Every two years the world celebrates the Olympic Games where people speaking different languages, coming from different countries, and with different cultural backgrounds, can all come together and unite around spirited competition and the high ideal of honorable sportsmanship. These events prove that athletics really can transcend all political, ethnic and cultural differences.
In sports there’s teamwork, camaraderie, and a respect for everyone’s unique and special talents. There couldn’t be a more perfect type of environment in which to introduce and celebrate God’s powerful presence and grace.
Using sports as a vehicle for ministry, for spreading God’s word, can cut through boundaries and differences between people that would otherwise be insurmountable. Doing this takes a strong leader who is both well-versed in sports and adept in scripture.
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Sports is where the culture is. Using sports as tool for ministry is meeting people where they are with the hopes of bringing them to a better place. Sports opens the door for conversations on many topics, and it’s a great way for the church to reach young people.
PASTOR OF SPORTS MINISTRY
Embrace your deep passion for sports and devotion to Christ as you set out on a fulfilling career in Sports Ministry.
What Is Sports Ministry?
Sports ministry combines a love of sports and athletics with a love of Christ and His church.
The outreach ability of sports ministry is its number one strength. Those who play sports know it’s a powerful tool through which to connect with others and also share the word of God. Sports is a passion for many, and combining this with God’s message is powerful.
Those involved in sports ministry are disciple-makers.
Sports models Christianity and the human experience. There are struggles, group efforts, defeats, winners and losers. When you break it down Christianity is, on some levels, ultimately about winners and losers: those who live in eternal salvation and those who don’t.
Sports ministry is also unique in that it involves combining a surrender to God with an activity that tests the human body’s physical limits, taking place in an arena of competition. Perhaps the only other situation where this is the case is in war. This can bring out unique emotions and spiritual experiences that would not otherwise be manifest.
Ultimately sports ministry is a unique, effective, and special way to share Christ’s message with others. It’s a means for evangelizing that can transcend race, class, language, age, and culture.
How ISF is Proving You Can “Change the World Through Sports”
Sports ministry offers unique advantages for getting out the message of Jesus, a fact that’s particularly well-known among missionaries.
“Football” is what the entire planet calls the world’s most beloved game – soccer is what we call it here in the States. It’s a game that’s described by many, including the great Argentine player Diego Maradona, as being the world’s religion. Indeed, even when countries are at war it can be the only single point of agreement.
ISF, the International Sports Federation, recognizes how the popularity of sport can overcome virtually all other boundaries. Founded in 1993 as a faith-based non-profit organization, ISF specializes in spreading the good news of God the Father throughout the world via sports ministry as a missionary endeavor.
In its mission statement ISF recognizes that sports is a tool that not only helps people grow in strength physically. ISF pays homage to the fact that sports are an opportunity to share the salvation of Jesus through prayer with others across cultural and language boundaries.
Based in metro Atlanta, it boasts an all-star team of 20 senior staff with titles like:
- Ice Hockey Central Europe Associate
- Director for Displaced Peoples in the Middle East
- Global Engagement Director
- Japan Projects Director
- Director for Golf and Media
- Project Logistics Coordinator
- Philippines Project Coordinator
Sports Ministry Job Description – What Exactly Do Pastors Involved in Sports Ministry Do?
As a pastor involved in sports ministry, you need to be strong in leadership and Christianity. It goes without saying that you need to be passionate about both sports and Christ.
Starting out you might work as an assistant coach, referee, or team assistant. As such your job duties can include:
- Knowing the rules and safety concerns of your sport
- Engaging in team-building and team-spirit activities
- Modeling a life that reflects a devotion to God
- Being willing to partner and work with parents
- Helping young athletes grow physically and spiritually
Once you’ve gained experience you may decide to pursue a coaching career. As part of this your duties can include:
- Understanding the contractual obligations of your sporting sponsors and players
- Having knowledge of coaching methodology and techniques
- Providing supervision that ensures player safety, effectiveness, and camaraderie
- Participating in team tryout selections and presenting awards
- Helping athletes develop a sense of team spirit and relationship with Jesus
Moving up to a position like team manager involves a wide-field view of sports ministry as well as some business prowess.
Bigger churches have a membership size that can support a position like pastor of sports ministry. This post comes with a high level of responsibility, with the pastor being in charge of:
- Making sure that athletes have an enriching experience that’s infused with worship, good sportsmanship, and ethics
- Coordinating with other church departments to ensure the sports ministry program fits in overall with the church’s mission
- Hiring team assistants and coaches who will carry on a church’s mission to serve Christ and provide an enriching athletic experience
How to Get Involved in Sports Ministry – The Steps Aspiring Pastors Can Take to Include Sports as Part of Their Ministry
Volunteering with an Intramural League or Christian School's Sports Team
A lot of people get started in sports ministry by volunteering at their church, with a recreational or intramural league, or with a Christian school’s sports team. Assisting a team’s coach on the weekends or part-time in the weight room or on the track is a great way to dip your toe in this field and get a feel for what sports ministry is like.
If you’re serious about this then there are also paid team assistant and assistant coach positions you can think about. If you have some experience you can also consider related positions like referees and umpires.
Every sport has its own tactics and strategies. Most coaches have experience playing the sport they coach, but even so it doesn’t hurt to make sure you’re up to date on yours.
Leadership and Communication
Leadership and communication are also very important skills to develop before you move on to coaching your own team. It’s one thing to know strategy; it’s another to be able to effectively communicate this to a team of players.
Coaching and Ministry
Once you’ve developed your tactics, leadership, and communication, the next step as you move up in this field is coaching your own team. You can do this on a full or part time basis and if you’re serious about making a career in sports ministry, this can be a paid position.
That’s the coaching part, but don’t forget about the ministry part. The Bible is full of parallel lessons that can be taught alongside sports.
Defeats on the field can represent spiritual challenges. The temptation to win at all costs –even by cheating– is ripe for analogies with the temptations faced by characters in the Bible. At the end of the day you want to win, just like at the end of the day you want to be in oneness with Christ in heaven.
These are just scratching the surface for applicable life and spiritual lessons that can be learned through sports.
You may enjoy coaching until retirement. There’s also an option to move up into senior leadership positions that require more responsibility like league director, pastor of sports ministry, or team manager.
Ask any athlete or coach what the most important element for engagement in any sport is, and they’ll tell you it’s a natural love of the game. A love of Jesus and acceptance of Him as Lord and Savior is a double requirement for sports ministry.
Fortunately, there are also academic programs that can help you along your journey towards a career in sports ministry. Undergraduate degrees in leadership, ministry, Christianity, and Bible studies can be particularly helpful.
Master's Degrees in Sports Ministry
There are also graduate degrees specifically in sports ministry. Other relevant master’s programs can include:
- Ministry and missions
- Divinity
- Bible studies
- Theology
- Christian ministry
- Pastoral care
If your goal is ultimately to become a pastor for sports ministry then a relevant master’s degree can be particularly important. But even if serving as a pastor isn't in your cards, having a solid education in ministry is always a plus in this field.
Sports ministry is the best of both worlds: you get to be involved with a sport you love, and share God's message with others at the same time.
