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 Intentional
Outreach – A Guide to Simple Church Sports Ministry
By Steve Quatro
Xulon Press – 2009 – USA – ISBN: 978-60791-850-9
This book is
available for purchase from CSRM. Click
here to order.
Intentional Outreach was the best Sport
Ministry Book published in
2009. It simply “drips” with sage advice and wisdom from one of the
Sports Outreach Era’s veterans – Steve Quatro. Steve’s laser focus on
mobilizing local churches for evangelism is both instructive and
insightful. His years of sowing, planting and cultivating evangelistic
endeavors through Sports Outreach Los Angeles, CSRM, various local
churches and more recently as a professor at Azusa Pacific University
bears a rich harvest of fruit for anyone who would invest an hour or
two with his treatise.
 The book is
divided into two sections. The first establishes the
rationale for local church sports and recreation ministry: evangelism.
The second provides six principles Quatro believes churches need to
incorporate to “realize ministry success.”
Chapter Highlights
Chapter #1 challenges local church leadership to get serious about
reaching those far from God. The quotes from Ryle and Booth are must
reads.
Chapter #2 using his Real Estate background as a foundation, Quatro
establishes what he states is the “highest and best use” of local
church sports ministry: evangelism.
Chapter #3 reveals some of Steve’s research on prayer and successful
evangelism. His list on “prayerlessness” will challenge even the most
devout Sports Minister and his suggestions for incorporating prayer
into the lifeblood of the church will help even the most seasoned
Sports Pastor.
Chapter #4 is a clarion call to base ministry upon vision, mission and
purpose.
Chapter #5 issues a challenge to all Sports Ministers to keep their
“spiritual tank full” so they might be able to succeed over the long
haul. Quatro also highlights the importance of maintaining a moral
authority in their leadership and points out developing leadership is
no quick fix as outlined in the “Barnabas Method of systematic
leadership training.
Chapter #6 is a primer on why relationships are vital to evangelism and
how the creation of a “multiple-touch” sports ministry accelerates the
evangelism process.
Chapter #7 has many nuggets, especially the suggestions for interfacing
sports ministry outreaches with the broader church activities and
people.
Chapter #8 is an encouragement to persevere.
New Concept Found in this Book
Impact Moments. Sports Ministry has long used the term Teachable Moment
to describe a poignant opportunity in which Sports Outreach Ministers
are able to communicate a “teaching” which emerges from some sporting
or recreational activity. Quatro brilliantly builds upon the Teachable
Moment concept to encourage Sports Evangelists to recognize and
maximize the opportunities sporting endeavors often open up for an
“Impact Moment.” Impact Moments enable Sports Ministers to sow a seed,
cultivate a seeking soul or perhaps even reap a spiritual harvest of
inviting someone to pray to receive Christ.
Catch Phrases Worth Remembering
- Sports Ministers are not the Activity Directors for Church Families
- If God answered all your prayers for the past seven days how many
lost people would have come to know Christ as their personal Savior?
- Athletically-oriented people tend to be doers. As a result they may
have the tendency to charge into the task because they can get it done.
Don’t limit God by your ability…
Points of Contention
I have three mild points of contention with Steve’s recommendation in
Chapter 6.
The first has to do with co-ed sports. Co-ed youth leagues create a lot
of gender confusion for an age group not able to decipher or process
the deeper issues and can present modesty and touch issues for adults.
Secondly, I would prefer the mix of believer/non-believer to be
weighted with more believers. I’d prefer it to be closer to 70-30 as I
believe the gospel is more “caught than taught” and nothing can be
caught if half or more of your league is unable to compete in a
Christmanship ethic.
Thirdly, while I truly agree with Steve the verbal communication of the
gospel could be presented in a more suave way by people who are more
experienced and gifted, I think it would be a huge loss not to provide
“the common bloke” a chance to share his faith, even if its not as
professional. Sometimes, the sincere bumbling is more winsome and
connects better than the most polished presenter.
These contentions need much deeper discussion. None should be
misconstrued as denigrating the book or the author, nor should they
keep anyone from gleaning the many other pearls the book provides.
Recommendations for a Second Edition
One recommendation would be to include more hard research data,
especially if Steve desires this to be used by Colleges and
Universities. This would enhance and strengthen an already great book.
Where to get the Book - www.csrm.org
Thanks Steve for being a catalyst for local church sports evangelism!
Disclaimer
I have worked alongside Steve for many years including a wonderful
couple of years on the CSRM staff. Steve and I are currently involved
in a number of different ventures including our work with our
ministries and our Universities. I also wrote a commendation for the
book which appears on the back cover of the book.
Book Review: Intentional Outreach by Steve Quatro
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