This is the fourth 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.

Another of the insights to be gathered from the Sport in Ministry Map is the contrast between an emphasis on Winning vs. the importance of Performance. Those in Quadrants 1 and 3 tend to emphasize and value winning sports competitions, whereas those in Quadrants 2 and 4 are more focused on their performance in sport. The following thoughts are meant to deepen our approach to ministry related properly to each set of people while employing this understanding.

 

Understand the emphasis spectators and novices give to wins and losses. These are the most readily understood and easiest results to measure in sport. Simply look at the scoreboard, there is the result. No mysteries, no questions. We have to tolerate the fans’ approach to sport when they ask us questions like, “How many games will the team win this year? Will they go all the way this season? Why can’t they win the big one? Do you think we’ll win tomorrow?” While we work to understand such thinking and can even converse with the folks in quadrants 1 and 3, we must not adopt this approach to sport or we’ll create a great distance between us and those we serve in quadrants 2 and 4.

 

Rather than speaking with Players, Elite competitors and certainly High Profile sportspeople in terms of winning and losing, we must find ways to engage them related to matters of their performance. Performance cannot be judged properly in the simple terms of a win or a loss. Quadrants 2 and 4 men and women scour their personal performance statistics to judge their development over time and their day to day level of how well they do their jobs and fulfill their roles with their teams. While it’s foolish to offer technical advice to those who daily achieve more highly than we ever could, it can be wise to ask good questions and to thereby engage the player’s heart. “How did you feel about your game yesterday? How have you been seeing the ball lately? How do you feel about your role with the team this season? Are you comfortable on the pitch so far? Are you achieving at the level you expect?” and similar questions can open a conversation with these people in a way that simply talking wins and losses never can.

 

In either case, with people who populate any of the four quadrants, talking about winning or performance simply opens the door to one’s heart, builds a relational bridge and enables the chaplain, character coach or mentor to probe more deeply into all matters of life. I often follow performance questions with relational questions (family, spouse, friends, teammates) and then deeper and more spiritual areas of the heart are much more accessible. Let’s be wise in our conversation and ask the most appropriate questions, leading to the most effective and heart-felt interaction with those who passionately love sport, whether spectator or high-profile participant.