Tomorrow begins First Baptist Moreland's 6th season offering Upward Soccer. Last fall was our 6th season of Upward Flag Football & Cheerleading. Upward Sports is the largest Christian Sports Ministry - over 2,600 churches partner with Upward. It began in a basketball gym at First Baptist Spartanburg, South Carolina - set-off by a message from Johnny Hunt to Caz McCazlin about the importance of reaching one more.
I've coached nearly every season, sometimes two teams per season. It's time consuming, but worth it. Here are 5 facts I've learned from 6 years of Sports Ministry:
1). Sports Ministry requires alot of time. If you're looking for something quick and easy, running a football league isn't it.
2). Sports Ministry can be self-sustaining. Sell concessions, sell pictures (you should receive 20% of all sales), and ask for sponsors. People will give for little Johnny to play soccer and learn about Jesus.
3). People like to register and pay all online. The days of evaluations, try-outs, and waiting in a registration line are over. We began using online registration with Blue Sombrero our 3rd season and now the majority of our registrations are online. We meet the player at the first practice.
4). You need an updated Sports Ministry Facebook page. Remember, most parents in your league are in the under/around 40 crowd, which means they're all on Facebook. Post game-day pictures, schedules, and promote the players and coaches on the page. The key is to keep it updated. If your page is boring info updated from last summer - then parents are going to believe your league is boring and outdated. Here's our page.
5). The secret to success are the coaches. Bottom line: good coach = fun experience for the child = they'll return next season. Even if you have sub-par facilities, if your coaches are prepared and pour their lives into the kids - it will be a great season. The coach has the most influence - over devotions, sharing the Gospel and inviting players/parents to church. The coach will determine if they play again. I coach because of this reason. There are people now born-again Christians because I took the time to coach. Your league director/minister of recreation should invest a great amount of time into their coaches.
Sports Ministry is time consuming, costly and requires many leaders. Is it worth it? Absolutely. There are millions of Americans who will never set foot into your sanctuary, but will pay hundreds of dollars to play on your soccer field. Jesus' greatest sermon, the Sermon of the Mount, was preached outside...
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3 Reasons to Consider Club VBS this Summer
4 Keys to Disciplining Teenagers
5 Secrets to a Successful Preteen Ministry
I've coached nearly every season, sometimes two teams per season. It's time consuming, but worth it. Here are 5 facts I've learned from 6 years of Sports Ministry:
1). Sports Ministry requires alot of time. If you're looking for something quick and easy, running a football league isn't it.
2). Sports Ministry can be self-sustaining. Sell concessions, sell pictures (you should receive 20% of all sales), and ask for sponsors. People will give for little Johnny to play soccer and learn about Jesus.
3). People like to register and pay all online. The days of evaluations, try-outs, and waiting in a registration line are over. We began using online registration with Blue Sombrero our 3rd season and now the majority of our registrations are online. We meet the player at the first practice.
4). You need an updated Sports Ministry Facebook page. Remember, most parents in your league are in the under/around 40 crowd, which means they're all on Facebook. Post game-day pictures, schedules, and promote the players and coaches on the page. The key is to keep it updated. If your page is boring info updated from last summer - then parents are going to believe your league is boring and outdated. Here's our page.
5). The secret to success are the coaches. Bottom line: good coach = fun experience for the child = they'll return next season. Even if you have sub-par facilities, if your coaches are prepared and pour their lives into the kids - it will be a great season. The coach has the most influence - over devotions, sharing the Gospel and inviting players/parents to church. The coach will determine if they play again. I coach because of this reason. There are people now born-again Christians because I took the time to coach. Your league director/minister of recreation should invest a great amount of time into their coaches.
Sports Ministry is time consuming, costly and requires many leaders. Is it worth it? Absolutely. There are millions of Americans who will never set foot into your sanctuary, but will pay hundreds of dollars to play on your soccer field. Jesus' greatest sermon, the Sermon of the Mount, was preached outside...
Related Posts
3 Reasons to Consider Club VBS this Summer
4 Keys to Disciplining Teenagers
5 Secrets to a Successful Preteen Ministry
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