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

Sportsmanship, Gamesmanship or Christmanship

1/21/2015

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This is the sixth in a series of blogs 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, these leaders are now beginning to doubt it can deliver the promised results.  They wonder…if Sports Outreach is so effective then why is the Western Church losing ground.  The following statistics combined with those presented in previous weeks provide evidence of the decline of the local church.

  1. 1.4k pastors in America leave the ministry each month
  2. Only 15% of American churches are growing and only 2.2% of those are growing by conversion growth
  3. 10k American churches have disappeared in a five year period
Taken from “The condition of the church in America, by Andy McAdams

Source: djchuang.com

The purpose of this series of blogs is two-fold: a) an explanation of why Sports Outreach has often been ineffective; and b) a proposal for how Sports Outreach can successfully meet its “Kingdom” oriented goals.  The basis for this discussion flows out of the Six Sports Outreach Continuums of Tension and their impact on the current trends in Sports Outreach Ministry.  The Continuums are:

  • Christianity / Sportianity
  • Christmanship /  Sportsmanship / Gamesmanship
  • Local Church Sports Outreach / Para-Sports Ministry
  • Process-Relational / Mega-Event
  • Formal Training / Informal Training
  • Celtic / Roman

This week focuses on Continuum of Tension #2: Christmanship / Sportsmanship / Gamesmanship.
Gamesmanship and Sportsmanship need little definition.  Conversely, Christmanship may be unfamiliar to some.  Gamesmanship defines what athletes do and think to win a game.  Adherents commit to winning at all costs.  The ultimate goal of the “gamesman” is to win… by fair means or by foul.  Most likely, those adhering to Gamesmanship are also committed to a worldview called Sportianity (defined in previous blogs).  Sportsmanship describes a code of ethics for athletics based upon humanistic relativism.  Humanistic because the athletic code of conduct emerges out of what humans determine to be ethical.  "Relative," because the Sportsmanship ethic changes according to shifts in the societal morals and the specific group of people who are deciding what is ethical.  "Sportsmen" drift towards Sportianity.
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Conversely, Christmanship describes the value system and ethos of athletes, coaches and fans committed to pursuing Christ above all else, including competing in the image of Christ and worshipping Him through their competing.  They strive to win and have an affinity for certain aspects of Gamesmanship/Sportsmanship but they evaluate their success from a Biblical foundation.

Gamesmanship, Sportsmanship and Christmanship all share areas of overlapping agreement, with Sportsmanship occupying a middle ground between the other two concepts.  This does not mean however, Sportsmanship should be considered Aristotle’s highest ethic: the “Golden Mean.”  Sportsmanship has many excellent characteristics but is far from being the perfect model for sporting ethics.  The following graph illustrates Christmanship shares an affinity with Sportsmanship because both are based on a higher standard than Gamesmanship’s ultimate ethic of winning.  But there remains a sharp, foundational distinction between Christmanship and Sportsmanship.

Christmanship is founded upon the unchangeable final authority of the Word of God.  Conversely, Sportsmanship is founded on the constantly changing ethic as determined by humankind.  This does not mean Christmanship can’t affirm the overwhelming ethic of Gamesmanship – winning – or the basics of the Sportsmanship ethic – playing fair, striving for excellence etc.  It does affirm these positive values but it also surpasses both, in its pursuit of not only playing to win and playing fair but more importantly, by playing in the image of, and to the glory of, Christ.

Relevance of the Sports Outreach Christmanship, Sportsmanship, Gamesmanship Tension Continuum

It’s not enough to choose Christianity over Sportianity.  Individual Christian Sportspersons must compete in a Christmanship ethic and Local Church Sports must be conducted in a Christmanship ethic, both on and off the court, field or pitch.  How you play will either glorify and honor Christ or it won’t.  Local church Sports Outreach Ministries have the incredible opportunity to not only redeem the individual sports person but can also serve as a catalyst to transform and redeem the sports culture by “discipling” athletes of all ages in the Christmanship ethic.  This is no little thing!

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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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Christianity or Sportianity - Effectiveness of Sports Outreach & the 6 Continuums

12/31/2014

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LAST WEEK’S BLOG POST ASKED THE QUESTION: 
Is Sports Outreach Working? The conversation continues this week…
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 are now beginning to wonder whether it has delivered the promised results.  Why?  The following statistics combined with those presented last week paint a bleak picture of the local church.

A FEW MORE STATISTICS
  1. Half of all churches did not add one new member through conversion last year
  2. Churches lose over 2 million people each year to Nominalism and Secularism
Source: djchuang.com 

Over the course of the next few weeks the question of whether or not Sports Outreach is effectively helping to grow the church will be addressed in this blog.  The basis for this discussion will center on the following Six Sports Outreach Ministry Continuums of Tension and their impact on the current trends in Sports Outreach Ministry.  

  1. Christianity / Sportianity
  2. Christmanship / Gamesmanship
  3. Para-Ministry / Local Church
  4. Mega-Event / Process-Relational
  5. Celtic/Roman Evangelism
  6. Formal Training / Informal Training

#1: CHRISTIANITY / SPORTIANITY 
Christianity needs little definition.  Conversely, Sportianity is a term unfamiliar to most.  Christianity is one of five major religions in the world. Adherents commit themselves to be Disciples of Jesus, pursuing their faith in Christ above all else.

Sportianity is a term used to describe the ethos and value system of athletes, coaches and fans who commit themselves to pursuing sport above all else.  For many athletes, sport becomes the highest priority in life and their involvement in sport takes on a spiritual essence and significance.  It can be said, such athletes “worship at the altar of sport.” A life totally committed to athletic goals can thus be described as a “religion,” a religion called “Sportianity.”

From these brief explanations the plight of Christian Sportspeople becomes apparent and is illustrated by the 1st Sports Outreach Continuum of Tension: Christianity-Sportianity.  What does an athlete who desires both spiritual significance and athletic success do, when the two world-views collide?  They must choose which will receive their allegiance and subsequent involvements.  There can be no true ministry within a sports ministry if the so called Christians in the sports world choose sport to be their God.

Subsequent blogs on the Six Sports Outreach Continuums of Tension will continue the discussion on the future of the Sports Outreach Movement.  Next up: the four choices Christians make when their faith collides with their sport.
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