Written By Bob Schindler, Chief Operating Officer of CEDE SPORTS Losing Things I lost my iPad last week. I was upset for several reasons. First, I like my iPad. I have…
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Are you discouraged? Often fight discouragement? This past week I spoke with two ministry leaders who were in very different ministry contexts with very different recent circumstances. However, both were…
By asking questions, you are not only validating your listening and understanding, you are inviting more participation…
By asking questions, you are not only validating your listening and understanding, you are inviting more participation…
By asking questions, you are not only validating your listening and understanding, you are inviting more participation…
By asking questions, you are not only validating your listening and understanding, you are inviting more participation…
By asking questions, you are not only validating your listening and understanding, you are inviting more participation…
By asking questions, you are not only validating your listening and understanding, you are inviting more participation…
By asking questions, you are not only validating your listening and understanding, you are inviting more participation…
By asking questions, you are not only validating your listening and understanding, you are inviting more participation…
By asking questions, you are not only validating your listening and understanding, you are inviting more participation…
Out of a desire for you to understand more of what we do we decided to invite the people on the field to tell you themselves. In these blogs you…
Out of a desire for you to understand more of what we do we decided to invite the people on the field to tell you themselves. In these blogs you…
By asking questions, you are not only validating your listening and understanding, you are inviting more participation…
When Chaos Reigns 2020 isn’t over yet but it seems as if we have all had our fair share of stress to last the next decade. But putting up the…
Out of a desire for you to understand more of what we do we decided to invite the people on the field to tell you themselves. In these blogs you…
Written by Bob Schindler, Executive Director of CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports How Do I Know I am Winning? “At the end of the game, all I…
Out of a desire for you to understand more of what we do we decided to invite the people on the field to tell you themselves. In these blogs you…
Written by Ken Cross, Church Mentor at CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports Proven Results Thankfulness and Gratitude has been proven to increase the performance of teams and…
Written by Bob Schindler, Executive Director of CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports Many friends reached out to me after my sabbatical that I recently took to see…
Written by Ken Cross, Church Mentor at CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports Our Present Reality We have all heard about making lemonade out of lemons. This phrase…
Written by Ken Cross, Church Mentor at CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports Winners & Losers General George Patton famously remarked, “Americans love a winner and will not tolerate…
Overflow Human beings are complex, our actions even when thoughtless are not random. We speak and also act out of the abundance that is in our heart (Luke 6:45). There…
Written by Bob Schindler, Executive Director of CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports More Congregations are Utilizing SR&F Outreach Ministry* “Sports ministry in local churches is on…
CEDE Sports has some exciting news to share with their friends, family, supporters, chaplains, and churches. They have “acquired” or “merged with” or “united with” International Sports Ministries (ISM). After…
Written by Bob Schindler, Executive Director of CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports, Written for Faith Driven Athlete. I wrestled with this question.. Especially after losing in a…
Written by Bob Schindler, Executive Director of CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports I had just played the best round of golf in my life.. The round came…
Written by Bob Schindler, Executive Director of CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports Cancelled. The primary initiatives of sports, rec, and fitness ministries are currently either cancelled or…
Written by Bob Schindler, Executive Director of CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports In the last seven days, our world has changed significantly As I’ve talked to people during…
One of the great ways to find out someone’s story is to ask “How?” and “Why?” questions after you ask the person the “What?” and “Where?” questions that are so…
I don’t know the spiritual background of all the people who voiced them nor do I know their context but they are inspiring nonetheless…
If you’re a coach, a pastor, or a sports minister, you have the tall order of shaping people’s worldview on competition and winning…
This is not to say that gospel presentations are bad. They’re not. They can be a valuable tool if used correctly…
When you plug holes, you often sacrifice your standards on who can coach. This is not a good thing typically. And it always comes with a price…
Written by Bob Schindler, Executive Director of CEDE Partners – an Initiative of CEDE Sports This is not the way things are supposed to be! “Kobe Bryant and his daughter…
Story from guest author: M.L. Woodruff, Sports Outreach Minister at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Sports Ministry mobilizes people into ministry – particularly men. This mobilization into ministry is…
The Sports Minister and I were discussing the Ministry’s Leadership Team and one of the people rotating off. I asked if she planned to replace this person. She said yes…
“Way to go, Coach. Way to teach you players to play dirty!” the frustrated parent from the opposing team blurted out and then walked away. “I hope at least one…
And it’s not even numbers, it’s much more than that. There’s a spiritual maturity issue as well. There is a large percentage of men in the local church are who…
This reminder may be the most important you get today.
“I don’t know how to witness to people. I wouldn’t even know where to start.” Well, I know a good place to start. Start with you!
I’ve been guilty of it. I’m still guilty of it. Almost everyone I know in sports ministry is guilty of it. We, in the sports ministry world, are slaves to…
Sometime over the past few decades a mindset of “fair” has developed, calling for everyone to finish in the exact same place and receive the exact same reward…
I was feeling guilty as I sat there, just watching and not volunteering, as I don’t normally get some down time like that. However, God allowed me the opportunity to…
After being on staff in the Recreation Ministry for a little over 7 years, you can have dry spells that can be discouraging…
Post by guest author: Alexis Gandy, Intern at ROAR Sports The Start of My Story As a Charleston, SC native, I grew up in church and went to a Christian…
My answer to that question today is different than it would have been 15 years ago.
Nowhere else, the writer seems to imply, could such community, such “camaraderie,” be found…
If someone from your church approached you expressing a desire to use their love of sports to be missional, what advice would you give them? How could this person use…
Written by Ken Cross, Church Coach and Mentor at CEDE Sports “Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive each other, just as God forgave you because of what Christ…
It isn’t just sports that stoke my desire to win. In addition to the entertainment industry called professional sports, competition is something that impacts us every day of our lives…
With a subject like this it doesn’t take long for the many differences and preconceptions to begin to be injected into the conversation. We may become discouraged, or question why…
Jesus called the twelve to be with Him. Not only that, He was committed to bringing Himself to them. He was WITH them. They did life together…
You know, I think the hero of every one of our sermons, every one of our lessons ought to be the Hero of the Bible, which is not you for…
The way believers coach, spectate, and play sports communicates something about their faith…
Practice What You Preach According to author Jerry Bridges, we need to “preach the gospel to ourselves everyday” In chapter 1, I stated that the typical evangelical paradigm is that…
“All you’re doing is planting mustard seeds faithfully,” he explained. “And then if God wants to cause a movement on the masses, that’s really all up to the Holy Spirit.”…
Had I known the coach better, I think I would have probed into what appeared as a lack of continuity in his comments and his behavior.
7. Evangelism is necessary for your own growth in Christ…
The speed of the leader is the speed of the team. The pastor must be a model of evangelism in his own life…
There’s nothing wrong with feedback. The problem is most people are living FOR feedback, rather than FROM feedback…
The longer I am around sports the more I realize that asking for someone’s definition of sportsmanship is like asking for someone’s opinion. Everyone has one…
The Pain of Losing “There may be a few days over the next 20 years when you don’t think about it.” Phil Tufnell, England Cricketer, Loser in 1992 World Cup…
John Piper explains when you should share the gospel…
Disciple-making is an intentional process of evangelizing non-believers, establishing believers in the faith, and equipping leaders…
What you present as the gospel, will determine what you present as discipleship…
It’s interesting, the posts I write regarding evangelism are the lowest viewed posts on the blog. So, I’m hoping the title of this post has piqued your interest…
In Mark Chanski’s book, Womanly Dominion: More Than a Gentle Quiet Spirit, two coaching slogans are mentioned, “Play your position!” and “Win it!”…
Finding The Answer As I have searched myself and helped others along toward the answer to this “burning” question, I find it is important to know at least three things: 1) …
The basic concepts of the gospel — sin, guilt and accountability before God, the sacrifice of the cross, human nature, afterlife — are becoming culturally strange in the west for…
Missional Outreach Tim Keller wrote an article in 2001 entitled The Missional Church. In it, he describes the elements of a missional church. Below is a short excerpt from the…
Simple Idea, Profound Impact I came across this quote recently from Tim Keller about preaching: “A man who is not deeply involved in personal shepherding, evangelism, and pastoral care will be…
At CSO, we write on the brokenness of sports. As you read what we say, you might get the message that we think competition is bad. We don’t. However others…
Motorcycles are dangerous. I believe that propositional statement to be true. You may believe it or not. If you do, you can without that belief really connecting with you. However,…
We talk with sports ministers about developing coaches about as often as Stephen Curry looks good shooting a jump shot! Why? Maybe that is because the success of sports ministries…
A while ago I was in Dallas meeting with leaders from local churches to discuss the foundation for Sports Ministry in the Local Church. We talked about the why, the…
Written by Bob Schindler What I like about the show, The Biggest Loser, is watching people achieve what they have never achieved before but have longed for some time to accomplish. It…
This blog from the Cripplegate seems very appropriate for sports. Here are some excerpts: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. …” – Matthew 6:9 – Everything we ask…
The Reality Get involved with people very much and you find all kinds of problems. Failing health, marital infidelity, rebellious children, embezzling employees, fractured friendships – the list seems endless. The influence…
Failure is a part of life. We all live with the failures of others. More importantly, we also live with ours. How do you respond to these failures? Do you…
How does the world typically think of love? Emotion. A response we have to someone who makes us feel good. Christians like to call this infatuation more than love. In…
And one constant remains true, whether you are a coach, or a developer of coaches, and no matter how young or old your players are: Nobody is going to listen…
I once read a book by Bill Hull and he said something like this, “If the church does not make disciples then the leadership is in sin.” This shocked me.…
[return_button] As I begin, let me ask you some important questions: How is your Sports Ministry going? If you only have a one word answer like, “Fine” or “OK” this…
Steve Addison, Director of MOVE, confessed to the following: (for more, see this) You can teach an old dog new tricks. For years I’ve hidden behind the excuse that “I’m the world’s worst…
I enjoy the below definitions not only because of their theological correctness but also because of the beauty and poetry of the words. The gospel is good news indeed! In…
Not to be confused with last week’s post 10 Secrets of Building Great Teams, here’s a list from Brad Lomenick: 1. Humble yet confident leader– Humility and authenticity starts at the top. Confidence…
Most people wouldn’t see any problem with having sports facilities as their church. Think of the many blessings it provides. It creates opportunities for ministry, right? It’s centralized and easier…
Verité Sport exists to promote a Christian presence in sport, to take the teachings of the Bible and to apply them to sport. While Verité Sport is a new missionary…
I recently stumbled across this training from Jill Nelson and think it’s quite good. A summary of the training is below but feel free to click on the previous link to hear…
I’ve often struggled with the definition of these two words. I was using them interchangeably up until a few years ago when I realized that particularly the word ‘outreach’ was too…
We all have heard the phrase “sports build character.” In the face of this axiom, John Wooden objects. John Wooden is considered by many to be one of the greatest…
A creed is defined as “a brief authoritative formula of religious belief.” Throughout the history of the church, creeds have been used to help Christians understand theology by preserving truth…
Check out this post from Rick Warren. Below are some excerpts: Many churches have set the bar so high striving for ministry excellence that they can’t find volunteers to step up.…
I sometimes catch myself doubting that God could/would use me. He’s so big, and can handle everything on His own right? Yep, but doesn’t it bring Him more glory if…
This quote is from Charles Barkley. In light of this, a couple of questions to ask yourself: 1. Do you find this true of yourself? 2. If so, why is…
Leading is a funny technique. One that calls to me personally, but it certainly isn’t for everyone. On that note, sometimes I wonder if I feel really called to lead…
Ted Kluck, from his book The Reason for Sports: A Christian Fanifesto, gives this insight to the question: To many, the term Christian athlete means kneeling in the end zone for…
How big is your gospel? How big is THE GOSPEL? Is there a difference in the two answers? To answer these questions, ask yourself – What is the gospel? If…
Years ago a physician friend tried to gather pastors to work together on a project that would help the city. His comment was, “I finally found a group of people…
The season had just concluded. I was evaluating the adult basketball league with the EC Sports Leadership Team from East Cooper Baptist Church in Charleston, SC. EC Sports began in…
I came across this article from Christianity Today entitled Sports Fanatics: How Christians have succumbed to the sports culture–and what might be done about it. I’m still processing the article. Below are some…
I recently read Don’t Waste Your Sports by C.J. Mahaney. It’s a great little booklet which we’ve mentioned here before. It really is a great resource and is applicable to…
I think there’s wisdom in this blog entry from Ed Stetzer in regards to Sports Pastors/Ministers and their thoughts for their ministries and new initiatives. How often do you have a model…
I imagine two responses to this question – “What a silly question!” or “Of course not!” – both of which quickly dismiss the question. I would ask you to resist…
This is a provoking title for a blog but it may not be that far-fetched. I was reading through the Introduction to Ephesians the other night in my ESV Study…
The list below is from the Resurgence and is focused on neighbors but most of the principles apply to non-believers in general: 1. Find a road that leads to Jesus. In the course…
This comes from Logan Leadership. If you lead a staff team or a team of volunteers, just imagine the atmosphere of your team if you asked questions like these: How…
This is something I developed for a children’s basketball league that I helped run at my church. We had a formal job description but this was a supplement to the job description…
100 Division III athletes, all who identified themselves as Christians, were asked a series of questions that probed into the impact of their Christianity on their sports involvement. While the…
I came across this from Outreach Magazine. Not sure I agree with #1 at all but it’s a thought-provoking list nonetheless. In regards to sports ministry, I would certainly affirm #5.…
This one paragraph from JD Greear’s blog caught my eye and is so applicable to sports ministry: If we want to see people really brought from darkness to light… people far from…
Guest Post by Cindy Bledsoe Whether we readily acknowledge it or not, we all have certain beliefs that are at the core of our ministry, and what is more, they…
A few years ago, I was able to have a Q & A session with author Jeffrey Johnson on his new book Got Style? Personality-Based Evangelism. Below is Part 2 of…
A few years ago, I was able to have a Q & A session with author Jeffrey Johnson on his new book Got Style? Personality-Based Evangelism. Below is Part 1 of…
Guest post by Jason Miller Preaseason meetings: A crucial aspect or a waste of time? My wife and I have been doing Sports Ministry for over 10 years and we…
This is a very important question for every sports minister and athlete to ask. If competition only came after the Fall in Genesis 3, then as followers of Christ we…
I came across the below quote from Ed Stetzer recently and was startled by the amount of truth it contained. “One of the reasons many believers are unengaged in mission…
He was the best ever. Enjoy. “Good coaching is based purely in leadership… a positive example… and instilling respect in your players.” “Knowledge is not enough to get desired results.…
Guest Post by Brian Jones Flick: Are you kidding? Stick my tongue to that stupid pole? That’s dumb! Schwartz: That’s ’cause you know it’ll stick! Flick: You’re full of it!…
I found an article on Evangelism.net and it actually focuses on how to get new believers involved in evangelism. However, to me, the list could apply to anyone who is a…
In the Relational Outreach class that we offer, we often talk about how asking questions is the key to being a good evangelist. Deep questions uncover worldviews, expose a person’s heart, and…
I have a doctorate in anger – not earned but an honorary one (or as one of my friends says “a dishonorary one”). I told the story of my journey…
Awhile ago, I stepped out toward the fulfillment of a dream. After years of work, lots of prayer, and hope in God that he would do great things, He didn’t. At…
This was a 2-part series by Mike Breen and you can them here: Part 1 and Part 2. Below are some excerpts I found particularly provoking: So what is the…
Below is a guest post from Ryan Kendall: “There are many thoughts that go through a Christian athlete or coach’s mind during competition. I can remember many times after losses…
What are your big rocks? This is a question we frequently ask each other around Cede Sports. The question is based on an illustration I heard several years ago. Rather…
Sports and Idolatry – In Part 1, Part 2 an Part 3 of “How do you know when sports are an idol?”, I have tried to make this connection and equip you to deal with…
Sports and Idolatry – In Part 1 and Part 2 of “How do you know when sports are an idol?”, I have tried to make this connection and equip you…
Sports and Idolatry – hopefully you are connecting these two ideas. In Part 1, I said there are three important ideas we need to embrace in order to diagnose the idolatry of…
A fellow sports minister had a recent conversation with a coach where the sports minister asked, “Do you think you have a problem with sports being an idol?” The coach…
Good stuff here from Trevin Wax. Below is an excerpt: 2. Beware of the Ping In The Accidental Creative, Todd Henry warns against the Ping: “The Ping is that…
Via Michael Hyatt: The temptation of priorities. Weak leaders put themselves last. They mistakenly think this is more spiritual. As I wrote in another post, it is a dangerous temptation…
By Jason Miller Having a plan is good. Organization is good. Being prepared is good. But…is it possible to “plan God out”? There are some who will read this…
“If you were to die tonight, do you know for certain you would go to heaven?” While this question may be helpful in the course of a spiritual dialogue, it…
Batman. Superman. William Wallace. Indiana Jones. All great heroes brought to life in the movies! (When you think of a hero, who comes to your mind?) I longed to be…
As Christians, we tend to compartmentalize aspects of our lives. Going to church, reading the Bible, and praying are all “spiritual” things while the day-to-day activities we engage in like…
I recently ran across this quote from Paul David Tripp in a Resurgence blog that is an excerpt from Tripp’s book, Dangerous Calling. Because of what I do, I have…
A great post here from Justin Buzzard. Below is an excerpt: At our church we talk about 4 root idols that we tend to attach our lives to. CONTROL. You…
We frequently tell those in and outside of the sports ministry world the following: The job of a sports minister is the most logistically demanding job in the church. It…
The gospel produces in Christians both humility and boldness. Read what Tim Keller says: “When the gospel ‘comes home’-humbling and affirming you, it turns every believer into a natural evangelist…Evangelism…
The “Minnesota Miracle.” Alabama’s overtime victory over Georgia. Georgia’s overtime win over Oklahoma. New England’s late drive to defeat Jacksonville. The Eagles defense holding off the Falcons on their final…
In my working with people on outreach, I have discovered one of the most difficult things for them to do is start “spiritual” conversations. I put the quotations on the…
This is a question we often ask sports ministers in our coaching sessions with them. We usually frame it something like this – “If we are talking three years from…
Today is one of those days. I don’t know about you but for me there are some days when the brokenness of the world, the loss of goodness all…
“Of course, we pray for victory.” This response came in answer to a series of questions from Christianity Today to the Houston Astros Spanish-speaking Chaplain, Juan Jesus Alaniz. The…
Top 10 Mistakes Sports Ministers Make For 20 years plus CEDE Sports has been committed to come alongside Local Churches to catalyze a vigorous and effective pursuit of their mission…
Top 10 Mistakes Sports Ministers Make For 20 years plus CEDE Sports has been committed to come alongside Local Churches to catalyze a vigorous and effective pursuit of their mission…
Top 10 Mistakes Sports Ministers Make For 20 plus years CEDE Sports has been committed to coming alongside Local Churches to catalyze a vigorous and effective pursuit of their mission…
I might say this to someone I think has too high an opinion of themselves or their abilities. “Get a grip” would be my reminder that they aren’t or can’t.…
We are very excited about the future God has for us at CEDE Partners. In the light of that excitement, we have designed a new website. We have even…
We are excited to start this new chapter in our ministry to churches. Since 1996, our ministry mission has been to mobilize churches and chaplains through sports. During that time,…
Often times, we use numbers as ways to measure success in ministry. Numbers tell a part of the story but certainly not all of the story…
Often times, we use numbers as ways to measure success in ministry. Numbers tell a part of the story but certainly not all of the story…
We think one aspect of our calling as a ministry is to spur on gospel centricity in sports ministries within the local church.
Recently, I read The Big Miss by Hank Haney about his years of coaching Tiger Woods. One of my main takeaways from the book was:
The difference between High Performance teams and really good teams is the level of genuine care and concern the members demonstrate towards each other…
I had never heard of this short story but really connected with this idea. I often feel this way, like I haven’t scratched the surface of what I want to…
In your ministry or business, you can be one of two things: a dream maker or a dream breaker…
It begs the question, what “inner voice” am I giving my children?
If you think the Christian experience is supposed to be characterized by constant discouragement and infrequent victory over sin, your gospel is too small…
Here are a couple of thoughts about the Gospel that I have found very helpful:
A gospel which is only about the moment of conversion but does not extend to every moment of life in Christ is too small…
Good teammates are great finishers. They get the job done. They take projects across the finish line…
The author, David Thomas—a sports writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram—tells the story from preseason camp to the state championship game of the Grapevine (TX) Faith Christian School 2007 football…
So what sport do you think we have played or play the most in the US? Is it one of the traditional big three – football, basketball, or baseball? Or…
I recently ran across a fascinating article on Barna.org entitled “Futball to Football:What Americans Think of Sports.” Over the next several posts, I will comment on aspects of this article…
Supernatural fruitfulness cannot always be measured…
As a coach you have the privilege to train players and mold them into better players, but you also have the opportunity to mold their lives to some extent…
Obviously, sports is a place where coaches and parents have the ability to shape young boys into men…
Most churches are structured where the lay people do church maintenance and the paid staff do ministry. So you end up with, say, two hundred members responsible for the maintenance…
There is a way of telling the gospel that makes people say, “I don’t believe it’s true, but I wish it were.”…
If we’re honest, sports can be a contemporary way for ourselves to “make a name for ourselves,” right? Some of us can hide it better than others but the idol…
“How do I handle seven blown calls for the glory of God?”
“I’ve always told my players and coaches that something used to happen between us every practice, Conroy. Do you remember?”
Will there be touchdowns in the new creation? Grand-slam homeruns? Three-pointers at the buzzer? When heaven comes down to earth (Revelation 21:1–2), we shouldn’t expect anything less…
Our training and equipping should be general in nature and geared more toward principles and truths rather than methods…
I think if most people in ministry were honest with themselves, they would say they want bigger ministries to look successful…
We lost our significance and glory in the garden and we’ve been on a journey since then to reclaim it and in the process, we often choose to reclaim it…
Despite technological advances that make communications instant and far-reaching, Christians are becoming more spiritually isolated from non-Christians than was true a decade ago…
Because that’s where God comes alongside me and says, “I love failures – people who can’t make it…”
If we won we would thank the Lord for the win—— But never once did we pray DURING the game.
You may not think these two ideas – gravity and gospel centered sports ministry – have a lot in common. Hopefully after you read this post you will see the…
But gifts and temperament in the service of idols—and this is our normal state—always are a mixed blessing. They have a good side—they produce virtuous behavior—but they lead the person…
My understanding of how you reach a culture is Christians have to be extremely like the people around them, and yet at the same time extremely unlike them…
“You are the most introspective person I know!” I hear this often from people around me. Sometimes it is used as a compliment. Other times I sense a little criticism…
Over the years, the Local Church has had a strange, almost love/hate, relationship with sports. Three perspectives on sports – all unbiblical – have brought about the various expressions in…
All of us want to experience the power of God.
Take your time and slow down the conversation…
One of the most important skills you need as a ministry leader–especially a sports ministry leader–is follow-up. Anybody in ministry who recruits people needs to do this…
Recruiting volunteers in sports ministry often proves difficult. Every church and every ministry has their own strategies for recruiting volunteers. Listen to what Ritchie Miller, Senior Pastor of Avalon Church…
The above excerpt is from a training called Organic Outreach. Bob Schindler discusses the need for people to see evangelism as a group effort.
In 2009, Bill Maher made a movie, Religulous, where he asks a man who believes he will go to be with God when he dies, “Then why don’t you kill…
The question of how to handle a blowout as a winning coach is relevant at almost any level of basketball…
If you seek to be a good evangelist, then you need to be a good conversationalist…
So if you are choosing people to be part of your team or looking for someone new to give you a different perspective, don’t just look for someone you have…
It’s better to walk in the freedom of the truth than agonize in the disappointment of a loss! I know as an athlete you HATE to admit that anyone is…
But, who wouldn’t want to feel the way many coaches feel at the end? If you truly understand the mission and vision… if you put in the extra effort… if…
Unfortunately, what happens many times is that ministry teaches us to do the opposite. We want to be so different than “those other places” that we shy away from anything…
Here are some books that we would recommend any sports outreach leader read
I am writing a book and need your help. Last week, I was telling a small group of guys some of my recent highs and lows. I told the guys…
Should we invite our friends to church? Sure. But should we be, do, and tell the Gospel to people in culture? You bet. It is not only biblical, but it…
Here’s an interesting article from Kevin DeYoung and Ted Cluck about the local church that appeared in the Washington Post. Definitely worth a read…
Ascent in the sports universe is a straight shot. You set your goal, and you climb toward greatness. But ascent in the religious universe often proceeds by a series of…
As a coach, I prefer positive motivation (encourage, build up, correct in love) over negative motivation (discourage, tear down, correct in fear)…
ML Woodruff, our Sports Minister, asked me to consider being a chaplain for one of our baseball teams. After prayerful consideration, I told him I would love to…
1. You cannot rent any new equipment for a party. You must use equipment that you already own…
“It’s one of those tricky questions,” said former quarterback and current NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner, a devout Christian. “I believe God has your best interest in mind. How that…
“Does God care who wins?” Absolutely YES!!!! – with a greater passion than any athlete or coach or spectator has every felt but for a different reason, his glory not…
Do you see what these people have done? Going back to the previous blog, they have placed the outcome of the game on the ‘Unimportant to God’ list and the…
How do we determine that sports are petty? If sports are petty to God, what else is unimportant to Him? If he is only concerned with the “big things” of…
Want to start up some interesting conversation? Float this question out into your next gathering, whatever kind it is. Whenever I have the opportunity to do this, I have never…
I came across this book review today of a book entitled Introverts in the Church. Being an introvert myself, I was curious to read the review. Below is an excerpt…
In this video excerpt, Bob Dyar and Bob Schindler discuss the tension between big events and having people focus on the process of evangelism…
There’s more spacing. You avoid “magnet ball” and allow the players space and freedom to develop dribbling, passing, and shooting without the clutter…
However, people who don’t run, often miss the non-physical benefits. To me, these are even more valuable than the physical ones…
The boy-man is selfish, young, immature, addicted to games, immune to responsibility, foul-mouthed, and weak…
I know some of you dread Monday morning. Monday morning is typically when you have voice mails waiting for you about coaching, referee, and parent situations that took place on…
“I always give God the glory,” McCoy said. “I never question why things happen the way they do. God is in control of my life…
You won’t learn from this list why God needs to redeem the world he created. You won’t learn why his love is so significant. You won’t find any warning of…
No one enjoys legalism, but if the costs of football outweigh its benefits—and they well may—it may be best for many to take a step back from it and point…
I asked my ROAR team to send me the top 5 characteristics a ROAR coach should posses. First let me tell you, my ROAR team is made up of elders…
What personal qualities do top coaches possess that separate them from the good coach? Is it more the training or the inner qualities? Is it more coaching technique or the…
What I found interesting about these four practices is that they form a nice progression. As we know, in our culture, we often have to “earn the right” to share…
As I pastored for twenty-five years, I experienced firsthand the difficulty there can be in connecting with men outside the church. Serving with CSO, I also see the tremendous ways…
I often get asked this question – by Sports Ministers, by Pastors, by friends, by new acquaintances. It is a common question. In every case, I try to communicate the…
Recruiting by definition is proactive. Never stop looking for talent. Don’t wait until you need people. Look for talent 365 days a year…
Cast the vision, model the behavior, and give people complete permission to follow that lead…
1. Am I spending sufficient time in prayer to be the kind of leader God wants to be?…
Bob Schindler discusses why winning is a good desire but a bad goal in sports ministry.
“Perform at your best when your best is required, and your best is required each day.”
I came across this quote from Tim Keller today: There has never been a sinful heart that said, “I have had enough success. I’ve had enough love. I’ve had enough…
All of the below games could be played with kids of any level but would particularly be good for kids 6 or under…
Two years ago, the nightmare situation for any leader/organizer of a league actually happened – the dreaded walk-off (and we aren’t talking about baseball here).
When is it right to argue with referees/officials?…Never.
Unfortunately, churches often make things harder still by obscuring the goal—to become more like Christ—with a complicated assortment of activities…
Talking on cellphones has gradually given way to texting, emailing, and video chatting…
Bob Dyar and Bob Schindler discuss the tension between inreach and outreach for local church sports ministries.
With 4.7 seconds left in the game, JB stepped to the line with our team trailing 54-53. JB is the best free throw shooter on the team so I felt…
While I was commissioner of a soccer sports ministry, we found it necessary to institute an interview process for potential coaches.
In this video clip, Bob Schindler discusses what is successful evangelism. Most Christians tend to believe transmitting the gospel message or making converts defines success however Bob casts a different…
Several years ago there were a few things written with the theme: “Tyranny of the urgent.” And in 2016, who does not relate to that theme…
Tim Keller has a book out called Counterfeit Gods. In the book he tells the story of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Jonah, and Zaccheus and uses their stories to teach…
While the vast majority of those who visit this site are followers of Jesus, it came to my attention that some who visit do not have a relationship with Him…
Ultimately, I was frustrated because he didn’t care what I said. He didn’t care about me and my opinions. He cared about selling a product and he was going to…
Recently, I’ve been reading C.J. Mahaney’s book, The Cross Centered Life. It has become evident in many ways how I, along with many Christians in the local church, have lost…
Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches…
Ken Cross, Director of Training for the Sports Chaplains Network (SCN), one of the two “passions” of the Sports Outreach Group (SOG), recently began investing some of his time with…
A quarterly update from CSO on the goings on in the ministry: new staff, a recap of the REACHgathering, and special network opportunities and encouraging stories
What would change his mind, what would change the mind of many people resistant to evidence is a series of eager testimonials from other tribe members who have changed their…
The above excerpt is from a training called Organic Outreach. Bob Schindler discusses the pressure people feel to “save” the lost. Bob clarifies what’s our role and what’s God’s role.
I couldn’t help but think about how crucial it is for leaders to cast vision for their people. The Bible tells us that where there is no vision the people…
Are you excited about the gospel? If not, and in you’re in sports ministry, chances are that neither are your coaches and volunteers…
“Did you see that parent smoking near the parking lot? We can’t have those people in our ministry!”…
Do you have a plan on how to get seekers/non-believers from your sports ministry connected to your church?…
Attentiveness to Detail-You must prepare to win in order to be a winner. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail…
I met my newest hero a couple years ago. His name is Kenny Sailors. He is credited with inventing “the jump shot as an alternative to the two-handed, flat-footed set…
There can be such a fine line between winning and losing though. You can play great…and lose. You can play horrible…and win…
Most Christians are willing to serve the lost, but would never ask the lost to serve them in some way in order to build a genuine friendship…
Did you know that 95% of Christians have never led another person to Christ?…
Recently, I’ve been studying the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son in Luke 15. Luke 15 begins by saying, “Now the tax collectors and…
Well, another REACHgathering is in the books. For three days (April 19-21) about 150 people, who are dedicated to using sports to reach people with the Good News, met at Bellevue…
Ken Bain concludes after much observation, research, and analysis that humility is crucial to good teaching…
“Though I learned some things from the games we won that year, I learned much, much more from loss.”
The local church is the hope of the world. Unless we are physically unable, every Christian should be a part of a church…
Lying in sports can get you ejected from a game or suspended or…banned? It’s happened before, and I don’t even have to provide names for all the athletes who chose that…
Looking around the blog posts today, I found one that stuck out to me immediately. “Dream Maker vs. Dream Breaker” was the title and it was obvious to me which…
When I read this old post about “The Gathering” and how it was such an encouraging time for everyone, it only got me more excited for this year’s REACHgathering on April…
The bulk of ministry efforts during summer camps are focused on the campers who will attend camp..
The second way you can harness the power of summer camps for ministry is to look for both structured and non-structured ministry opportunities…
A while ago there was a short post about Fantasy Sports and the opportunities that might be there for ministry. “I recently read where 11% of the U.S. population plays one or…
The gospel message is shared not only in devotional time, but is integrated throughout the day in multiple ways and through various activities…
This past blog post caught my eye because of its honesty and how it rung so true. Sports do hold great power. Some of it is so strong, it can…
Several years ago Christianity Today wrote an article called “Sports Fanatics: How Christians have succumbed to the sports culture–and what might be done about it.” It certainly created a little…
Conflict happens all the time–you can’t avoid it. What you can do though is help people deal with conflict Biblically. As we all know though, that rarely happens with sports…
I really got a lot out of the following quote: “Real life change is a ‘process’. CSO continually talks about how relational outreach is the best approach in the sports…
A good coach can quickly identify the players with potential to be truly exceptional in their sport. A great coach finds ways to develop that potential, encouraging and challenging the…
Years ago, my wife sent me a text message that simply stated: “What have you done for God today?”…
“In a networking church (sports outreach ministry), you must be either a seeker, a bringer, or a cell leader (follow-up) or you are dead weight…
What if your church evaluated your sports ministry by these rules below? What if your participants did as well?…
This blog post, inspired from Ron Edmondson, was spot on with what I deal with too often. With my friends, sadly I am notorious for how much I worry…
The job of a sports minister is one of the most logistically-demanding jobs in ministry. As a result, many of the “spiritual and ministry” priorities of the job (and as…
My boss wrote a blog post a few years ago about the celebrations of athletes. It is more relevant now there are these stories between Cam Newton and Peyton Manning, QB’s of…
The truth sure hurts sometimes. What’s more, we have to choose how to react to it. Depending on what it reveals may reveal something for which we aren’t prepared. This guest post hit home…
REACHgathering is for sports ministers in local churches. We launched REACH with the desire to catalyze and further unite the movement of local church sports ministries and ministers (both vocational…
Think about what God has called us (Sports Outreach Leaders) to do! God has called us to be a part of changing people’s lives. Can we do that? Absolutely not!…
The Church ends up with two extremes – either thinking playing like Christ is to play “nice” or to think that playing to the glory of God is not really…
Here are a couple of posts from the past that may help you with your upcoming basketball practices. Enjoy!…
The following is a short video excerpt (1 min., 45 sec.) of Bob Dyar and Bob Schindler discussing the three styles of evangelism (Proclamational, Confrontational, and Relational) and how Relational…
Even though February is halfway done, look back at 2015 as 2016 speeds on (hopefully not out of control!) and all that’s to come this year. Maybe you’re like me…
After a game, what a parent/coach celebrates is what a child emulates…
“When we get together, it is not “just another meeting”; it is a time for us to encourage, love, and inspire each other in the ministries we work in…..”
We have established that we live in a compartmentalized world – with tragic results in life and in sports. Coaches, who appear calm and cool outside of sports, lose it on the…
The post of these drills listed below continues to be the #1 visited part of our website. These games could be used for players of all ages but would probably work best…
I watched Hoosiers the other night and was reminded again how it’s not just a great sports movie, but a great movie. Afterwards, I was curious about the making of the film and…
I’ve said. You’ve probably said it. It’s probably uttered every Saturday on fields and courts across the country. It’s the ultimate retort to any sore loser or hyper-competitor…
Yesterday, I wrote about a recent blowout in a California high school girls’ basketball game, where the final score was 161-2. I quoted Colin Cowherd from ESPN, who played down the uproar over…
What is the gospel? Answering that question may be more difficult, controversial and critical than you think…
What was it that created such loyalty, respect and love? Entire books have been written on Coach Wooden; many of them shed light on the answer to that question…
Mike Matheny is the current manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. Like most managers, he is a former player. In between his playing days and his coaching career though he…
In part 1, I encouraged you to ponder about the structure of you ministry, to consider, like Goldilocks and the three bears, “Is it too little, too much, or just right?” …
This list is from Tony Morgan and it’s geared toward churches in general. All the principles apply to a sports ministry though. A church website brings people to your church.…
I came across this article and here’s what it says: 1. Fast-pitch softball 2. Ice Hockey 3. Rugby We’ll be posting more on current trends in sports this week so stay…
3D Devotionals are an innovative way to integrate the concepts of sports, life, and spiritual truth. You can receive a set of these 3D Devotionals FREE. To see how, click…
I came across this article from the Wall Street Journal and it has some really good research. Below are the stats: From 2000 to 2009, the latest year for which figures are…
Tim Briggs came across the below excerpt at J.D. Greear’s blog and, to give a little context, this is his first point on his criticism of children’s curriculum: Most “new-church-friendly”…
The below video is an excerpt from a training entitled: The Most Important Question A Coach Should Ask. In this excerpt, Bob Schindler explains how to use life principles to…
I’m running a three day sports camp at my church this week (for children ages 4-10) and I wrote this 3 part devotional entitled The Power of Teams. Below is a…
I came across this article that outlines five steps North Point Community Church (where Andy Stanley is the Senior Pastor) does to recruit, train, and retain volunteers. Volunteers are so…
If you only had one idea to share with someone to help them develop/recover a zeal for evangelism, what would you say? What would be your elevator speech? I know,…
3D Devotionals are a revolutionary way to integrate the concepts of sports rules/principles, life, and spiritual truth. Watch as Bob Schindler explains this system. In our efforts to bring Christianity…
Even if Oscar Pistorius is found to be innocent, the words of Al Mohler below are still relevant (bolding mine): From the most recent Baseball Hall of Fame vote to…
This was a really provocative article, especially for someone who has strong views on the subject. Below are some excerpts followed by my thoughts: In fact, some Christian athletes and…
For over two decades now, Phil Mickelson has been one of the best golfers on the PGA tour. If not for Tiger Woods, he would be talked about as the…
At 37 years old, most NBA players have been retired for years. Not Ray Allen. He is still playing at a high level coming off the bench for the Miami…
Last night, the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New England Patriots by a score of 28-13 to advance to the Superbowl. One of the stars of the game for the Ravens was WR…
In part one, I quoted Ted Kluck from his book The Reason for Sports: A Christian Fanifesto asking the question: To many, the term Christian athlete means kneeling in the end zone for…
In what was a great weekend of NFL playoff games, perhaps the best of all of them was the Broncos/Ravens game. It was a game full of story lines: Peyton…
With this in mind, the Sports & Theology series addresses the worldviews of professional athletes. We’ve done a number of these posts on basketball players. Enjoy!…
Here are the top eight blogs from December. Enjoy!…
In the last couple of days, I’ve come across some blogs/resources to help in evaluating the past year and planning ahead for the future. Enjoy!…
We posted this on Twitter and Facebook but in case you missed it, here are the top 22 posts from the blog in 2012 as chosen by the CSO Staff.…
To learn more about these posts, see our first one on Kobe Bryant. *It has been unintentional that the first three of these posts have all focused on NBA players. It’s…
Great article here from Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel regarding Mark Richt and Georgia’s chances at a national championship. Below are some quotes from Mark Richt regarding his faith: “Do I want…
For me, it’s hard to hear the word ‘image’ without thinking of Andre Agassi. For those of you who don’t know, Andre Agassi was one of the greatest tennis players…
“Out of 132 contacts that Jesus had with people recorded in the New Testament, 6 were in the temple, 4 were in the synagogue, and 122 were out in the…
This is a great article detailing the new sports complex being built by Appleton Alliance Church in Appleton, WI. We had the privilege of helping this church start their sports…
If you’ve been on Facebook lately, you’ve been seeing these posters/memes going around about different occupations. Here’s my take on ‘Sports Minister.’ Feel free to share this.
When you connect sports to life principles to spiritual truth (and vice versa), it resonates with people…
Bold the things you want read. Understand that every word won’t be read. By “bolding” the important words, you ensure that they’ll be read…
If you’ve never watched a NASCAR event before you may not know that they have a prayer before every race. Usually, they will have a local pastor lead the prayer. …
Derwin Gray, pastor of Transformation Church, writes about a new kind of sports ministry. You can read the full blog here. Recently, I was asked if Transformation Church is going…
I came across this at Resurgence and I thought it applied really well to sports ministry: 1. I do, we do, you do. Kids internalize concepts through gradual release: a…
Some may find it interesting that VBS’s originally were created as an outreach opportunity. For mostchurches though, VBS has become yet another program for church members. There’s nothing wrong with that…
I had not heard of the Tebow statue until I read this article. The statue clearly shows Tim Tebow with his patented John 3:16 inscription on his eye black. In…
I just read this article from The Christian Post asking the question of ‘Is There a Next Billy Graham?’ Interestingly enough, Billy Graham hopes there isn’t. Here’s why: Billy Graham published a…
Courtesy of J.D. Payne from Ed Stetzer’s blog: In your estimation, what are the top 3 reasons Christians don’t share the gospel with the lost? Aside from general disobedience, I believe…
Not to be a downer, but I should first start out by saying that there’s not a lot of full-time sports ministry jobs out there at local churches. If you…
I recently came across the below stats and I thought I would share them: More than 65% of children say they participate in sports to be with friends Top reasons…
If you would like to learn more about this book, see Part 1. Here are some more quotes: “First, we play to the glory of God by thanking him for…
Over the course of 2011, we hope to highlight new sports that have been recently created. As sports ministry leaders, we have the ability to be innovative and to leverage…
I want to get to the other side, but not sure of what this time is all about. We are in the meantime. I was reminded that I need to…
I’m constantly reminding myself that my goal is not to get someone participating in our activities to attend our church. My goal is to move them one step closer to…
I came across this resource from Sovereign Grace Ministries lately. It looks to have a lot of the same material as our Theology of Competition class…
First, consider the façade of friendship that can be created by social networking. It has the potential to foster shallow relationships and detract from real ones…
Just for fun, I thought I would post this. I bet you’ve never seen a play like this before…
Our senior pastor (who has been here seven years) said that this has been the single most effective thing we have done to become visible and attractive in our immediate…
People will look at the present situation and agree together that there’s a better future that must be pursued. People will give their time, energy, prayer, financial resources, talents and…
Found this to be very helpful. It comes via Ed Stetzer’s blog: A preacher of the Gospel – the greatest form of evangelism is simply preaching the Gospel. Can be male or…
The above excerpt is from a training called Organic Outreach. Bob Schindler discusses the stages people are in before making a decision to follow Christ.
In this video blog, Bob Dyar gives a quick overview of CSO as well as talking about the importance of coaching…
Since this is Coaches Week on the blog, we’re hoping that many of you are new here. If so, below I’ve posted some past blog entries that may be of…
I came across this article today and it seemed fitting to post it here on the heels of Ryan’s blog entry. It’s about the new movie The Blind Side starring…
This week on the blog we will be posting content geared towards those who are coaches at local churches doing sports outreach…
In this Vodcast Bob Dyar and Bob Schindler discuss the new features of the CSO website: the CSO Network, the CSO Blog, and Church Pages. Watch the Vodcast for a…
I have often had grand plans in my head of what a certain sports outreach event will look like. Disappointment sets in when little details do not work out as…
Just as a fungus spreads gradually unseen and then seemingly all at once takes over, we want passion and priority for relational outreach in our leagues to spread one to…
Sports Ministry has all kinds of challenges that push us into new environments that we may or may not enthusiastically embrace…
Living in Northeast Wisconsin in November means two things for a Sports Outreach Ministry leader: #1…Never schedule anything from Noon to 3:00pm on a Sunday. #2…Make sure you set the…
This is an audio excerpt from a message Bob Schindler gave in 2007 about how to deal with behavioral issues in sports ministry. If you’ve been in sports ministry for…
This is a short audio excerpt (1 min., 1 sec.) from Bob Schindler at a breakout session at the CSRM conference in 2007. Bob spoke about how Senior Pastors look…
This is a short audio excerpt (1 min., 8 sec.) from Bob Schindler at a breakout session at the CSRM conference in 2007. Bob spoke about how to take sports…
In this video excerpt, Bob Dyar and Bob Schindler discuss the tension between inreach and outreach with sports ministries in local churches…
As you’ve probably noticed–we have a new website! In the coming weeks, we will film a vodcast to announce the change but until then, feel free to browse the site.
This video is currently posted on the Uniqueness page of the CSO website. We feel as if there are 5 things that make CSO distinct…
Around the Web (10/5/09)
This past week we filmed a number of video segments for the new website as well as the Resource Center. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be posting some…