Resources
 Book Reviews
Communicating
on the Playing Field
By Josef Solc
Xulon Press – 2009 – Grand Rapids – ISBN: 978-1607-917-632
Review by Kiristina Bolton
 When
Josef Solc left his home of Czechoslovakia in 1968 to pursue a life of
a pastor over professional athlete status, he took with him a wealth of
knowledge about the skeletal fundaments of sports and building upon
them the body of Christ. Although widely known for his natural stardom
in the arena of tennis and ice hockey, Solc gave up this path and
picked up a new direction in the field of ministry. His calling to
evangelism and life within the church was in direct contrast from the
communist rule governing his country. In his book, Communication on the
Playing Field, Solc recalls the process of laying down sports for
himself and picking up sports for the sake of sharing the Gospel with
others.
Communication on the Playing Field is more than a book. It’s a template
for those who are interested in taking sports to the next level and
using it as a trajectory into sports ministry for the Kingdom of God.
The beginning of the book is dedicated to the history of Christianity
and sports, highlighting the similarities and differences of hobbies
and holiness as well as setting the foundation for people to evaluate
their own process through sports.
From the introduction of why sports can be used for a platform of
ministry, Solc enters into the Biblical foundations of sport ministry.
Like most athletes, he argues that sports is the best way to reach most
people as a common ground for many individuals, yet as a pastor, he
stresses the magnitude of keeping to the teachings of Jesus and not
relying on one’s own interpretation of the gospel.
Solc’s reliance on the teachings of Jesus shapes his theology of sports
ministry and how it should be presented to others. In every circuit of
ministry, believers and nonbelievers depend on the common ground
between them. And under the belief of God, there are several facets
that need to be addressed in every ministry. Solc discusses the
distinction between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and delves into
the world of life in the spirit of Christ.
The other half of the book is dedicated to taking what is learned
through the Word of God and doing what the title says, communicating on
the playing field. Whatever we know is only as good as how we live it
out. Solc does an excellent job of bridging the doing part with the
knowing part. Where the first half of the book gives an overview of why
we need sports ministry, the second half offers an answer to how we
should use sports ministry. He lays out strategies in planning sports
ministries and providing proven methods in leading other to Christ
while playing the sports we love.
In underlining the importance of sports ministry in today’s culture,
Solc seems to spend more time setting the stage for communicating on
the playing field than actually showing the way one can communicate to
other athletes. The book can be easily be based on the last three
chapters about planning and promoting a sports ministry, yet would risk
losing the theological foundations every person should know or at least
be reminded of. Because Solc is European, some of the terms are more
relevant in a European setting, but that doesn’t underplay the
importance of his experience and what he has taught other through
sports. For the sports lover or the sports teacher, Solc’s book offers
a multidimensional lens on sports and its ministry for others.
Where to get this book: Amazon.com
Book Review: Communicating on the Playing Field by Josef Solc
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