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"Evangelistic-Disciplemaking" Sports Outreach
Strategically Relevant, Effective and Efficient
"Evangelistic-Disciplemaking" Sports Outreach
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FOREWORD
Sometimes I'm asked "Why all the Greek and Theology?" Two main reasons: 1) Understanding the Theological and Biblical Foundations are essential to envisioning, planning and implementing a local church Sports Outreach that meets the "4-Fold Evaluative Rubric:" Strategically-Relevant & Efficiently-Effective; and 2) Sports Ministers who know their theology and Bible are granted a respect by their Senior Pastors, Elders and other Church leaders. Too often Sports Ministers are seen only as "pray & play guys." I'm challenging all Sports Ministers to "study to show themselves approved," so local church Sports Outreach can be truly respected and esteemed within the "ecclesiastical world." Are you up to the challenge? A THEOLOGY OF CHURCH - REALLY? I'm surprised at how many local church Sports, Recreation & Fitness Ministers have never contemplated a Theology of Church! Even now, most reading this blog are saying: "Come on...give me something that is more practical and can really help me reach those far from Christ. If you are looking how to recruit referees, train coaches, deal with irate parents or for relevant post game devotions for your adult leagues....there are many excellent resources available to you already. In fact, just navigate around the CSRM website and you'll be connected with the most recent, cutting edge resources available. But, you'll spend a long, frustrating time trying to find anything about the theology of The Church and its relevance to local church Sports Outreach. This blog introduces the topic... The first ology(1) of local church Sports Outreach is Ecclesiology. Simply defined, Ecclesiology refers to the biblically-based theological study of The Universal Church of Christ,(2) and also the assembling together of individual believers in local congregations that make up both the “invisible” and “visible” Church of Christ. DOES A THEOLOGY OF CHURCH REALLY MATTER? Yes, in fact, this may well be the most important ology to consider to make your Sports Outreach effective. Simply stated, how The Church and its local assemblies are understood theologically, greatly determines how a local church Sports, Recreation and Fitness Outreach Ministry is conceptualized, organized and administrated. One’s ecclesiology determines the overall effectiveness and success of the Sports Outreach Ministry. The Level # 1 Theological Truth of ecclesiology serves as the anchor upon which all other Sports Outreach Ministry Level #1 Theological Truths hang. (1) Ology is the word I use to identify the theologies needed to truly envision, plan for and implement a local church Sport, Recreation and Fitness Ministry. (2) The word church is capitalized whenever the Universal Church is being considered. The word appears in lower case whenever it is used to describe a congregation or assembly of believers. Next Week Next week's blog will outline the 6 New Testament words/phrases used to describe and define The Church and its local assemblies. ________________________________________________________________ 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 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. ________________________________________________ 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 Is Sports Outreach Effective?
What follows is a reprint of a blog from February of 2015. is not intended to be intentionally offensive or hurtful. It is however, intended to begin a conversation based upon the hard questions asked within. All truth seekers are invited to continue. This is the tenth in a series of blogs addressing the question: Is Sports Outreach Effective, and continues the conversation on the third Sports Outreach Ministry Continuum: Sports Outreach Continuum of Tension #3: Local Church Sports Outreach – Para-Sports Ministry Previous blogs (see February 2015) 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. This blog will continue that discussion by providing a brief history of local church sports outreach and an overview of its theological, philosophical and subsequent methodological approach to “evangelistic-disiplemaking… Historical Overview of Local Church Sports Outreach Ministry With the exponential growth of Local Church Sports Outreach Ministry since 1990, church sports might be assumed to be a recent phenomenon. Indeed a dramatic increase has occurred in Local Church based Sports Ministry over the last 30 years but examples of Local Church Sports Outreach Ministry date back to the early 1800’s. Early on, the primary vehicle of Local Church Sports Outreach Ministry was the creation of sports teams sponsored by a local parish church that competed in local amateur leagues. This tradition continues but it has grown to unprecedented heights in both total numbers of participants and the scope of sports and activities offered by churches. (A much more in depth study of this topic can be found in my book Christmanship: A Theology of Competition and Sport. Local Church Sports Outreach Ministry Theology, Philosophy & Methodology The technical theological term that addresses “salvation” is soteriology. Its relevance to this topic is profound. If a ministry theologically believes their evangelistic job is done when someone fills out a card, prays a prayer or even gets baptized, their philosophy of ministry focuses only on that particular step in the overall process of evangelistic-disciplemaking and the resultant methodologies will typically be events and/or mass media blitzes. However, the churches that are most successful start with a theological foundation that believes evangelistic-disciplemaking is a process, not an event. Thus, they have found the most successful philosophy for sports outreach is to mobilize, equip and empower church members to engage in long term relationships with friends, family members and associates who are far from Christ. These relationships are established and enhanced in and through regular and repeated sports leagues and recreational activities. The end result is a sustained, long-term ministry that winsomely attracts people into the church community, creates environments conducive to evangelistic conversations and provides easy conduits into the deeper walk with Christ and His Church. One caution is needed. Churches cannot fall into the trap of all growth being the same. While some churches report huge successes, those reports of growth are largely due to what is called “transfer growth” (transferring from one to church to another) rather than “conversion growth” (from converts to the faith). True growth from intentional “evangelistic-disciplemaking” is rare. Next week’s blog will review sports related para-ministries history, theology, philosophy and methodology. ___________________________________________________________ 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 REVIEW: Many church leaders are becoming increasingly concerned about the perception the Sports Outreach Movement has not delivered its promised results of accomplishing the Great Commission. This series of blogs addresses the underlying reasons for this through the lens of the Sports Outreach Ministry Continuums of Tension. Previous blogs articulated insights based on continuums 1-3. The current series considers the 4th Sports Outreach Ministry Continuum of Tension: Mega-event / Process Evangelism. This week’s focus is on the positives of “Process Evangelism” …
Why Process-based Evangelistic Endeavors are Effective There are at least three main reasons the Philosophical Principle of Process-based Evangelism empowers The Church to most effectively achieve the Great Commission: a) it maximizes the power of long-term personal relationships; b) it provides long-term sustainable outreach; c) it provides a vehicle to communicate authenticity … PERSONAL – As stated in the previous blog: “Research and personal experience tell us most people who profess faith in Christ, and become life-long Disciples of Christ do so through personal relationships, not by reading a tract, article or book.” What people seek is relationships in an impersonal culture and authenticity in a “virtual reality world.” This is especially true of the new generation. While they are attracted by the glitz and glamour of the beautiful but shallow culture, they yearn for personal authenticity. An evangelistic-disciplemaking philosophy built upon authentic, personal relationships provides what is being sought. SUSTAINABLE MINISTRY – Again, as stated last week: “Almost every Christian…tells a similar story… (their) conversion occurred over a period of time…it takes a totally secularized, non-churched, not-yet-believing adult 6-7 years to profess faith in Christ and in addition, during that time, they experience positive relationships with 5-6 followers of Christ.” Churches have found their most effective evangelistic-disciplemaking efforts are those that connect with people over long periods of time. This is where sports and recreation activities are so strategically effective. Such outreaches provide the key element for keeping the secularized, non-churched, not-yet-believer involved over a long period of time…often years! The key is, such sports outreaches meet the perceived need of people. Non-religious people want fitness, competition, recreation and fellowship and will even come to a church if what is offered is authentic, of high quality and lovingly respectful. Sustainability in outreach is crucial for the success of any evangelistic-disciplemaking efforts. AUTHENTICITY – A culture that promotes image over substance and bright lights over significance leaves a void in the hearts and lives of most people. While the lack of culture to provide substance and significance is disheartening, it does leave open a wide door for The Church to walk through. Unfortunately The Church has chosen Methodological Models that mirror, rather than meaningfully contrast with what culture offers. During the last 25 years most Americans and many throughout the world have witnessed the moral failings of many “celebrity” Christians, including many so-called Christian Athletes. Many, if not most, non-religious people have become increasingly cynical and weary of the “Platform Proclamation” of “talking heads.” Local church evangelistic-disciplemaking endeavors are most effective when they mobilize, empower, equip and enable parishioners for long-term, friendship based outreach and then provide them with opportunities (such as sports leagues) to foster authentic relationships with their non-churched friends, family and associates. YET, SYNTHESIS OF THE TWO PHILOSOPHIC PRINCIPLES IS NEEDED – Next week’s blog will propose a new model for evangelistic-disciplemaking. It entails combining the best of both sides of the 4th Sports Outreach Continuum and minimizing the downsides of the two models. This synthesis is based upon the “5-B’s of Evangelistic-disciplemaking.” 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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