How do I get athletes involved in opportunities on campus and in the community?
“A society looking up to athletes as heroes must find heroes looking up to God.” With the eyes of our culture on athletes, Christian athletes have the opportunity and responsibility to direct that attention to God. We can do more than point to the sky after a touchdown or drop His name in an interview.
Opportunities abound for athletes to share their faith and the difference God makes in their lives. Local churches regularly request athletes to speak with youth groups or in front of their congregation. Some churches will organize large evangelistic outreaches and have a student athlete as the main draw. Other campus ministries might allow an athlete speak at their meeting. Depending on the campus and on the reputation of a particular sports team or athlete in the community, you may have more opportunities than you can handle. Even at a small campus with little visibility in the community opportunities can be created. You must decide which events to accept and which athletes will speak.
Some events are organized toward non-believers, others toward Christians. Some are annual and others one-and-done. Some churches and organizations will want an ongoing partnership, but be careful that you don’t over-commit. Be patient and pray about which opportunities the Lord wants you to accept. There may be wisdom in forming a partnership with a certain church or organization; there may also be wisdom in saying “no” to everything until sometime in the future.
Use discretion when putting athletes up front to speak. A new believer whose life and faith are untested should not be hurried, even if (especially if!) their name recognition and platform is already broad. They may not be ready to handle the pressure of being a Christian witness and may even feel used. Don’t put an athlete “on stage” unless you have a good relationship with that athlete and solid insight into his or her character. Also, be intentional about giving training and opportunities to athletes who are not as high profile. Big names don’t transform lives, but faithful, available teachable men and women can have impact far beyond their pop cultural status.
Help athletes prepare well for speaking engagements. Because a guy can catch a pass with his hands, don’t assume he can catch and hold an audience with his words! Poor communication is poor communication no matter the source, so spend time helping prepare their testimonies and/or talks. You might have them practice their talk with you at least once. Give concrete feedback, both during the practice and after the speaking engagement.
Service opportunities may be a more profound use of their platform than speaking opportunities. The list of community service possibilities is long: visiting kids in the hospital, helping out at afterschool programs, competing in prisons, nursing homes, construction projects, etc. You may have opportunities in these places to have an athlete share a testimony, but even if you don’t, showing up to help speaks volumes and puts flesh on the gospel.
What are AIA events athletes can participate in?
Some regions of the country have Winter Retreats, usually held in January or February. Check the http://www.athletesinaction.org/ website for information and brochures. Anywhere from 100 – 200 college athletes from several states come together for a weekend retreat to hear challenging bible teaching and attend seminars relevant to their Christian life.
In Ft. Collins, Colorado, the week-long Ultimate Training Camp teaches athletes how to worship God through sport. Also in Ft.Collins, the Colorado Project is an 8-week experience covering many of the same topics as the camp, but adding evangelism, discipleship and ministry training. For 3 weeks in Los Angeles, the LA Urban Project pursues marginalized people and confronts issues of poverty and racism with the gospel. International and stateside tours with competing sports teams compete and create opportunities to share the gospel wherever they go. For a list of tours, dates, and other information, see the AIA website (http://www.athletesinaction.org/). You can also contact our offices for brochures at (937) 352-1000.
What can I teach that will inspire athletes to reach the world with the gospel?
Teaching God’s desire to reach the world with His gospel may come naturally to you. For others, that idea may seem a bit radical. Students must put their own relationship with God inside the framework of the Great Commission, a Commission that necessarily involves the whole world. Life is not about them; it is not about their particular university; it is not about America. God’s kingdom pervading and redeeming every aspect of life around the globe is all that really matters in the end. You can’t force someone to get this or reorient their lives around this idea—only God can redirect a heart in this direction--but you can help create an atmosphere for Him to work.
Teach them the bible. God’s word is soaked in language that drives people beyond the limits of their own personal comforts and borders.
Encourage them to go on a summer tour. Visiting other populations and cultures accomplishes what no amount of classroom teaching can—it breaks one’s heart for a people.
Expose them to missionaries and to people with a world vision. Let God provoke them through the testimonies of those engaged in His work outside their own campus setting. Consider building testimonies like this into your weekly meeting or bible study.
Consider taking a Spring Break trip oversees or to Mexico or Canada and help serve alongside another ministry. A trip North or South can open naïve eyes to the diversity and need for gospel transformation that exists around the world.
Help them understand that because sports are an international language, their platform extends beyond the campus, local community, country—they need to let God use them however He wants, wherever He wants. We have a responsibility to contribute to God’s work around the world whether He calls us to live there or not. Without this perspective, it is easier to get comfortable and complacent and think that the Gospel is either just for Americans or not challenging enough.
How do I prepare athletes to have a ministry wherever they go after they graduate?
College athletic ministry has a short life-span. You have at most a four to five year window into this person’s life, but more realistically, you make a 2-3 year investment. Some of athletes may play at the next level of competition. Those athletes can continue to minister in a team environment using their athletic platform. If they are successful, they will have a life-long platform from which to share their faith.
For the rest of the athletes, their platform essentially ends soon after they leave school. They will take jobs in the secular workforce, although some of them may be called into vocational ministry. Wherever they go, you want your investment in their lives during college to help them walk with God and build His kingdom for a lifetime. If they are doctors, they will be godly doctors who serve their patients with kindness and compassion. If they are lawyers, they serve their clients by protecting them and their interests and treating them with integrity and respect while pursuing justice. They will be committed members of local churches, finding ways to give back beyond warming a pew. And they will look for ways to share the gospel in words and actions, investing their lives in the adventure of making disciples that serve God’s kingdom.
Your role in this is to ground them in their faith and help them develop a deep and intimate walk with God. Cast the vision before them of a life overflowing with the love and truth of the gospel, and equip them with ministry skills. Be patient. You may not see the fruit of your sowing while they are still in college. You may be frustrated with their lack of commitment and perspective. Good news: their growth is not in your control or your problem It is not your job to make people grow. You can love them well, encourage them, challenge them, and model a life of faith you hope they embrace, but God must make it happen.
Pray for them faithfully and ask God to help give you a clear vision of what He wants to do in and through these athletes’ lives. Keep that vision before you, not as a standard to measure them by today, but to guide your prayers for their future. Believe in them and also let them be where they are today. Your window into their lives is brief, but it is a crucial season of life, and your words and actions will impact them in immeasurable ways.
Get It Done
- Search the web or talk to others in ministry to find creative outreach ideas.
- Even before you meet anyone on campus, begin to prepare some chapel talks or salt talks so that you are prepared if the moment arises. It’s always a good idea to have a fresh and short talk cued up and ready to give.
- Seek proficiency in these ministry skills:
- Sharing the gospel
- Explaining how to live and walk in the Spirit
- Giving your personal testimony (story of what God has done in your life)
- Engaging others in conversation
- Leading a small group bible study
If you need more training or a review of these skills, visit http://www.athletesinaction.org/ for more resources.