Laying the Foundation for a Sports Ministry That Impacts Lives
Written by Upward Sports Ambassador - Mike Poelzer
One of the great slogans from Upward Sports is “Play with Purpose.” It is clear and compelling and rolls off the tongue … and kudos for the alliteration!
For Upward Sports leagues to provide the best opportunity for children across the country to “play with purpose,” it is incumbent upon Upward Church Partners to first “plan with purpose.”
Laying the correct foundation for an Upward Sports league will allow you to “make the most of every opportunity.”
As an Upward League director for 20+ years, I firmly believe the time and effort you put in before a child ever shows up for practice or a game will make or break your season. Below are “5 P’s” that are non-negotiable for laying the foundation for a sports ministry that impacts lives.
Prayer
Like all aspects of ministry (and life), you and I are called to be good stewards of the resources and opportunities the Lord has given us. It is imperative that we seek His wisdom first.
Children and families in your community matter to God and because of a ball and a court, He will bring them to your church. What a gift.
Prayer reorients us to be obedient and faithful to what God is already doing. We join Him by providing a gospel impact on those He brings our way. Prayer also reminds us that the priority of Upward Sports is not merely in the number of participants in a league but the specific children and families that God will impact through your Upward Sports League.
Planning
Running an Upward Sports league of any size can feel daunting. There are countless moving parts, many large and small details, and more than a few challenges that occur when hundreds of people are participating.
“Planning” is your internal preparation for the season.
Don’t rush your planning, don’t skip steps, don’t put off small items along the way because they will pile up. An impactful Upward Sports season requires someone (or more than one) who is relentlessly committed to administrating and executing all the details.
Part of planning is having the right people in the right place so they can lead from a position of strength – task-oriented people are essential to proper planning. People-oriented people are essential to executing the plan. Both are needed!
Process
Great plans are only as valuable as the implementation of the plan. Just as there are no shortcuts in planning, there are likewise no shortcuts in the process. From the moment you create your league to the final post-season follow up, the process must continue with great attitude and effort.
“Process” is the public facing execution of your plan.
The process includes things like promotion, registration, volunteer recruitment, obtaining supplies, creating schedules, navigating facility use (i.e. playing “nicely” with other church ministries), evaluations, season communication, and overseeing each practice and game day.
These are vital aspects of the process throughout the season that can provide great momentum if they are implemented well. Conversely, they can provide mounting frustration if they are overlooked or done half-heartedly.
In every interaction with a player or parent, please remember the importance of your attitude and demeanor. Being responsive, joyful, enthusiastic, and willing will demonstrate that you truly care about those who are participating. Remember, God will bring them to you, and it is your responsibility to reflect Him well when He does.
Punctuality
I cannot stress this point enough, please make sure that your schedule on paper matches what players and families actually experience for every practice and game.
In the context of youth sports, little is more frustrating than showing up only to find out that the event is running behind and your child’s game (or practice) will start 30 or 45 (or worse) minutes late.
The bottom line for me is that punctuality is a respect and integrity issue. Please respect the players and families in your league enough to make sure everything starts and ends on time. They have trusted you enough to enroll in your league, punctuality is one essential way to demonstrate that they made a good decision by respecting their time. It is also an integrity issue. If they cannot trust your word that events will start on time, you have planted the seed of doubt in them, and they become reluctant to trust anything else you will say… including gospel content.
People
At the end of the day, Upward Sports isn’t really about a ball, a basket, or a star. It is about the people God has brought to you for a gospel impact. All the planning, execution, and attitude listed above ought to be done with excellence and great effort so that the gospel can find fertile soil in the hearts and lives of players and families.
Our tagline at Spring Creek Church is “where people matter.” People matter here because they matter to God. We are nearly 25 years into our partnership with Upward Sports because they provide us with tremendous opportunity to demonstrate that “people matter.”
Over the years I have observed that for every player in your league, you are likely to be impacting 6-8x as many people. Players have siblings, parents, grandparents, friends, teachers, etc. who will come watch them play. While the planning and process outlined above generally have the players in mind, please do not miss the opportunity for gospel impact in the lives of ALL who will attend with each player!
So, how do you lay the foundation for a sports ministry that impacts lives? Through diligent prayer, thoughtful planning, thorough process, and relentless punctuality all the while remembering that is because it is the people God brings you that matter most.
Mike is the Connection Pastor at Spring Creek Church in Pewaukee, WI. This role includes everything related to people – welcoming newcomers, connecting existing attendees into the life of the church, assisting the membership process, leading Upward Sports & Men’s Ministry. Mike has completed his 22nd season leading Upward Basketball, is embarking upon his 18th season leading Upward Soccer, and coached in a local Upward Flag Football program for six seasons.
Is your church ready to create a first-class, organized, and detailed Upward Sports experience? Learn more at https://www.upward.org/church-leaders/
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