Our Purpose
To equip local churches to change lives through sport, recreation and fitness outreach ministries.
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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.
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Evangelism through the local church.
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Our History
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.
So it was that in April of 1994, a small group of church sports outreach pastors who had begun to "associate" and communicate came together in Atlanta to catalyze further and unite the local church SR&F community. Out of this meeting and ongoing relationships, a vision developed to form an organization for the continued support of local church sports ministers and church recreators. It thus created the National Association of Church Recreation and Sports Ministers (NACRSM), which later changed the name to the Association of Church Sports & Recreation Ministers (CSRM), and officially launched in 1996 with an announcement at the SOA conference.
During that 1996 SOA conference, many of these leaders stayed up late "burning the midnight oil to envision and organize a new organization that understood, and would serve, local church SR&F outreach ministry—putting the organization together. Following the announcement, this group established a Board of Trustees and obtained a 501c3. The Internal Revenue Service incorporated the group as the Association of Church Sports and Recreation Ministries in 2003. Bob Sessoms became the first Board president, and in 1999, the Board appointed Dr. Greg Linville as the first Executive Director.
As other entities continued to focus on empowering sports-related para-ministries, CSRM began filling the local church SR&F outreach ministry void. It focused on creating resources, developing yearly conferences, connections, consulting, and sports ministry certification that included seminars, workshops, and hours devoted to consulting with local churches and leaders helped to develop sports and recreation ministries. The commitment to include and equip the worldwide church has been a core value of CSRM from its inception. Thus the impact of CSRM goes all around the world.
In 2016, the CSRM Board of Trustees, in conjunction with the staff, envisioned a 10-year "reinvention" of CSRM that emphasized "3 streams of development:" 1) expansion and repositioning of the CSRM staff; 2) resource development; and 3) financial support development. A significant focus was to secure "next generation" leadership, including naming a new Executive Director. To that end, they requested Dr. Linville assume a new role as Director of Resource Development to create both a publishing house (Overwhelming Victory Press – OVP) and a recording studio (Overwhelming Victory Flix – OVF). In addition, he would develop the Master's level degree of the AGON Institute of Sports Ministry and oversee the content of the annual REACHgathering.
Since that reinvention, CSRM was led by two other Executive Directors, David Mabry and David Waddell, taking us to the point where Dan Stoffer assumed the position in September 2021.
Today, this dream is a reality. Each and every day CSRM Staff, Board of Directors and individual members expedite the vision "to equip local churches to change lives through sport" through relationships and resources. CSRM has a rich history of working with local church leaders to use sports, recreation, and fitness as evangelistic and discipleship tools. None of this would happen without the support of incredible donors and volunteers. Please consider helping CSRM continue its calling by clicking Donate below.
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.
So it was that in April of 1994, a small group of church sports outreach pastors who had begun to "associate" and communicate came together in Atlanta to catalyze further and unite the local church SR&F community. Out of this meeting and ongoing relationships, a vision developed to form an organization for the continued support of local church sports ministers and church recreators. It thus created the National Association of Church Recreation and Sports Ministers (NACRSM), which later changed the name to the Association of Church Sports & Recreation Ministers (CSRM), and officially launched in 1996 with an announcement at the SOA conference.
During that 1996 SOA conference, many of these leaders stayed up late "burning the midnight oil to envision and organize a new organization that understood, and would serve, local church SR&F outreach ministry—putting the organization together. Following the announcement, this group established a Board of Trustees and obtained a 501c3. The Internal Revenue Service incorporated the group as the Association of Church Sports and Recreation Ministries in 2003. Bob Sessoms became the first Board president, and in 1999, the Board appointed Dr. Greg Linville as the first Executive Director.
As other entities continued to focus on empowering sports-related para-ministries, CSRM began filling the local church SR&F outreach ministry void. It focused on creating resources, developing yearly conferences, connections, consulting, and sports ministry certification that included seminars, workshops, and hours devoted to consulting with local churches and leaders helped to develop sports and recreation ministries. The commitment to include and equip the worldwide church has been a core value of CSRM from its inception. Thus the impact of CSRM goes all around the world.
In 2016, the CSRM Board of Trustees, in conjunction with the staff, envisioned a 10-year "reinvention" of CSRM that emphasized "3 streams of development:" 1) expansion and repositioning of the CSRM staff; 2) resource development; and 3) financial support development. A significant focus was to secure "next generation" leadership, including naming a new Executive Director. To that end, they requested Dr. Linville assume a new role as Director of Resource Development to create both a publishing house (Overwhelming Victory Press – OVP) and a recording studio (Overwhelming Victory Flix – OVF). In addition, he would develop the Master's level degree of the AGON Institute of Sports Ministry and oversee the content of the annual REACHgathering.
Since that reinvention, CSRM was led by two other Executive Directors, David Mabry and David Waddell, taking us to the point where Dan Stoffer assumed the position in September 2021.
Today, this dream is a reality. Each and every day CSRM Staff, Board of Directors and individual members expedite the vision "to equip local churches to change lives through sport" through relationships and resources. CSRM has a rich history of working with local church leaders to use sports, recreation, and fitness as evangelistic and discipleship tools. None of this would happen without the support of incredible donors and volunteers. Please consider helping CSRM continue its calling by clicking Donate below.
What We Believe
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In God the Father:
In God the Son including:
In God the Holy Spirit Who:
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