Using Sports In Childrens Ministry

So lets begin by stating the obvious. Sports are a big deal in our world today. This summer the World Cup was on, which is a world wide sporting event that takes whole countries captive for the duration of the tournament. Of course college football season is fast approaching, which tons of people look forward to every year. But not just that, think of the fact that people actually rate high school players coming into college years before they even graduate. Then there are children's recreation league sports. It seems like almost every kid I knew growing up tried at least one rec league, whether that was baseball, basketball, soccer, football, softball, you name it. Some kids these days even focus on one sport from a early age because travel ball teams play year round. Sports are a big deal to society, and kids play sports.

Now I love sports, I think that when handled properly they can be good for kids promoting team work, and health amongst other things. My point here though is if sports are such a big deal to kids and so many kids are involved in them, why not use sports in your children's ministry? Here are a couple of things you could do:

1) Sports leagues

Of course there is Upwards sports leagues, which I highly recommend. But start a sports league through your church that is focused on sharing the gospel with kids. At my current church we use Upward Basketball and I can't tell you how many kids and their families have come through our door that wouldn't on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night.

2) Sports Camps

Now this one is a little tougher because a lot of schools host their own sports camps in the summer. So you may have to get creative with the time. Possibly a set of weekend camps or hosting one during fall break.

The most important thing to remember is that the sports are just a draw and presenting Christ is the true goal. So adding a devotion during a break or character traits with biblical references you go over each day or a gospel presentation. Yes, sports need to be taught. That has to occur so parents will be willing to send their kids to the camp. But they can be a great bridge to opening up a chance to present the gospel to kids today.