The 3-Tier Paradigm

This series of blogs are excerpts from Dr. Linville’s yet to be released book.  They will explain and outline the 3-Tier Paradigm introduced in his book.  The 3-Tier Paradigm is the organizational structure upon which Dr. Linville’s series of Sports Outreach Ministry books are based and serves as the guiding light for how the association of Church Sports & Recreation Ministries (CSRM) executes its equipping of local churches. This blog will outline the rationale for the 3-Tier Paradigm

Rationale for CSRM’s 3-Tier Paradigm

CSRM exists to: “equip local churches to change lives through sports outreach.”  The equipping is designed to mobilize, equip, empower and enable churches for Evangelistic-disciplemaking.

CSRM’s Vision is: “A changed Life.”  A changed life is defined as a person who has become a life-long, dedicated-disciple of Jesus Christ.  A changed life assumes new disciples will emulate Christ in all they do, manifested through a biblically-based lifestyle that includes significant and regular participation in a local church.  This new Christ-centered ethic transforms new disciples in their character and impacts every area and role of their life… spouse, parent, church, employee/employer, citizen etc.

CSRM’s Mission to equip local churches, accomplishes CSRM’s Vision and is enabled by, manifested in, and communicated through, a tri-fold organizational structure of training curriculum encapsulated in a: 3-Tier Paradigm.

CSRM’s 3-Tier Paradigm

• Level #1 – Theological Truths that are Christo-centric and which inform and provide the rationale and ethics for…
  
  
• Level #2 - Philosophical Principles that are Biblically-based, from which emerge…
  
  
• Level #3 - Methodological Models that are relevant, strategic, effective and efficient
  
  

CSRM’s 4C Strategy is the practical outworking of CSRM’s Mission, and is how CSRM’s Vision is accomplished.  The 4C strategy consists of four overarching equipping stratagems: Conferencing, Consulting, Certifying and Connecting.   All four are rooted in the 3-Tier Paradigm organizational structure.

  Unless CSRM, or for that matter, any church, Christian ministry, organization or academic institution is founded upon solid Theological Truths, it cannot properly envision its distinctive reason for existence, nor can it organize itself on biblically-based, Philosophical Principles.  And, unless, it is rooted in orthodox theology and biblical philosophy, its Methodological Models will be flawed, and thus will, at the very least, not meet the 4-Fold Evaluation Assessment of being: Relevant, Strategic, Effective or Efficient.  At worst, such models may in fact be unbiblical.  Thus, the rationale of the 3-Tier Paradigm is to envision, organize and expedite a Sports Outreach Ministry which is truly: a) Christo-centric and honoring; b) Evangelistic-disciplemaking focused; c) Biblically-based; d) Strategically-relevant; and e) Effectively-efficient.

Next week’s blog will be an overview of Level #1Theological Truths which will provide both the “why” Sports Outreach Ministry exists and also its ethical foundations and circumference.

This blog is an excerpt from Dr. Linville's book Christmanship and a yet to be released book.  All rights reserved.  For any reproduction right, including copying, computer reproduction, etc. contact:

Dr. Greg Linville at CSRM International C/O The World Outreach Center 5350 Broadmoor Circle N. w. Canton, Ohio – USA 44709 or glinville@csrm.org

Other blogs and articles on Local Church Sports, sports theology and ethics written by Dr. Greg Linville are archived at: www.csrm.org

The 3-Tier Paradigm

This is the first in a series of blogs that are excerpts from Dr. Linville’s yet to be released book.  They will explain and outline the 3-Tier Paradigm introduced in his book.  The 3-Tier Paradigm is the organizational structure upon which Dr. Linville’s series of Sports Outreach Ministry books are based and serves as the guiding light for how the association of Church Sports & Recreation Ministries (CSRM) executes its equipping of local churches. The outline of these blogs includes:

1. The rationale for the 3-Tier Paradigm
   
   
2. A detailed explanation of the 3-Tier Paradigm
   
   
   1. Theological Truths – The Why we do What we do
      
      
   2. Philosophical Principles – The When, Where, with Whom we do What we do
      
      
   3. Methodological Models – The What we do
      
      
   4. The Core Values - The How we do What we do
      
      
3. The relevance of the 3-Tier Paradigm
   
   

 

Next week’s blog will provide the rationale for the 3-Tier Paradigm and make a case for why this organizational structure for rooting Local Church Sports Outreach Methodological Models in Biblically based Theological Truths & Philosophical Principles is so important.

 

This blog is an excerpt from Dr. Linville's yet to be released book.  All rights reserved.  For any reproduction right, including copying, computer reproduction, etc. contact:

Dr. Greg Linville at CSRM International C/O The World Outreach Center 5350 Broadmoor Circle N. w. Canton, Ohio – USA 44709 or glinville@csrm.org

 

Other blogs and articles on Local Church Sports, sports theology and ethics written by Dr. Greg Linville are archived at: www.csrm.org

Sunday Sport

Review

This is the 7th and final installment concerning Sunday Sports in the context of Local Church Sports Ministry.  This series of blogs has articulated a brief overview of some of the theological, philosophical and methodological issues related to determining if and how disciples of Jesus are to engage in sport on Sunday.  This last blog reaches a final conclusion and offers a few specific suggestions for application of the biblical rules and principles.[1] 

Conclusion

The bottom line is yes, disciples of Jesus can participate in sporting/recreational activities on the Lord’s Day and yes, local congregations can (and at times should) sponsor sporting/recreational activities on the Lord’s Day.  However, this should not be misunderstood to indicate any and all sporting activities are: a) theologically sound or biblically defensible nor b) are all biblically-defensible Sunday sport activities always wise or advisable (“all things are lawful but not all things are helpful…but not all things build up.)” 1 Corinthians 10.23 

Theologically Sound and Biblically Defensible Sunday Sport Activities

Any Sunday sporting and/or recreational activities that enhance the life, health and relationships of disciples of Jesus can, and should be, participated in with the following parameters:

• They do not cause anyone to work (including referees, officials, scorekeepers etc.)
  
  
  • Based on the theological truth and biblical principle of a Sabbath day of rest (see blogs #1 & 2)
    
    
• They do not conflict with traditional Lord’s Day activities such as traditional worship services[2] or Christian education opportunities
  
  
  • Based on the theological truth and biblical principle of a day of worship (see blog #2), and the theological truth of ecclesiology (see blogs #3 & 4)
    
    
• They are compatible with the theological truths and biblical principles and general wisdom in relationship to both soteriology and missiology (see blogs #2-6)
  
   
  
  Pragmatic Applications in a Local Church Sports Outreach Ministry
  
  Therefore, any local church Sports Outreach Ministries seeking to maximize their evangelistic-disciplemaking endeavors would be wise to combine sports and recreational activities with more traditional worship services and Christian education activities.  Examples would include:
  
  

• Youth ministries attracting youth for Sunday afternoon or evening youth group by combining them with fun and recreational activities such as swim parties, paint ball wars and/or recreational basketball, soccer or volleyball
  
  
• Young adult ministries sponsoring Ultimate Frisbee leagues in conjunction with a Lord’s Day evening bible study
  
  
• Children’s ministries greatly enhancing their appeal by including spirited dodge-ball games half way through a Sunday evening Christian education experience
  
  
• Family ministries enabling church members to build relationships with non-churched friends and family members by sponsoring a family bike ride and picnic after Lord’s Day morning services or prior to Lord’s day evening services
  
  However, these are far different than running “highly competitive” leagues which often cause strife between participants, and they are significantly better than sponsoring or participating in games, leagues or activities that directly conflict with traditional church service times.  In addition, all of these suggestions aid evangelistic-disciplemaking endeavors by communicating “the cost of discipleship” by demonstrating the importance of weekly participation in traditional church services, at traditional church services times.
  
   
  
  Final Admonitions
  
  What may be harder to understand is advising local churches, para-ministries and even individual Christian coaches and athletes that they will have a stronger witness and be more effective in their evangelistic-disciplemaking endeavors by refraining from taking part in all-star games, special tournaments and/or any regular kinds of leagues such as “JO,” AAU, or Little League sports that occur on the Lord’s Day.  Those seeking to reach those far from Jesus, are challenged to recognize there is a huge difference between going to ball fields as a non-participant to reach those playing a sport and going to the fields to play… in lieu of attending a church service!  Of course it is imperative for Christians to play and local church Sports Outreach Ministries sponsor leagues and games on the other six days!
  
   
  
  Next week’s blog will begin a series describing the “3-Tier Paradigm” - an organizational structure for rooting Local Church Sports Outreach Methodological Models in Biblically based Theological Truths & Philosophical Principles.
  
   
  
  This blog is an excerpt from Dr. Linville's book Christmanship and a yet to be released book.  All rights reserved.  For any reproduction right, including copying, computer reproduction, etc. contact:
  
  Dr. Greg Linville at CSRM International C/O The World Outreach Center 5350 Broadmoor Circle N. w. Canton, Ohio – USA 44709 or glinville@csrm.org
  
   
  
  Other blogs and articles on Local Church Sports, sports theology and ethics written by Dr. Greg Linville are archived at: www.csrm.org
  
  

[1] Please consult my published book: Christmanship, for a much more full and detailed theological foundation in regards to Lord’s Day issues as they relate to Sunday Sport, and also to my yet to be published book which deals with the Sunday sport issue from a biblically-based, philosophical-principle perspective.  Both provide the needed depth for a thorough study and understanding of this topic.

[2] The phrase “traditional worship services” is not used here to differentiate between “traditional and contemporary” worship styles but rather to describe all typical Sunday morning services for the purpose of differentiating from typical Sunday morning worship, and also to affirm what athletes do in and through their sporting endeavors is also a worship of God.