Soul Training - 7 Keys to Coaching the Faith of Elite Sportspeople - Part 13

This is the final in a long series of posts featuring excerpts from my new book, Soul Training - 7 Keys to Coaching the Faith of Elite Sportspeople. https://www.crosstrainingpublishing.com/shop/soul-training

Challenge

If your ministry role has you serving elite level, professional, high-profile competitors or the coaches who lead them, you are in a unique position. You are among a select few people who will be allowed into their circle of friends, teammates, and colleagues. Yours is a place of remarkable privilege and immense responsibility.

Further, if this person has shown interest in growing his or her relationship with Christ Jesus, you are given a tremendous opportunity. As you step into this unique and transformational role, may I remind you of these simple points of emphasis?

·      Respect their time constraints.

·      Embrace their sport’s culture.

·      Communicate directly.

·      Demonstrate genuine interest in them.

·      Invite them into your home.

·      Love extravagantly.

·      Serve selflessly.

Keep your approach to the faith development of those in your charge simple and clear. Help them build a strong, enduring, dynamic relationship with Christ Jesus through prayer and study. Help them to also build relationships with other believers, as well as with those yet to believe.

As we walk with these people of sport, the ripple effects of our service with them have an incalculable impact across years, decades, and lifetimes. Our service will be most evident in how they compete, how they live as spouses and parents, and how they share their faith with others.