In a magazine article a while back Dr. Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources stated that statistics showed that recreation facilities were not seen as helping a church be evangelistic. My life’s work, calling and giftedness in ministry is in using recreation and sports to reach people. Indeed, I was reached for Christ and called to my vocation through sports ministry. I am writing this to say I agree with Dr. Rainer’s comments that raised so many eyebrows in recreation and sports ministry circles. That was exactly what we needed to hear – facilities do not win anyone to Christ. It is spiritually sensitive Christians who intentionally develop relationships with the lost being intentional in sharing the gospel as they use the recreation facility as a tool – that reach people. For churches that have or desire to build recreation facilities or for recreation and sports ministers (and any Christian) this is the crucial concept.
For many years Church Recreation (now Recreation and Sports Ministry) was all about how many participants you had, how big your program was, or how big your facility was. The “bigger is better” syndrome ruled the day. I remember going to Rec Lab (premier training conference for sports ministry) when I was just getting started in ministry and listening to one well-known recreation minister in a big metropolitan church explain how he planned his facility. He explained how he paid special attention to traffic flow, sight lines, the wood floor, and lighting – on and on the details went. Now, that is all good stuff and those things must be considered, but when it is all said and done, it is intentional discipleship and evangelism (living out the Great Commandment, Great Commission) that makes the difference in the lives of people. These are the foundational building blocks from which we must start. Relational ministry leads us to find or come up with the tools to help us do better, broader, deeper, culturally relevant relational ministry. That is how we show the love of Christ – by telling the good news using all the “tools” at our disposal. If building a “gym” will help us develop relationships with people, then we must build! If a gym will hamper us from rightly relating to people, then we dare not build.
There is an axiom: “If your church is not intentionally reaching out to people without a recreation facility, then building a one will not help you – it may hurt you because there is nothing religious about a basketball. It is how you use it that makes the difference.” It is what you do with any sport or activity that makes the difference – the Intentionality of discipleship and evangelism you bring as you use the tool of sports is the key to success. Yet, it has been proven time and time again that if you are not reaching people now, you will not reach people after a recreation facility is built. A plan and process for reaching and discipleship must be in the DNA of the church and each of its ministries. The best, most expensive and most aesthetically pleasing and functional worship center; education space or recreation facility will not win people to Christ. New people may come for a while out of curiosity, but after the “new wears off” they drift away. It is people committed to living out the gospel, sharing their hearts and what they have found in Christ that makes reaching work. Facilities only aid in the process. It is a plan and an intentional process that makes all the difference.
God’s vision lived out through men like Caz McCasland and Upward Sports or Ken Thomas of Connect Ministries, Jason Cruise of the Outdoor Ministry Network or Scott Lehman and In His Grip Golf keep reminding us that the intentional sharing of the gospel at every turn is what is important. These men bring a well thought out plan and process on how to use sports to help any church reach the lost and disciple believers. Dr. Rainer has reminded us that it is not buildings that attract people – but what others see in Godly believers that is attractive. If we as Christians, the possessors of all that God has for mankind, do not communicate these things, using every tool at our disposal (I Cor. 9:22-23) – then we may as well pack it in – for we will be self serving, instead of serving others. We will have big gyms, with a lot of activity, but very little if any Great Commandment, Great Commission results. If that is the case, the Good News of salvation through Christ will be lost to the announcement in the church newsletter about the basketball league’s “success” of games won and lost. The question posed by Christ to us may then be the indictment of “who and what was really won or lost?”
Build buildings? Absolutely if they are essential to helping your church make disciples and win people to Christ. Build relationships to share the gospel? Yes a thousand times yes!! Churches can do both. It is not an either or proposition – just be sure you know what you are getting into and how you are going to be intentional in sharing the gospel and making disciples. That is the crucial concept.
John Garner
