Vocation in Sports Ministry
Nathan D S
College Life & Mindset
10/3/12 Essay (Question 3)
According to Amy L Sherman, in her book ‘Kingdom Calling’, there are four character traits which are a must for wise vocational stewardship; servanthood, responsibility, courage and humility.[1] In a society in which athletes are idolized, there are few other vocations that can impact more souls, both lost and saved, than in sports ministry. It is one of the only vocations in which a platform of thousands, sometimes millions, of spectators/participants exists. At any level of organized sports there are so many lives that can, and will, be affected by what is seen, heard, learned or experienced on a field or court. Whether you are participating or watching, sports has lessons that can be learned by all. Since this is the case, what would happen if the individuals who were driving these events, not only had Godly character, but implemented it in their vocation, instead of separating it?
At the earliest stages of organized sports, kids learn some of the basic principles they will need to succeed in whatever sport they have chosen. Often, coaches will use this time to teach lessons they feel is important to help shape the character of the child/player. As we know, however, kids tend to see much more than they hear. The phrase: “With great power, comes great responsibility” could not fit more perfectly than with an adult who is leading the youth. Those that have the characteristics that Sherman talked about, and choose to live by these characteristics without compromise, have the power to positively influence an individual, who could then go on to influence many more. Every community has leaders who were impacted by a coach, and now do the same work they learned when they were young. In essence, that coach would have impacted generations! Brad McCoy knew this to be true when he was raising his sons Colt, Chance and Case. He knew that the lessons he taught them would not only affect them, and
College Life & Mindset
10/3/12 Essay (Question 3)
According to Amy L Sherman, in her book ‘Kingdom Calling’, there are four character traits which are a must for wise vocational stewardship; servanthood, responsibility, courage and humility.[1] In a society in which athletes are idolized, there are few other vocations that can impact more souls, both lost and saved, than in sports ministry. It is one of the only vocations in which a platform of thousands, sometimes millions, of spectators/participants exists. At any level of organized sports there are so many lives that can, and will, be affected by what is seen, heard, learned or experienced on a field or court. Whether you are participating or watching, sports has lessons that can be learned by all. Since this is the case, what would happen if the individuals who were driving these events, not only had Godly character, but implemented it in their vocation, instead of separating it?
At the earliest stages of organized sports, kids learn some of the basic principles they will need to succeed in whatever sport they have chosen. Often, coaches will use this time to teach lessons they feel is important to help shape the character of the child/player. As we know, however, kids tend to see much more than they hear. The phrase: “With great power, comes great responsibility” could not fit more perfectly than with an adult who is leading the youth. Those that have the characteristics that Sherman talked about, and choose to live by these characteristics without compromise, have the power to positively influence an individual, who could then go on to influence many more. Every community has leaders who were impacted by a coach, and now do the same work they learned when they were young. In essence, that coach would have impacted generations! Brad McCoy knew this to be true when he was raising his sons Colt, Chance and Case. He knew that the lessons he taught them would not only affect them, and