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Designed to Equip the Local Church for:
Strategically Relevant, Effective and Efficient
"Evangelistic-Disciplemaking" Sports Outreach

Is Sports Outreach Effective - Sports-Related Para-Ministries

4/27/2016

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Is Sports Outreach Effective?
This is a reprint of a blog from February 2015....

This series of blogs addressing the question: Is Sports Outreach Effective continues the conversation on the third Sports Outreach Ministry Continuum. What follows is intended to begin a conversation based upon the hard questions asked within.  It is not written so as to be intentionally offensive or hurtful.  All truth seekers are invited to continue. 

Sports Outreach Continuum of Tension #3:

Local Church Sports Outreach – Para-Sports Ministry
Earlier in this series (see February 2015) I stated there was an insidious dilemma facing the Sport Outreach Movement in regards to a Level #1 Theological Truth concerning evangelism that often pits local church Sports Outreach Ministries at odds with sports-based Para-ministries.  Previous blogs in this series provided a brief history of local church sports outreach and an overview of its theological, philosophical and subsequent methodological approach to “evangelistic-disiplemaking.  This blog shares a brief historical perspective of sports-related Para-ministries and also looks at their philosophical and methodological foundations… 

A Brief Historical Overview of Sports Based Para-Ministries
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) was founded in 1954 by professional athletes such as Bob Feller and Otto Graham.  Campus Crusade followed suit about ten years later with its Athletes in Action Sports Ministry.  Since then, hundreds of sports related Para-Ministries have been instituted; most were established since 1980.  Of course some might suggest the YMCA was the first Sports Ministry.  Indeed, it began in 1844 and was an excellent Para-ministry but, the Y did not begin as a sports-based ministry.  It did eventually add a “physical” department but sadly, while it wisely added sports and fitness methodologies, for the most part it Capitulated its Christian distinctive and the YMCA no longer has Evangelism or Discipleship as its purpose for existence. (See my other writings for a much broader history of the Y and all things Sports Ministry). 

Sports-Related Para-Ministry Philosophy and Methodology
Philosophically, the vast majority of sports related Para-Ministries focus on athletes and coaches.  Two main Methodologies are: a) Chaplaincy work which includes team Bible Studies and outreaches with some being campus based and others team or club based; and b) Mega-event and/or multi-media outreaches which focus on providing a “platform” for athletes to “proclaim” their faith via a speaking opportunity or through various media outlets.

All such Para-ministries claim to have great success when it comes to the twin Evangelical endeavors of Evangelism and Discipleship.  But do they?  If all the numbers of “decisions for Christ” reported by these ministries were combined, the entire world would be Christian today!  The statistic that most accurately communicates success however, is not how many "decisions for Christ" were made, but rather is, how many of the athletes and coaches associated with the Para-ministries become life-long disciples of Christ including regular and significant involvement with a local congregation. 

What’s the Problem?
You might be asking “what’s the big deal as long as everyone is focused on Evangelism?”  That question can be answered by asking a different question.  If Para-Ministries are so successful, then why hasn’t this success resulted in the growth of the Church?  If the philosophy of Para-ministries is so significant and the methodologies of Sports Chaplaincies, Mega-Sports-Outreach-Events, Platform Evangelism and Mass Media communication of the gospel are so fruitful, then why has church attendance continued to dwindle in the very countries in which sports related Para-ministries have flourished and claimed such great success?  It could be argued church attendance would have fallen even lower had it not been for the efforts of Para-ministries, yet this is refuted by the fact that other than a few notable exceptions, elite athletes and coaches are not intimately involved with local churches.  Of course, the local church must also “look in the mirror” to see if their philosophies and methodologies are working but the bottom line is, the numbers simply haven’t matched the expectations claimed by Para-ministries fundraising appeals.

The relevant question for both local congregations and the sports related Para-ministries is: “how many Disciples of Christ have been added to the ranks, rather than how many decisions were recorded.”  Evangelistic-disciplemaking should be judged by how many new Disciples of Christ are produced, not by how many prayed a prayer with a counselor, filled out a card at an event, raised their hand at a meeting or “went forward” at service. 

Relevance of the 3rd Sports Outreach Continuum
Future blogs will address the relevance of the Local Church – Para-ministry continuum  and work towards a proposal for a synthesized Philosophical Principle to produce a truly effective and efficient Methodological Model.

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Other blogs and articles on Local Church Sports written by Dr. Greg Linville are archived at: www.csrm.org and http://www.csrm.org/blog201112-2.html 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

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Sport-Faith Integration in Local Church Sports Ministry - Compartmentalization

3/30/2016

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My Experience in Sport & Rec Ministry

I serve as an administrator of sports and recreation at a local church and as an adjunct professor for sport management and ministry.  In addition, I have been an athlete, coach, spectator, and a parent.  This means I have spent many hours watching games, observing practices, researching, and sitting in the stands.  My roles and experiences have helped me come to understand the struggle of integrating the Christian faith within the sporting context.
 
Through my own personal growth and struggles, as well as research in the areas of integration of faith within sports, I have found this to be an area in which transformation and discipline are needed.  Yet, for the Christian athlete, parent, or coach, there seems to be a struggle or a wrestling to integrate faith and sports. This struggle has led them to respond in a “compartmentalized” manner that adheres more towards our secular and global sports culture than that of Christian response and play.
 
Recently I have found myself in a number of gyms in which I witnessed contradicting behavior. While I don’t know every detail, and only God can truly know, it strikes me odd that coaches, parents, and leaders of recreation ministries and athletic teams believe they are developing and living out Christian principles of faith and honoring God, while at the same time, dehumanizing the referees, gossiping with others about the integrity of the other coach, and verbally abusing players for their performance. Why has this become the norm? How can someone speak of sports as an opportunity to teach character while behaving in a way contradictory to the gospel?  How can one confess Christianity, but bear such un-Godly fruit within sixty minutes of athletic competition? This answer is compartmentalization.
 
Compartmentalization can be defined as the space in which an area is subdivided.  Imagine a house diagram where each room is a “compartment” within the entire space of the house. Certain rooms hold certain belongings that are not integrated within the rest of the rooms or house.
Compartmentalization allows for putting the areas in which we are unsure of how to live in room, while behaving in the culturally expected actions of the activity.  Compartmentalization allows for separation of actions while still believing we are living within Christian principles.
 
Compartmentalization is not a new concept. Ancient Greek philosophers spoke of compartmentalizing life into five realities: physical, mental, social, financial, and spiritual. Today’s psychologists refer to compartmentalizing as consciously separating life into compartments as a way of avoiding negative emotions. Business leaders suggest we even compartmentalize our work so that we are able to separate work issues from real life. While compartmentalization can be beneficial in certain areas, it is not a biblical concept.
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Sportianity - Christianity: Effectiveness of Sports Chaplaincy

1/10/2015

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THIS SERIES OF BLOGS ARE ADDRESSING THE QUESTION. 
Is Sports Outreach Working and begins with the following premise:

The Sports Outreach Movement that emerged in the mid-20th Century was touted as a most strategic tool for Evangelism, Discipleship and church growth.  In addition, most Sports Outreach Ministers and many Lead/Administrative Pastors believed Sports Outreach to be the most strategic tool the church could employ to accomplish the Great Commission.  Yet, many church leaders now wonder whether it has delivered the promised results.
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Last week’s blog described four classical responses to this dilemma: Capitulation; Accommodation; Redemption; Rejection in relationship to the first of six Sports Ministry Continuums: Christianity-Sportianity.  It describes the tension experienced by sportspeople when faith and sport conflict.  This week describes two major relevancies of the Sportianity-Christianity Continuum.

There are two ways the Christianity-Sportianity Sports Outreach Tension Continuum is relevant to the question of whether or not Sports Outreach effectively aids the local church in accomplishing its goals of evangelism and discipleship.

The first concerns the failure of Sports Chaplaincy.  Sports Chaplains must meet expectations of their hosts: the professional, collegiate, club or school team.  Chaplains don’t have complete freedom to “preach the gospel,” especially when it is at odds with athletic goals or expectations of their host or when it runs afoul of the politically correct divide to be exclusively Christian and call athletes, coaches and managers into a personal relationship with Christ.  There is a growing movement to make athletic chapels not only inter-denominational but multi-faith. Also, Chaplains cannot advocate a Christmanship ethic of not working on the Lord’s Day or not endorsing team sponsors who are engaged in businesses not compatible with a Biblical ethic!  Chaplains often must choose between being faithful to Christianity and kowtowing to the demands of management, coaches and players who are sold out to a Sportianity ethic.  Chaplains truly teaching the tenets of Christianity which contradict Sportianity goals typically have short tenures.  This then, perpetuates weak and anemic Christian athletes.

The second way the Christianity-Sportianity Sports Outreach Tension Continuum is relevant to determining the success of Sports Outreach Ministries has to do with the athletes themselves.  The main model for Evangelism and Discipleship in Sports Outreach is to have well known athletes and coaches publically proclaim their faith.  The success of this model is dependent upon the personal integrity of the athlete’s faith, including his/her Biblical and theological training.

In over 20 years of serving as a chaplain to a professional sports team, I experienced very few athletes and coaches on the Christianity side of this Continuum.  Roughly 10% of high-level athletes self-identify as consistently being in the redemption category.  All others struggle to find the right balance in the Christianity-Sportianity Sports Outreach Tension Continuum.  Some walk away (Capitulation) from faith, others leave sport (Rejection).  Most highly skilled, knowledgeable and successful athletes exhibit a weak, anemic and unsuccessful walk with Christ; unable to live a Christian life because they don’t make the necessary commitment to feed their soul and develop their Biblical/Theological knowledge.  Accommodating at first they eventually, capitulate their faith to succeed in sport, or feel compelled to leave sport altogether.

Summary of the Christianity-Sportianity Sports Outreach Tension Continuum
Providing platforms for Christian athletes and coaches to share their faith and teach others about Jesus Christ has been the preferred model for Sports Outreach.  Local churches and Para-Sports Ministries heavily invested in this methodology are greatly hindered when so called Christian athletes prove to be less than stellar Disciples of Christ.  Is there a better way?  Subsequent blogs on the Six Sports Outreach Continuums of Tension will continue the discussion.

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