This is the fifth in a series of thoughts concerning the Sport in Ministry Map which was developed by Lowrie McCown and was detailed in “Focus on Sport in Ministry” by Lowrie McCown and Valerie J. Gin. (ISBN 193261100-2) For more information visit www.360sports.net and to acquire a copy, email Lowrie at lowrie@360sports.net. The more I have come to understand, to implement and to rely upon the insights of the Sport in Ministry Map, the more I have been effective with the various sorts of people we encounter in our ministry in sport.
One of the more challenging aspects of the Sport in Ministry Map is the contrast between “Mass Appeal” ministry strategies and “Specialized Appeal” sorts of ministries in sport. In most ministries, sport ministries included, there is a strong value on counting numbers and reciting statistics which validate our ministries. Like or not, it’s true. More often than not, the emphasis on statistics is to impress donors and to make comparisons with past years, other ministry methods and even to compare ourselves with other ministries.
When we are involved in sports ministry, this becomes a point of real conflict when we understand the implications of the Ministry Map’s insight that in Quadrants 1 and 3, Mass Appeal can be quite effective whereas in Quadrants 2 and 4 a Specialized Appeal will be much more appropriate and effective. This means that if you’re driven by statistics, you’ll be much less frustrated by ministry with Spectators and Novices. You can find many more Leisure participants for your sport clinics and camps than Players, Elite and High Profile competitors. Mass Appeal oriented strategies and methods of ministry simply work better for the left side of the continuum. One can cram thousands of sports fans into a stadium for a “Faith Night” at a professional sporting contest and have a High Profile sportsperson to tell his or her testimony and it can have a profound effect upon many. This is the most prominent form of “Mass Appeal” ministry in sport.
In Quadrants 2 and 4, the numbers will be much smaller, the preparation much more intensive and the field of vision much more narrow. Instead of speaking with thousands in a stadium, this ministry may be with one person over coffee. It could be a set of Players at your home, a safe place away from media and fans, for dinner and conversation. One’s ministry with a high profile sportsperson may require hours of preparation, prayer, study and reflection to be sure that today’s meeting is on track with his or her personal needs in pursuit of God’s purposes for this one person. What one sacrifices in terms of numbers on this side of the continuum is overcome by immensely greater depth of impact and length of relationship. These people are worth the time, effort and investment, whether or not they ever become the ones who accompany you to a stadium to share a testimony with the crowds. Let’s be sure to emphasize that we do ministry in Quadrants 2 and 4 for their own merit, not simply as a strategy to prepare them for Quadrants 1 and 3 ministry. Christian sports ministries have been accused of this in the past and we’ve been guilty of it at times.
We who work daily with those who populate Quadrants 2 and 4 must be aware of the differences in mindset between the sports fans who attend competitions and that of the competitors on the court, pitch, course, track or field. Let’s not fall prey to the all too typical “one size fits all” mentality and thereby fail those whom we claim to lovingly serve.
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