FORERUNNERS OF THE SPORTS OUTREACH MOVEMENT: THE STUDD BROTHERS - PART #3 / MODELS OF SPORTS MINISTRY

This Series of Blogs provide vignettes of the early pioneers of The Muscular Christianity Era & Faith-Sport Integration who laid the foundations for the Modern Day Sports Outreach Movement

LOCAL CHURCH SPORTS, REC & FITNESS OUTREACH LESSONS FROM THE STUDD’S

1. High profile athletes and their platforms have been ordained of and used by God to call others into a personal relationship with Christ.  This is based upon the fact that a robust and manly Christian is particularly attractive to non-churched men.  Churches can effectively integrate such "Platform Proclamations" of the gospel to enhance ongoing relational ministry.
2. The importance of reciprocal co-operation amongst those involved with Sports Ministry, especially those of different countries and cultures.  Moody certainly impacted an English father and his three sons, who then impacted the world through the ministry that they had collectively as the Cambridge Seven and that they had individually such as C. T.’s mission work in India, China and Africa.  J. K. then was able to join Moody’s work with College Students in North America and his influence resulted in one of the world’s greatest instigators of world wide missions - John R. Mott.  Had D. L. Moody and Kynaston Studd not supported each others ministries the world would have lost these incredible evangelistic efforts.  This example has played a huge part in the author’s life as it served as both the catalyst and the model for a 21st century fulfillment that was described by CSRM’s former European Director, Bryan Mason, when he coined the term: “The North Atlantic Corridor.”  Mason, who lived in the Yorkshire Dale area of northern England and myself who lives in Northern Ohio have followed the Moody/Studd example having invited each other to cross the pond for various Sports Outreaches.  The result has been the kingdom has been greatly enhanced and blessed.
3. The importance of reaching college students and in particular college athletes.  College athletes are often campus leaders and thus can play a key role in the evangelistic efforts not only on their own campuses - ala Studd at Cambridge and Mott at Cornell - but they can also have significant impacts upon other campuses as did Studd at Cornell and a score of other North American schools and then Mott at a myriad of universities around the world.  Any Local Church Sports Outreach Ministry would do well to reach out to local colleges and in particular to the college athlete.
4. The importance of summer camps and conferences.  The Northfield conferences were the fertile ground in which the seeds of world evangelism sprung forth.  It would not be accurate to claim that Moody, Wishard, Morse or Ober ever planned or envisioned what grew out of these conferences.  They simply knew they needed the conferences as a way to further influence young college students.  Whether or not those in charge of the conferences actually planned what came out those conferences, the fact is the results of those summer gatherings of the late 19th century must be recognized.  These recognitions should inspire more modern renditions of gathering college students together.  It should also be noted that one of the largest draws to Northfield were the afternoon athletics which Moody whole heartedly supported.   

 
SOURCES CONSULTED
My Life With Young Men - Fifty Years in the Young Men’s Christian Association by R. C. Morse
Association Press, New York 1918.  
C. T. Studd, Athlete and Pioneer by Norman P. Grubb, The World Wide Revival Prayer Movement - Publisher.  Atlantic City, N. J; and the Evangelical Press, Harrisburg, Pa. 1947.
World Service - a History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of the United States and Canada by Kenneth Scott Latourette, Association Press, New York 1957
John R. Mott - World Citizen by Basil Mathews, Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York and London, 1934.
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This blog is an excerpt from a future book "Surrounded by Witnesses" by Dr. Greg Linville.  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 and other local church Sports, Rec & Fitness Ministers are archived at: http://www.csrm.org/blog/