Discussion Questions
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Are you currently involved in any type of sports ministry? If so, how do you see yourself implementing any of the four key success principles described by Colin Pinkney (Preparation, Engagement, Persistence, Patience)? How could you improve your implementation of any of these? (If you are not currently involved in sports ministry, how do you envision yourself implementing one of these principles in your future ministry?)
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I own a boxing gym south of Dallas, where I work with the youth inside of the ring. I saw the need for engagement and guidance outside of the ring, so I started a small sports ministry group. We hold luncheons and at these lunches we do sports related bible studies and allow the kids to freely express themselves.
Although we have started the engagement, there is always room for improvement. I believe I could offer material at the gym that is more accessible to them, so they can take home and look over whenever they need or want to.
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Joshua, my name is Chris Avila. Im in Fort Worth and minister to pro boxers. I would love to meet you and see how I can help be a resource for you. Blessings. IG- @mrchrisavila
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I am not involved at this time, but being available to the athletes and teams in my school in the realm of helping them grow in faith is a goal. I am the PE teacher for K-12 school and have many athletes as students. My goal is to develop a relationship with the athletic teams and become yet another resource for student-athletes to use throughout their athletic and faith journey.
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Yes, I am building a recreation/sports ministry for the church in which I serve and will be overseeing all of the events and activities in that realm. I see myself implementing all four of the key principles that Pickney went over in this video. I will need to be prepared week in and week out as there will be a diverse range of activities and sports that I will be overseeing. I will need to be engaged with my staff, my volunteers, and my participants, and being available in the busyness of it all will be vital. I am certain that I will have ample opportunities to exhibit persistence and patience as well. I found this lecture very useful, especially the reminder that sometimes being inconspicuous is the best route.
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I’m not directly involved in sports ministry at the moment. However, I would thoroughly prepare before engaging in any sports ministry activities or programs. This would involve researching and understanding the specific needs, challenges, and goals of the community or group I am working with. It would also include acquiring relevant skills and knowledge in both sports and ministry to serve the participants better. Most importantly, as Coilin put it, developing your spiritual life is a must before you start the sports ministry. It means spending regular time in God’s words and remembering to pray before you set foot in the ministry.
Besides, we must bear in mind that each sports ministry setting may have unique requirements and expectations, so it is crucial to adapt our preparation accordingly.
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I am not currently involved in sports ministry, however I feel that all four key success principles are vital. I feel relationships through engagement truly set the tone for the other four keys. It is important to pray, discern, and encourage those in your care. Those that God has called you to serve. Colin mentioned ministry happens when you make yourself available, therefore I do plan on having that be at the forefront of relationship building in conjunction to preparation, persistence and patience. I see sports ministry being present among my church, and in other countries of active service.
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Do you currently, or do you think you might, struggle with any of the four success principles (Preparation, Engagement, Persistence, Patience)? For example, do you find it difficult to be patient or find it frustrating when you don’t have the access you would like to have? How might you overcome this?
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To be honest I am not worried but more so we’re to be most prepared in the industry. Understanding the logistics and realizing that this is Gods ministry and I am just a steward is my focus. However I think to keep a running check list to be most effective is necessary and needed.
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No, I don’t think I would struggle with the four principles, but it did leave me with a different question. As a sports chaplain do they have the capacity to observe a sabbath during the season considering it is their responsibility to be accessible by the players, coaches, and families?
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I can improve my preparation and patience. Preparation is up to me and patience is my perspective and humility as I wait.
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I have had the opportunity to be involved in sports ministry for the last 25 years. In that time, I have seasoned and honed Engagement, Persistence and Patience. I can continue to work on these but I feel the most important thing that all Chaplains must work on is Preparation. An athlete will continue to prepare until they retire. We retire when we are in the presence of Jesus. I must continue to live out my faith, work on my relationship with Jesus, continue to study and understand Scripture etc. I can also continue to work on other things such as relationship skills, public speaking/teaching etc.
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I hope I can improve on engagement. This will be an engagement during the season and off season. Due to there being so many games during the season it can be difficult to engage with the players outside of just chapel. I do work during the day time so this can be a challenge for me to make myself available if it is not a weekend during the day. I believe I can definitely improve on engagement with family by being intentional about hanging around in the family room at the end of games or asking players to meet their family when they come into town