Description
A Sports Minister should be passionate in his/her love for God and in the way in which sports may be used for the sake of the Gospel. A sports minister should be called by God and must have an understanding the purpose of sports in the Kingdom and in the local Church. God’s great love and care for us is displayed in His giving of gifts, talents and abilities in and through sports.
The Sports Minister must understand the difference in pursuing God’s glory rather than man’s glory. Sports gifts, talents and abilities have been given to sports ministers, participants, coaches, fans, etc. to give back to God for His glory.
A Sports minister must understand that the Gospel is for everyone as exclaimed in Romans 1:16. He/she must understand how the creation, fall, redemption and consummation are part of the Gospel and how they can be integrated into sports. Sports ministry should be Gospel centered. Sports minister need to understand the Gospel Wheel and its use and the outcome of a Gospel Centered ministry. The Gospel Wheel displays the occurrence of what God does through sports ministry. A few outcomes are effective evangelism, transformed lives, real community, redemption of sports ministers, players, coaches, parents and umpires. Also the ministry moves folks towards making, church members coming from the pews to the fields, and there are outcomes of sports multiplication by intentional and organic sports initiatives created by leaders within the ministry.
A Sports minister needs to understand the Great Commission and the role that sports play in the spreading of the Gospel and making Disciples. They should understand the process of relational evangelism and the role sports plays in it.
A Sports minister must possess talents, skills and abilities to build and develop authentic relationships and to network. Abilities to build a leadership team, recruit volunteers in regards to coaches and referees, integrate the church are viable for the sports minister. Recruiting and developing volunteer coaches is the single most important thing a sports minister does. Coaches and participants must be taught about sports idolatry, how to coach and play for God’s glory, how to define competition. Developing coaches is how the Gospel is multiplied.
A sports minister must work under authority and leadership of the Pastors and leaders within the Church. They must understand the role that they will play and the role sports plays within the church ministries. An active prayer life and seeking God in how to live and how to make decisions will be viable in the life of the sports minister.
The Sports minister will need to understand the latest technology for registration, social media, websites, etc. Communicating well inside the church and out in the community are must for success of the ministry.
Sports Ministers must oversee are be part of their staff and communicate well with their team, participants, parents of participants and other staff members.
An understanding of using sports in partnering with other parachurch ministries such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, Score International, etc. and also secular ministries that are willing for the Gospel to be exclaimed and integrated.
Responsibilities
A Sports Minister has the responsibility to use sports both as a bridge and a laboratory to advance the Kingdom of God through the local church and using other opportunities. Sports is one of the biggest bridges to bring people to God and sports can be a laboratory that God can use to help redeem others back to Himself. The Sports Minister will need to have a love for both God and Sports. They must have a passion for God to be glorified and an awareness that sports and those playing them, coaching them and watching them are broken. They have an opportunity to help bring broken people back to God through sports and recreation opportunities through the power of the Holy Spirit. Redeeming sports is a world-wide movement that each sports minister and ministry needs to be part of.
The Sports minister will need to decide upon the ministries mission and vision statements and also how the success of the ministry will be measured. They will need to build a strong leadership team is made of those of moral character, vison and influence. This will help the sports minister understand needs and wants of the ministry and those that participate in it.
The Sports Minister will determine to the types of sports/recreational facilities and resources that the church has available and how they will be used. They will determine the interest of those in the church and in the community. They will need to seek the Holy Spirit and church leadership in determining age groups, types of sports/recreation/fitness offerings etc. They will need to be creative and intuitive in their approach. Rules and procedures will need to be flexible based on age group and abilities.
A Sports Minister must determine along with church staff how the ministry will be supported from a financial prospective. Budget needs, expenses and revenue are part of the job.
Organizational skills of building teams, developing practice schedules, game schedules, practice plans, devotionals, memory verses, etc. They will need to have knowledge of facilities, uniforms and how to take care of them as well as assessing equipment needs and its care.
Preparation
The ideal sports minister is one that has a sports background that includes playing or coaching sports. A degree in sports administration is helpful while a masters in recreational church sports would be considered a plus. The sports minister with a sports background will need to rethink the part that God plays in sports for His glory. The sports minister must be in pursuit of a Gospel Centered sports ministry.
Opportunities
The influence of sports is huge in the Kingdom and the local church. The opportunities are limitless, spanning from church sports ministry, outreaches, partnerships, mission trips, camps, clinics, etc.
Placement
The pursuant must have resume ready and determine if a church has or is looking to start a sports ministry. CSRM and Cede Partners are good resources to see what is available. Those that pursue the entry level jobs will usually need to spend time under the tutelage of a sports minister.
