considered when discussing churches getting out of it. 

Estimations

We can only be certain of this “net effect” when we know both the churches getting out and churches getting into the SRF movement.  

While I am not aware of any research to identify this plus number, there are some indicators that provide helpful insights.  According to research in 2010

• 36% of all churches have a sports and fitness initiative – either team sports, fitness activities or exercise classes 

• That number increased to 40% for evangelical churches 

If there are at least 350,000 churches in the USA with a conservative estimate of 80-100,000 of those being evangelical, this means that somewhere between 32,000 evangelical churches and 126,000  overall churches in the USA are involved in the SRF movement!!!

I recognize this is just one data point and doesn’t demonstrate any trend, but I point this out for us to get a better idea of the scale of the churches involved in the SRF movement.  When I got involved in the broader SRF movement in 2003, I heard estimates that were in the thousands. Now we have real research that tells us that number is at least in the tens of thousands and may actually get to a hundred thousand.  

The estimate – thousands to maybe ten thousand.

The actual – tens of thousands to maybe one hundred thousand.  

Encouraging Findings

I was way off in my estimation, and others were way off in theirs as well.  I am really astounded, a little humbled and also encouraged by this realization.  If this is true, this means there were lots and lots of churches in the US that are doing SRF ministry that no one really knows about.  

My own personal experience validated that reality.  I have the privilege of traveling and interacting with those in the SRF movement in a number of different regions in the US.  In those travels, I regularly run into churches who have been doing SRF ministry for some time yet have no contact with other churches, sports ministry organizations, or broader movement efforts.  

Building, Expanding

I also regularly find churches that are getting into SRF ministry, not getting out.  Churches that are building gyms/fitness facilities/fields to facilitate that ministry.  Churches that are hiring staff to develop that ministry for the first time.  

It is true that there are churches getting out of SRF ministry, but there are also churches out there that believe in the power and value of SRF ministry.  

Furthermore, if we think about 

• The growing interest in fitness and the growing involvement in fitness ministry by churches over the last 10-15 years 

• The developing work by churches among immigrants and refugees through sports, rec, and fitness

• The missional efforts of churches to send coaches, parents and players into community sports leagues

It is even possible to imagine a net positive effect on the number of churches involved in SRF ministry.  

While there is a need for more specific research on this net effect, with all that I have outlined in in mind, I would ask you to expand your perspective and consider a very different possibility for, a very different picture of, the status of SRF ministry in the USA.  I would ask you to look for signs of these encouraging trends.  They are all around us.  Look around for those churches who are starting SRF ministry or already doing it and who are not connected with other churches or any of the national SRF efforts.  Find them and help them get connected.  

Lastly, tell others what you find.  This different picture gives those of us invested in the SRF movement reasons for real encouragement and hope for the future.  

This is the perspective I have adopted and hope you will too. SRF ministry in local churches is on the rise!!!

 *I have shared these ideas on several occasions.  At Dr. Greg Linville’s request, I wrote this article for his book The Saving of Sports Ministry – The Soteriology of Sports Outreach available here.

7 Ways to Encourage Evangelism in Your Ministry

An article on Evangelism.net focuses on how to get new believers involved in evangelism. However, to me, the list could apply to anyone who is a leader in ministry, whether a new believer or a well-seasoned one.

The list goes as follows:

1.)    Be an example—people are watching what you do, and they tend to pay more attention to what you do than what you say. When new believers see other believers evangelizing, it encourages them to do the same.

2.)    Evangelize in teams—pair a more experienced evangelist with a newer convert. Whether it be witnessing in a park, church visitation, or simply visiting a friend you think would be open to the gospel, take along a new believer. Your experience will help them, and hopefully their newfound joy will encourage you.

3.)    Pray with them for specific people who are not believers—praying for the lost increases our love for the lost.

4.)    Realize that it is not about the numbers—God tells us to take the gospel to lost people, but it is God who does the saving, not us. With that in mind, we don’t need to feel like a failure if someone doesn’t trust Christ after we have shared the gospel (1 Cor. 3:6–8).

5.)    Remind them that fear is normal—it is an experience that everyone deals with. The Apostle Paul even asked for prayer for boldness, something he would not have needed to ask for if he didn’t have fear.

6.)    Tell them it is okay if they don’t have all the answers—It is okay to say, “I don’t know.” Unbelievers are more impressed by someone that admits they don’t know an answer than by someone who makes up an answer or acts like a know-it-all.

7.)    Help them learn a basic method—there are many good methods, but having one basic method that they can always use is a must. It frees them up to talk and listen, instead of worrying about what to say next.

Matters of the Meantime

By Jenny Young

Years ago, I and another SOAR staff member attended the NewSpring Leadership Conference in Anderson, SC. NewSpring Church has multiple campuses throughout South Carolina. This conference was packed with six pastors and leaders from across the country who spoke in six sessions. We had the opportunity to hear from each leader.

In one of the sessions, we got to hear from Judah Smith, who is the Lead Pastor of The City Church in Seattle, Washington. He spoke on the title of this blog, “Matters of the Meantime.” This particular talk rocked my world. He shared a story that many of us can relate to. He, like many families, went on road trips when younger and asked a typical question of any young boy or girl to their dad, “Are we there yet?” He knew that they weren’t where they were supposed to be, but hoped his dad would say they were at the final destination.

I can relate to this in so many ways as I know I ask God many times in ministry, “Are we there yet?” This question may be in regards to the fulfillment of our mission and vision, outreach, training, equipping, and many other areas of ministry. I want to get to the other side, but i’m not sure of what this time is all about. We are in the meantime. I was reminded that I need to trust Jesus with the meantime as He is the one who helps us get to the other side.

Here are a few points that I took away from his talk:

Judah Smith:  “Matters of the Meantime”

• “I’ve done everything I know how to do God! We ask the question, Are we there yet?”

• What do you do when you are not where you used to be, but you’re not where you’re supposed to be? This is called the meantime

• “The meantime is important to God”

• “What you do in the meantime shapes vision.”

• “How do we get to the other side?” God takes us to the “other side.” “We don’t take ourselves there with knowledge or planning, but by His grace.”

• “Just stay in the boat. Stay where God has put you and don’t give up.”

• “You need a friend in the boat to say to you, stay in the boat.”

• “When the disciples were in the storm, they didn’t jump ship—they stayed in the boat.”

• “Just because your dream is delayed does NOT mean that your dream is denied.” Gal 6:9

• “What do you do when you’re not where you used to be, but not where you’re supposed to be? “Trust Jesus. Where He is, that’s where I’m supposed to be.”

Have you asked the question in ministry, Are we there yet? If so, how have you responded? Don’t lose heart friends. Stay in the boat!

TIPS FOR GOSPEL CONVERSATIONS FROM TIM KELLER AND FRANCIS SCHAEFFER

I came across these two quotes:

From the Gospel Coalition:

Francis Schaeffer was asked what he’d do if he had an hour to share the gospel with someone. He responded by saying he’d listen for 55 minutes and then, in the last 5 minutes, have something meaningful to say. In other words, he listened in order to speak the gospel.

From Reformissionary (quoting Tim Keller):

…a gospel-shaped apologetic starts not with telling people what to believe, but by showing them their real problem. In this case we are showing secular people that they have less warrant for their faith assumptions than we do for ours. We need to show that it takes faith even to doubt.

[…]

There is a way of telling the gospel that makes people say, “I don’t believe it’s true, but I wish it were.” You have to get to the beauty of it, and then go back to the reasons for it.

I couldn’t agree more. At CEDE SPORTS, we talk about the 3 stages of the evangelistic process

– Cultivating where you build relationships with people and uncover their worldview (what Keller refers to as their faith assumptions)

– Sowing where you share truth with people – all kinds of truth related to their worldview/faith assumptions as well as a biblical worldview

– Reaping where you help people make decisions – not just the decision to trust Jesus but to believe in God, that he is a personal being, that he desires a relationship with that person, that there is a problem in that relationship, that they cannot overcome the problem on their own, all leading up to trusting Jesus to solve this problem.

STRATEGIES FOR BATTLING BUSYNESS AS A SPORTS OUTREACH MINISTER

We frequently tell those in and outside of the sports ministry world the following: The job of a sports minister is the most logistically demanding job in the church. It makes sense right? In order to do the “ministry” you need to do the “sports”…and sports take time. It is just a reality of the job. It’s a reality though that can become dangerous. Gordon MacDonald says this:

“I am of the opinion that busyness is a deeper threat to the soul than pornography ever was.”

 deeper threat to the soul than pornography ever was.”

In light of this, I wanted to offer everyone here some thoughts and resources so that you may struggle well with your busyness. First, some practical advice:

“Prune” to get more work done

In a vineyard, the vine keeper knows that if a vine is not regularly pruned, new fruit will eventually begin to steal resources from the older, more mature, fruit-bearing parts of the vine. Over time, the unpruned vine will eventually succumb to systemic mediocrity because it simply can’t support that much fruit. There aren’t the resources available. The good fruit suffers in order to support the less mature fruit.

In the same way, it’s critical that we (both individuals and companies) get really good at “pruning” – learning to say “no” to opportunities and projects – that don’t align with the important work that we’re doing. This means passing on opportunities – even really good ones – in order to preserve the energy needed to bring our best effort to the work that we know we need to excel at.

Sit down once a month with your calendar and your projects list, and look for things that might be good ideas, but need to be pruned in order to give you more capacity to do your crucial work. This doesn’t mean that you’re saying no to them forever, it just means that you’re recognizing that you don’t have the bandwidth to do everything all the time. It’s not failure, it’s the first step toward success.

Will There Be Sports in Heaven?

Written By: Bob Schindler

I imagine two responses to this question – “What a silly question!” or “Of course not!” – both of which quickly dismiss the question.

I would ask you to resist that tendency to dismiss the question and go a little deeper. What lies within the question is just how biblical your view of heaven and of sports really is, which defines your hope for heaven and your path to redeemed sports.

Randy Alcorn, author of Heaven, once addressed this question in a Desiring God podcast where he boldly declares –

“I believe there is every reason to believe there would be (sports in heaven).”

To which many object, “How can that be? After all, there can’t be any losers in heaven.”

Alcorn responds, “Why not?” and then gives a personal example. He coaches tennis and talks about how he would celebrate when one of his students developed to the point that that student could beat him. He points to this as an example of having vested interest in another person’s growth and a taste of what it will be like in heavenly competition.

Alcorn then asks the poignant and very important question – “Where did sports come from?” and answers quickly, “Clearly, from God.  Satan did not come up with the idea of sports!”

You may not be so easily convinced or those you interact with so easily convinced. (There are many in the world who think differently on this.) For more on this subject, let me point you to another resource that gives a fuller defense for the origin of sports and their presense in heaven:

Blog – “Was there competition in the Garden?”

The origin of sports is of immense importance as we think about the redemption of those same sports and further on to whether they are included in the consummation.

Heaven? I can’t wait to play golf there!!!

10 Ways to Be an Effective Coach This Season

If you do these 10 things this season, I can’t help but imagine you’ll have a great season!

1. Arrive early/stay late

The power of your presence as a coach can’t be underestimated. Once practices and games begin, coaches have to be focused on the game. Before and afterwards though is often the best time to get to know parents and your kids. These are the times when relational equity is established and bridges for ministry are built.

2. Remember, you are in a fish bowl

What I mean by that is everyone is watching you. Your actions and words are amplified because of this. Be prayerful and mindful of this. Strive to make your actions as a coach an apologetic to the world.

3. Remember who your teammates are

I don’t just mean the players, parents, and coaches on your specific team but instead the leadership of your league, the referees, and other

coaches/volunteers. You are all on the same team! You all have the same goals to impact people with the gospel through sports (hopefully anyway!). Don’t see people as enemies or adversaries but co-competitors and family.

4. Teach life lessons and Biblical truths just as much as the sport itself

You’re failing as a coach if you are just teaching a sport. You are more than a coach! You’re a teacher, you’re a mentor, and you’re a minister! Look at your coaching as such. Look for ways to integrate sports, life, and Biblical truth together.

5. Affirm, Affirm, Affirm!

This doesn’t mean you can’t rebuke and constructively criticize your players. Just remember, kids are longing for affirmation. The state of the American home is severely lacking in encouragement and affirmation. Let your team be a place where that can be found.

6. Pray…and then pray some more!

Pray for your actions/attitudes during games and practices. Pray the same thing for your kids, parents, and opposing teams. Pray for the gospel to be advanced. Pray for opportunities (Colossians 4:1-20). Pray for good conversations. Etc.

7. Empower your parents

Get your parents involved with the team–don’t be a one-man show. Ask a parent to consider being an assistant coach. Get parents involved with snacks or being the team communicator (reminders, emails, etc.). Ask believing parents to reach out to non-believing families.

8. Be solutions oriented

If there’s a problem in the league (rules, format, other teams, etc.), think through some solutions to the problem before bringing the issue to the leadership. Think of ways you can help the situation.

9. Spend time with your players/parents outside of practice and games

Sometimes this can be hard to do but…initiate team lunches after your games or dinners after your practices. Invite the team over to your house (or someone else’s house) before the season starts to get to know everyone. Do a team party after the season. During the season, invite the team to watch a game on TV and use it as a place to learn the sport more. Again, all of this proves to be fertile ground for relationship building. Make an effort to share your life with your team.

10. Handle conflict well

Conflict will be inevitable. Embrace it and vow to make your conflict resolution redemptive.