The Association of Church Sports and Recreation Ministries
THE ASSOCIATION OF CHURCH SPORTS AND RECREATION MINISTRIES
How It All Started
As early as the 1930s, churches began using sports and recreation as a part of their outreach and fellowship ministries. In 1954, the Church Recreation Department was formed in the Baptist Sunday School Board (later known as Lifeway Christian Resources) to assist local church leaders in developing ministries through sports, recreation, and fitness. This department produced and published materials, including a quarterly magazine in 1962. In the middle part of the 1960s, this Board created a Rec Lab conference to train local church leaders in sports and recreation ministries.
By the 1980s, thousands of local American churches had built athletic or recreational facilities. In addition, there was a growing number of international churches utilizing sport, recreation, and fitness for outreach, discipleship, and church growth. However, in the 1990s, two independent groups resourcing local church sports, recreation, and fitness ministers (SR&F) changed course and focus. The Church Recreation Department of the Baptist Sunday School Board was downsizing. At the same time, the International Sports Coalition (ISC)/Sports Outreach America (SOA) decided to focus its energies and emphasis on sports-related, para-ministries leaving a void in resources, workshops, and encouragement for congregational SR&F leaders.
Our Vision. Our Mission.
Our Goal.
Our Vision.
To equip local churches to change lives through sport, recreation and fitness outreach ministries.
Our Mission.
Train, equip and resource local church staff and volunteers, mobilizing them to build bridges in their communities using sport, recreation and leisure activities for the purpose of leading people into a transforming personal relationship with Christ.
Our Goal.
Evangelism through the local church.
By The Numbers
Since its beginnings in 1994, CSRM has impacted over 900 churches and leaders in all 50 states and on five continents. CSRM has over 33 ministry representatives around the world who can assist you and your church with your sports, recreation, and fitness ministries.
900+
Churches
50
States
5
Contintents
Our Strategies
Relationships
We're all about relationship building. Regional roundtables, conferences, video meetings, email groups, it doesn't matter; if it involves talking with sports, recreation, and fitness ministers and leaders, near and far, we love it. Building those networks and connecting people around the world provides community, care, support, and partnerships for this unique ministry.
We also build relationships through offering coaching for sports ministries. Our coaching relationships offer assessments of churches' current sports ministries and assistance in developing strategic plans for greater outreach effectiveness, through one-time coaching sessions, or more consistent coaching relationships.
Resources
Two words - Overwhelming Victory. We're so passionate about providing excellent, theologically sound, and practical resources to equip local church sports ministers and volunteers that we created our own resource division to house them all.
Through the work of our ministry representatives and SR&F experts around the world, we built a resource collection that includes sports ministry certification, a yearly conference at the REACHGathering, classes through our AGON institute as well as books, podcasts, online roundtables, training manuals and much more!
Our Beliefs
God the Father
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The eternal Creator and Sustainer of Heaven and Earth
God the Son
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That Jesus Christ is God's only Son, our Lord
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That Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit
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That Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary
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That Jesus was crucified, He died, and was buried
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That Jesus was resurrected on the third day
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That Jesus ascended into heaven, where He sits at God's right hand
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That Jesus will judge both the living and the dead
God the Holy Spirit
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Inspired the writing of the Holy Scriptures
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Convicts people of sin
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Indwells, supernaturally empowers, and is the Comforter of all believers
The Church Universal
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The Church Universal is the body of Christ which assembles in local congregations throughout the world
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The Church should be focused on the Great Commission while living out the Great Commandments
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All Para-Ministries (including CSRM) exist to plant, enhance and/or equip local churches for Evangelistic-Disciplemaking
The Believer
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All believers share a common fellowship - in Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit
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In the forgiveness of sins through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ
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In the resurrection of the body of believers and eternal life
The Bible
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Our faith is based on our belief that the Bible is God's inspired, inerrant Word
The Ministry
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All Para-Ministries (including CSRM) exist to plant, enhance and/or equip local churches for Evangelistic-Disciplemaking
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Local Church Sport, Recreation and Fitness Ministries are the most Strategically-Relevant & Efficiently-Effective strategy for accomplishing the Great Commission
Contact Info
Contact Us
Mailing Address
PO Box 9110 | Canton, Ohio | 44711
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