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This blog is the beginning of a series of blogs written for the Ministry Misfits Blog & Overwhelming Victory Blog, covering the importance of the Three Tier Paradigm & the way we approach our ministries. Everything we do within CSRM, Overwhelming Victory, & Ministry Misfits is developed out of the same Three-Tier Paradigm of Theological Truths, Philosophical Principals, & Methodological Models. This is done intentionally & transparently throughout the different ministries for a few reasons that we want to highlight over the coming blogs, & encourage everyone to begin doing as well. What is Theology anyway? We use the word theology to describe multiple different areas of religious studies, but in the most basic sense, theology is simply how we view & think about God (Theos - Logos | The Study of God). This is why we argue that Theology is the foundational & most important piece to both discipleship & ministry as a whole. This is because the way we view God affects the way we view everything else. We can see this in the example of some of the well-known evangelists of early America who differed in their view of God. Some viewed God as a “hand that holds you over a fire.” These men, while their theological contributions were vast and robust, emphasized God’s wrath & judgment; perhaps even envisioning God as a divine torturer. Thus, they could justify the torture of Image bearers, many being slaveholders themselves. Compare this to their abolitionist contemporaries, who saw the Love of God as the central theological model, & thus could not justify enslaving Image bearers. In reality, both God's love and judgment are biblical and are best when these two perspectives are held in tandem. The bottom line for this discussion is that how we view God, affects every aspect of how we view others and the World God Created. This also highlights for us why it is so important for us to preach a wholistic picture of Who God is. A belief that God is Holy in both His love and His judgment establishes the theology of how we interact and relate to others. Why do we start with Theology? As this example of diverse theological belief from an earlier century demonstrates, how we view God, greatly impacts how we live. People who read the same Bible often arrive at completely different perspectives on how to view & value other people, based completely on the way that they view God. This both presents us with a problem & a solution to what this means for how we read Scripture or understand the objectivity of truth. THE PROBLEM If our theology has the potential to produce multiple “versions” of God, how can we be sure ours is correct? How can we claim that there is objective truth when our experiences can so greatly impact the way we view everything around us? THE SOLUTION: Christocentric Theology Simply put, Christocentric means to put CHRIST at the Center of everything (CHRISTO - Christ | Centric - Centered). We see this concept throughout the New Testament (Matthew 28, John 1, John 17, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1, Hebrews 2, Hebrews 4, Hebrews 12, etc.) and it is crucial to our understanding of the world around us, Who God is, & how all of it fits together in the way we go about our Ministries. Why must our theology be Christocentric? JOHN 14:1“Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.” 5 “Lord, Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 “If you know Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” Christocentric Theology must be our foundation in all areas of life, but especially in our ministries & as we learn to view God & the world around us, and John 14 highlights this for us in two distinct ways. Jesus is the TRUTH. Because Christ is the TRUTH, we will not have to fear falling into falsehood if we are grounding ourselves in the TRUTH from the start. When we put TRUTH at the center of everything we do, then we will be able to withstand the falsehoods that come against us. Focused on the TRUTH, even falsehoods that may be dressed in Biblical & Theological language to try and pull our gaze, are able to be identified without fear. 2. Jesus is the Revealer of God We have said that THEOLOGY in the most basic sense is the way in which we understand God. A Christocentric understanding of Theology allows us to see exactly Who God revealed Himself to be. We see this in the way Jesus talks, those He chooses to minister to, the way He goes about ministry, & the way He chose to carry out the plan for Salvation to its completion. When we fully embrace this concept of Christ at the center, we are able to view God & the World around us in ways never before imagined. Paul refers to this in Romans 12 as a “renewing of the mind”, allowing us to see the world through the “will of God.” This is what allows us to be able to begin to understand what Paul calls the “Great Mystery of Godliness.” We suddenly are looking to Love those around us, even at the detriment of our own status or wealth or health. We are able to Love our enemies, even when they come to harm us & never repent themselves. We are able to desire the prosperity of the City around us, regardless of how that culture may differ from our Christocentric view or how that prosperity may impact us negatively. It's what makes us be able to go from seeing those outside the walls of our churches as our community, rather than as potential converts. It's what allows us to go from swearing at the official to remaining calm in the midst of competition. It's what allows us to go from coaching to win a championship, to coaching to make dedicated disciples. In every aspect of our ministries, whether in our day-to-day relationships, or our “official ministry roles” having a firm foundation of Who God is and being centered on the TRUTH that Jesus revealed to us, will allow is to be able to fulfill the ministry God has called us to. How we arrive at this way of thinking is the topic for our next blog & next tier of Biblically Based Philosophical Principals. You can listen to the Ministry Misfits episode on the three-tier paradigms featuring Dr. Greg Linville here: https://www.overwhelmingvictory.org/ministrymisfits/episode/435e8711/ministry-misfits-episode-3-the-three-tier-paradigm-with-dr-greg-linville You can listen to the CSRM Podcast episode on the three-tier paradigm featuring Dr. Greg Linville, Andrew Fouts, & Dan Stoffer here: https://www.overwhelmingvictory.org/thecsrmpodcast/episode/c447a180/csrm-podcast-fundamentals-of-sports-ministry-chapter-3-3-tier-paradigm You can find out more about the Three-tier Paradigm in Chapter 3 of Dr. Greg Linville’s Book Sports Outreach Fundamentals which can be purchased here: https://csrm.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/csrm/product.jsp?product=10& You can listen to the Misfits discuss the need for Christocentric Living with Joseph Dea of BuddyWalk with Jesus here: https://www.ministrymisfits.com/podcast/episode/7d0afc9c/ministry-misfits-episode-90-what-does-christocentric-mean-with-joe-dea

This was originally posted on the CSRM Blog in 2016, and is featured in Dr. Linvilles Book Sports Outreach Fundamentals. This series of blogs describes and explains the “5-B’s” of Evangelistic-Disciplemaking of The Sports Outreach Movement. This blogs continues the discussion with the fifth “B” – Becoming The fifth and final step in the 5-B’s Rubric is: becoming. Becoming is perfect as a descriptor because it communicates not only that evangelistic-disciplemaking is a process but also that “dedicated disciples” of Jesus Christ never arrive, but are constantly progressing. More importantly however, becoming effectively communicates the true essence of the evangelistic-disciplemaking process of the 5-B Rubric. The commitment to be about making dedicated, life-long disciples of Jesus Christ as opposed to asking someone to make a one-day decision about becoming a Christian, is significantly different. It should also be apparent becoming is impossible without the first four steps in the 5-B Rubric. A person cannot not become a person who truly worships and embodies Christ without: a) belonging: being part of a community; b) believing: coming to faith in Jesus; c) baptizing: being baptized in His name; and d) behaving: striving to live as Jesus taught. Becoming is the ongoing result of the first four “B’s.” While becoming is a resultant end, it is also truly an ongoing resultant end. It is an arrival/destination that assumes continual growth and development. The Conclusion of The “5 B’s” - The Relevance of the 5-B Rubric for the Sports Outreach Movement There may be no other concept more relevant to the Sports Outreach Movement than the 5-B Rubric of Evangelistic-Disciplemaking. On this Level #2 Philosophical Principle, hang all subsequent Level #3 Methodological Models. All local church Sports Outreach Ministries and each sports-related, para-ministries raise funds based upon this rubric. More important, all activities, outreaches and endeavors are built upon the philosophy of ministry...and of course, all Level #2 Philosophical Principles are informed and shaped by their Level #1 Theological Truths. If the Level #1 theological perspective of soteriology (theology of salvation) of a church or ministry is to “get someone saved,” (decision for a day), then their 5-B Rubric is, at best, reduced to a 2-B approach… belonging and believing. With such a theological mindset there is no need for the last three “B’s.” If however, a ministry’s theology of salvation includes “making disciples,” (life-long, dedicated disciples) then the entire 5-B Rubric is of vital importance. So, the real question for the Sports Outreach Movement is: is it about evangelism or better said, evangelistic-disciplemaking? Is the job of a local church Sports Outreach Ministry completed upon a person’s profession of faith, or is that profession of faith a most welcomed and celebrated step on a journey towards becoming a dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ? How Sports Outreach leaders answer this question will decide the future of the Movement…and to a large degree…impact the future of The Church. You can get a copy of Sports Outreach Fundamentals in the bookstore: https://csrm.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/csrm/product.jsp?product=10&

This was originally posted on the CSRM Blog in 2016, and is featured in Dr. Linvilles Book Sports Outreach Fundamentals. This series of blogs describes and explains the “5-B’s” of Evangelism of The Sports Outreach Movement. This blogs continues the discussion with an explanation of the fourth “B” - Behaving The fourth step in the “5-B’s Rubric” is: behaving. Behaving indicates radical life change from a secular, self-centered individual to a Christo-centric member of The Church. It assumes a person who has come to faith in Christ, has been baptized, and has embarked on a life-long journey of becoming a dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ. Like the first “B” – belonging - this may seem counter-intuitive and/or out of order for many church communities which prefer to see “regenerate behavior” before they administer the sacrament of baptism or present a person for church membership. However, the traditional “Celtic” view of evangelism believes that we cannot expect “regenerate behavior” from “unregenerate” people (for a deeper understanding of this “Celtic” view, see other chapters in the book from which this excerpt is taken). So, upon further reflection, the progression of the 5-B Rubric makes obvious sense. Behaving like Christ, can only come about, and be sustained by, people who have been empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Behaving as a Christian requires and is built upon three complementary areas: a) the empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit; b) the humble submitting of the new disciple’s will to Jesus Christ; c) an intentional discipling program or process administrated through a local assembly of The Church. Empowerment of the Holy Spirit The role of the Holy Spirit and all surrounding Theologies of the Holy Spirit are also greatly debated and controversial topics within The Church, and are also, not the focus of this blog. This blog will however, focus on what is agreed upon by all, which is all disciples of Jesus Christ are indwelled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Such empowerment is necessary for new disciples to not only think and act in Christ-like ways but also to want to do so. Holy Spirit empowerment works to inform the intellect, inspire the heart, empower the will, and enable the body. No new Christ-like and biblically-based behaviors will occur without the empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Submission of the Will The indwelling Holy Spirit certainly empowers new disciples, but He does so in a way to enable new disciples to work cooperatively in the process of submitting their hearts, minds and wills. No new behaviors will take place without a true submission of the heart, mind and will of all disciples. Discipling Disciplines The Holy Spirit is also vital in directing and empowering local congregations to envision, implement and maintain systematic and purposeful discipling disciplines. This would include beginning core contents of discipleship areas such as, information about and the practice of daily prayer, bible study, personal devotions and obedience to the will of God. It would also include how to witness to others about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. These introductory stages of discipleship eventually enable the next level of discipleship which entails teachings on what living a Christ-like life is like including significant insights into Christian ethics for family life, vocation and interacting with pagan societal mores. Eventually discipleship moves from knowing we should pray, to becoming a prayer warrior; Eventually, casual reading of the bible develops into engaging in, in-depth bible study and from being theologically ignorant to comprehending the great theological depths of Christianity. Other spiritual growth is observed including moving from talking about faith in Christ with others, to living in such powerful ways, that non-Christians are winsomely attracted to consider becoming a disciple of Jesus. Suffice it to say, no new behaviors will occur without a local church actively implementing a discipleship program for new Christians and the collective, collaborative efforts of the Holy Spirit, new disciple and a local congregation result in the disciple becoming a life-long, dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ. It is imperative for local church Sports Outreach Ministries to move new believers into disciplemaking activities within the broader church. The next blog will discuss the fifth “B” – Becoming. You can get a copy of Sports Outreach Fundamentals in the bookstore: https://csrm.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/csrm/product.jsp?product=10&

This was originally posted on the CSRM Blog in 2016, and is featured in Dr. Linvilles Book Sports Outreach Fundamentals. This series of blogs will describe and explain the “5-B’s” of Evangelism of The Sports Outreach Movement. This blogs continues the discussion with a description of the third “B” – Baptism Baptizing The third step in the 5-B’s Rubric is: baptizing. We come to what may well be the most theologically controversial of all the “5-B’s” – Baptizing. Views of Baptism have been the cause of many theological and denominational divides. Let’s first establish what all faith traditions agree upon and then the relevance of baptizing to local church Sports Outreach Ministry. Baptism is Vital to Becoming a Disciple of Jesus Christ All three of the Christian traditions (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant) agree on the importance of baptism but only the Protestant tradition holds to the “by faith alone” view of salvation. Furthermore, all three faith traditions, including a vast majority of protestants, would agree anyone coming to faith and converting to Christianity should be baptized, however, there are some serious disagreements about: a) the mode of baptism (sprinkling, pouring, full immersion, or a “dry cleaning” - spiritual baptism without the use of water); b) when baptism should occur (as an infant or as an adult believer); and c) perhaps more contentious, if the re-baptism of an adult who was baptized as an infant is ever right. While my intent is not to get side-tracked on this ecclesiastical (church) divide, it is worth noting there is no agreed upon consensus as to some of the baptism variations, but there is without question a unity in the belief that baptism is important for all disciples of Jesus Christ. The Relevance of Baptism to Evangelistic-Disciplemaking The relevance of baptism to evangelistic-disciplemaking within the 5-B Rubric has to do with how it impacts unchurched people coming to faith in Christ and engaging them in the third phase of becoming a life-long, dedicated-disciple of Jesus Christ. In addition, it is relevant to how a local church Sports Outreach helps such a people navigate their faith journey. There are three main reasons why Baptism is vital to establishing disciples of Jesus Christ. First, it solidifies the decision of new believers to become followers of Christ. Perhaps a better way to look at it is, that it reduces any potential ambiguity about the sincerity of faith. It’s one thing to pray a prayer in a quiet reflective moment; raise a hand at an evangelistic-oriented event; or make an affirmative statement about Christ with a coach, league director or church leader. It’s quite another to publically profess faith in Jesus Christ in front of an entire church, family and friends, and also to commit to regularly participate as a member of a local church. Second, making a public declaration of a private decision, serves as inspiration to all who were prayerfully and lovingly engaged in aiding the newly baptized believer on their spiritual journey. In addition, it also winsomely challenges others who may be considering professing Christ themselves to boldly step out and become a disciple themselves. Third, it forever “draws a line in the sand.” Whereas, looking back, people can sometimes become confused as to whether or not they ever made a decision for Christ, memories of going through Baptismal classes, the Baptism itself, and gazing at a Baptismal certificate hanging on a wall with a specific date and signature of the officiating pastor all ensure that it was real. Summary of Baptizing I believe it is vital for all local church Sports Outreach Ministries to make public baptism a necessary part of their evangelistic-disciplemaking efforts and process. I believe it even more important for sports-related, para-ministries to have their athletes or coaches who come to Christ be baptized in a local church; preferably the church the para-sports ministry leader is an active member of. Public baptism is often the determining difference between a “decision for a day” and a lifetime dedicated-disciple. Public baptism is no little thing. It is of extreme importance. The next blog will explain the fourth “B” - Behaving You can get a copy of Sports Outreach Fundamentals in the bookstore: https://csrm.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/csrm/product.jsp?product=10&

This was originally posted on the CSRM Blog in 2016, and is featured in Dr. Linvilles Book Sports Outreach Fundamentals. This series of blogs will describe and explain the “5-B’s” of Evangelism of The Sports Outreach Movement. This blogs continues the discussion with the four conduits of moving people from the Sports Outreach to the broader church. The belonging/believing starting point of the “5-B Rubric” provides natural conduits to the broader church. Conduit #1 - The primary conduit is in the form of relationship; either a deepening of the relationship the unchurched person had with the church member who invited them to join the league or activity and/or in the initiation and development of relationships with new friends who are also members of the church. Conduit #2 - Another primary conduit based on relationships is getting to know the pastor, pastoral staff and other church members. Sports Outreach Ministry leaders understand the strategic relevance of engaging other church staff and leaders in regular participation within the Sports Outreach. The most significant participation would be for church staff members to coach, compete or otherwise take part as a participant, but if ability, interest, age or gender precludes such participation, wise pastoral staff will welcome the opportunity to periodically (once each season or session) “stop by for a visit” or to lead a sports devotional for one of the leagues. The same would be true for all church staff. Conduit #3 – A third conduit for connecting non-churched Sports Outreach Ministry participants with the broader church comes through making them aware of other services, programs, activities the church offers. This could include a multi-faceted approach combining: a) distributing hard copy brochures and flyers; b) verbal announcements and invitations presented by church staff and leaders; and c) social media outlets. The absolute most strategic approach is for the various church departments to collaborate on synchronized ministries. These could include the sports and children’s ministries combining on summer day camps and/or having the children’s ministers prepare and deliver the devotionals for children’s leagues ending with a league-ending invitation to a special children’s day at the church. Similar collaborative approaches can be envisioned for the sports department to work with the youth, men’s, women’s, young adult and senior adult ministries of the church. Conduit #4 - The fourth conduit is often taken for granted, or never even comprehended, but should not be overlooked. As previously, mentioned, the very reality of being present on the site of a local congregation is itself profoundly helpful in transferring sports participants to the broader church. When the non-churched are comfortable on the church’s campus it makes taking the next steps for participating in other church activities much, much easier. The next blog explains the third “B” – Baptism. You can get a copy of Sports Outreach Fundamentals in the bookstore: https://csrm.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/csrm/product.jsp?product=10&

This was originally posted on the CSRM Blog October 2016, and is featured in Dr. Linvilles Book Sports Outreach Fundamentals. This series of blogs will describe and explain the “5-B’s” of Evangelism of The Sports Outreach Movement. This blogs continues with the sixth advantage of the second “B” - Believing Dr. Allan Tippett, a long time professor and missiologist, identified four distinct periods (phases) that new converts to Christianity traverse on their spiritual journey: a) awareness; b) decision; c) incorporation; and d) maturity. These distinct phases are truly evidenced and maximized in local church Sports Outreach Ministries. Period of Awareness - For Tippett, awareness was the initial process within the overall process in which an unregenerate (non-Christian) person moved from no awareness of the gospel to initial awareness of the gospel on the way to a full awareness of the gospel and all of its implications for life change. Period of Decision - At this point in the journey – upon full awareness of the gospel and its implications - Tippett assessed people realize a decision must be made. These, now fully aware people, could either choose to make a decision for Christ or turn their backs on Christ. An affirmative decision to receive Christ as Lord and Savior ushers people into the third period of the process… Period of Incorporation - According to Tippett it was now necessary for the new convert to begin to incorporate a new found faith into an everyday Christian life which would lead to becoming a dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ. Period of Maturity – For Tippett, a sincere incorporation of the Christian faith into one’s life would eventually lead to the fourth and last stage – full maturity. It’s easy to coordinate Tippett’s four periods with the “5-B Rubric” of the evangelistic-disciplemaking concept. The period of awareness coincides with the first “B” – belonging – or what some may describe as pre-evangelism. Tippett’s second period – decision – easily fits within the second “B” of believing or what has sometimes been described as evangelism. Tippett’s third and fourth periods can then be aligned with the last three “B’s” or what is often referred to as discipleship. His incorporation and maturity flow easily with baptizing, behaving and becoming… a dedicated discipleship of Jesus Christ. I recognize Tippett’s process for life change may raise a few issues along the great theological divide. This overall discussion falls under the heading of soteriology (the theology of salvation), which I considered in more detail within the book of which this chapter is an excerpt, but suffice it to say here, I believe everyone along the theological divide can resonate to a large degree with the basic tenet of Tippett’s process of change and its relevance for the “5-B Rubric.” The belonging/believing starting point of the “5-B Rubric” provides natural conduits to the broader church. These conduits are experienced in four basic ways and will be discussed in the next blog. You can get a copy of Sports Outreach Fundamentals in the bookstore: https://csrm.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/csrm/product.jsp?product=10&

This was originally posted on the CSRM Blog October 7, 2016, and is featured in Dr. Linvilles Book Sports Outreach Fundamentals. This series of blogs describes and explains the “5-B’s” of Evangelistic-Disciplemaking of The Sports Outreach Movement. It continues with the second “B” - Believing Believing The second step in the “5-B’s Rubric” is: believing. The word believing is used to describe the conversion of a person who, by faith, enters into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In the 5-B Rubric, believing does not pre-date, nor is it a pre-requisite of belonging. Rather, as addressed in the previous point, believing is most successfully achieved in and through the belonging of an unchurched person to a local church Sports Outreach community. All the realities of believing, including all the blessings as well as the “thorns” are in full view of all. It is what is often described as “incarnational” ministry, meaning the Gospel is being communicated “incarnationally” (or in the flesh). What follows are a number key advantages to believing coming within, and as a result of, belonging to a local church Sports Outreach Ministry community. First, it allows for followers of Christ to live out the gospel (proclamation) in and through “on the court” sporting activities. Through sports, Christians model how to overcome obstacles, persevere, strive for athletic excellence, be a consummate teammate, and also how to win or lose. Second, it provides for “off the court” opportunities for Christians to befriend and love those far from Christ. The Gospel is communicated as teammates and even co-competitors (opponents) on other teams demonstrate a Christian ethic of love in action (proclamation). Not only how the unchurched are loved – in heartfelt, Christ-like ways – but perhaps more importantly and simply, that the unchurched are loved and cared for by those they hardly even know. Third, belonging to a local church Sports Outreach Ministry community, leads to believing because it visually and verbally communicates “the cost of discipleship.” The unchurched person observes the sacrifices Christian teammates make for their faith. The costs are certainly made visible on the court, field or pitch, but perhaps more so, off the playing venues of sport. On the court, disciples of Christ compete in ways which are often out of sync with the current culture. This includes such things as refusing to cheat, take unfair advantage of, or physically harm co-competitors (opponents)…even if it means jeopardizing a chance to win a game. In addition Christians model the relentless pursuit of excellence in their sporting activities including, being the consummate “hustle” guy or “take one for the team” gal. In addition, off the court, followers of Christ can be seen making priorities of such things as their family, vocation/career and Lord’s Day church participation. This living out of the Gospel proclaims the Gospel, which is affirmed during postgame devotionals when insights into beliefs, commitments and involvements are shared verbally. Christians, who verbalize how the Bible influences their thinking, provide direction for their lives, and strength for enduring life’s many struggles communicate a rationale for their faith that is relevant and poignant. It communicates the gospel in real life color – warts and all. It all works together for the gospel to be perceived over a period of time allowing for a deep comprehension of the blessings and costs of becoming a disciple of Christ. Fourth, there’s no need for a transfer of new believers to a local church for a “discipleship program.” This is a most significant problem facing many sports-related, para-ministries. Coming to faith in Christ within a local church Sports Outreach Ministry community provides a natural process for moving the new believer through their spiritual journey to becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. In fact, a lot of discipleship occurs on a regular basis within the sports ministry community of a local church, particularly the emphasis on self-control, perseverance and other important discipleship areas. I’ll state it more strongly…the sports ministry of a local church is one of, if not the, best place for such character-based discipleship lessons to be learned. One additional significant aspect of this fourth point is, it is vital for new believers in Christ to begin to participate in corporate worship and Christian education experiences each Lord’s Day, and this process is greatly enhanced by the fact new believers are already familiar with the site of these activities because they have come to the site many times for their sports leagues and activities. More importantly, they will be escorted and/or welcomed by friends and faces who have become familiar through participation in the sports and recreation ministry of the church. Fifth, belonging to a local church Sports Outreach Ministry community has a natural accelerator-effect for evangelistic-disciplemaking. The power of observing others experience life change through the gospel cannot be minimized. Hearing the testimonies of teammates professing initial faith in Christ and watching their spiritual growth over the course of time is incredibly inspirational and motivational; convicting even the most reluctant and reticent non-believer. These experiences all act as an accelerator to the gospel taking root in the lives of unbelievers and, in addition, are great inspirations to all believers observing the power of the gospel. Sixth , the belonging/believing starting point of the “5-B Rubric” provides a great beginning for being affirmed by, and is also very complimentary with, the process missiologist have identified as being necessary for spiritual change to occur. This process will be discussed in the next blog. You can get a copy of Sports Outreach Fundamentals in the bookstore: https://csrm.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/csrm/product.jsp?product=10&

This was originally posted on the CSRM Blog October 7, 2016, and is featured in Dr. Linvilles Book Sports Outreach Fundamentals. This series of blogs describes and explains the “5-B’s” of Evangelistic-Disciplemaking of The Sports Outreach Movement. It continues to explain the first “B” - Belonging Overcoming the two “Dysconnects” So far this series of blogs has identified two dysconnects and how to overcome the obstacles for connecting people to the church. This blog will detail how local congregations can enhance their ability to connect people to their church. Build an Excellent Sports Environment The unchurched person is first attracted by, and feels comfortable within, a church’s sports program because they experience a sporting environment they recognize and understand, including high quality sports and fitness facilities and equipment which beckons them to participate. They choose to participate because of the excellent sports programs and facilities; they remain involved because they are warmly loved and welcomed by current church members who play, coach and participate alongside them. The two-fold key to attracting and maintaining unchurched people is excellence in the sporting venue and the warm reception of the people of administrating and participating in the venue. Such environments are well received by those far from Christ. Little do they know, they have begun their spiritual journey by “belonging.” Build the Sports Outreach Around Church Members Leisure Pursuits While excellence in the Sports Outreach is a pre-requisite for succeeding in overcoming the first “dysconnect,” the key for overcoming the second “dysconnect” is building the outreach around the leisure pursuits of the current church members. It makes no sense to create a high quality Sports Outreach Ministry in a local church if it precludes church members from participating in the outreach, because to do so, eliminates the greatest outreach asset a local church has – its people. This is based on the Level #1 Theological Truth that believes evangelistic-disciplemaking is best accomplished through the “incarnational” ministry of local church members. Building a Sports Outreach around the leisure pursuits of a congregation’s members enables church members to invite their friends, co-workers and family members to participate in sports and recreational activities with them. Such missional programming empowers church members to be personally involved in the evangelistic-disciplemaking process. For example, a church filled with a “twenty-something” age group is much better served hosting ultimate Frisbee leagues and tournaments, whereas a church populated with senior adults would be advised to incorporate more “life-time” sports such as golf, bocce and bowling leagues, as well as recreational opportunities that would include travel clubs, adult fitness or craft classes, and ball room dances. However, the church which consists primarily of Senior adults should realize they do need to address how they plan to attract the younger generations if they wish to ensure the future of the congregation. The millennial church also has an obstacle. As its members age, the congregation will need to adapt its outreach to include the changing leisure pursuits of its “maturing” members. The good news is, a local congregation that creates sport, recreation and fitness opportunities which mirrors the leisure pursuits of its members will experience the greatest growth and most importantly, will have the greatest impact for the kingdom because it has matched its sports, recreation and fitness outreaches with the leisure pursuits of its members. Summarizing the First “B” - Belonging Belonging is the first and primary step needed to reach secularized, non-churched, non-believers for Jesus Christ. By creating a safe and loving community within a sport and recreation environment, local churches enable and empower their members to reach people far from Christ. It is within this community that the unchurched experience the gospel being lived out and in which they can warmly receive the verbal invitation to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Once the gospel has been lived out (proclaimed) and verbally presented (affirmed), non-believers are ready for the second “B” – believing. You can get a copy of Sports Outreach Fundamentals in the bookstore: https://csrm.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/csrm/product.jsp?product=10&

This was originally posted on the CSRM Blog October 7, 2016, and is featured in Dr. Linvilles Book Sports Outreach Fundamentals. This series of blogs describes and explains the “5-B’s” of Evangelistic-Disciplemaking of The Sports Outreach Movement. It will explain the first “B” - Belonging Overcoming the two “Dysconnects” So far this series of blogs has identified two dysconnects for connecting people to the church. This blog will explain how to overcome these dysconnects. Overcoming for sports-related, para-ministries For sports-related, para-ministries, the key to overcoming both dysconnects, but especially the second, is an honest assessment of how difficult it is for a ministry to reorder itself in such a way as to be fully incorporated, and in full partnership with, local churches. Rather than seeing the para-ministry’s current efforts as the ultimate end, such para-ministries will best serve the kingdom by re-envisioning their goal to be about empowering and enabling local church efforts with the ultimate goal of making dedicated disciples of Christ who are active members of a local church. This is no small shift, nor is it done without extreme resolve. Overcoming for the local church For a local church, the difficulty lies in re-envisioning its Sports Outreach activities to be: a) excellent in all things athletic and, perhaps even more radical; b) to be aligned with the leisure pursuits of the church’s members rather than by “what’s always been done,” or by “what has worked elsewhere.” Regardless, both the para-ministry world and the local church world need to reorder their way of thinking (theological / philosophical) so as to create the most strategically-relevant and efficiently-effective model (methodological) possible. Intentional Reordering of the Sports Outreach Community’s Methodology The intentional reordering of a methodology is not only vital to the success of a ministry and/or a congregation’s evangelistic-disciplemaking efforts but also to the expansion and enhancement of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ! Summary of overcoming the two Dysconnects Belonging, the first “B,” is vital to the overall evangelistic-disciplemaking success of sports ministries because it is the “vehicle” which can transport an unchurched person along the entire spiritual journey needed to become a dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ. However, two adjustments must be adopted for most churches. The first adjustment assumes a local congregation is committed to provide a vibrant and excellent sporting environment in which the unchurched person encounters a warm and welcoming community of current church members. The second has to do with building the Sports Outreach around the leisure pursuits of the current members of the congregation. These will be the topic of the next blog. You can get a copy of Sports Outreach Fundamentals in the bookstore: https://csrm.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/csrm/product.jsp?product=10&

This was originally posted on the CSRM Blog October 12, 2016, and is featured in Dr. Linvilles Book Sports Outreach Fundamentals. This series of blogs describes and explains the “5-B’s” of Evangelistic-Disciplemaking of The Sports Outreach Movement. It will explain the first “B” - Belonging Belonging is the term used to articulate the first step in a person’s journey to become a “dedicated disciple” of Jesus Christ. It may seem counter-intuitive or to be out of order; especially for those committed to a theology that requires belief, baptism, behavior change and/or church membership as prerequisites to belonging to the church community. Yet, it takes but a brief reflection to understand belonging rightfully ushers the unchurched person into a community from which the gospel is “caught more than taught,” and thus, belonging leads to, and is often the pre-requisite for, belief, baptism, behavior change and church membership. Belonging is a vital first step for many reasons but before those can be explored, it must be recognized there are two major chasms, or obstacles, to connecting those far from Christ to a belonging sports community in a local congregation, and ultimately to Christ Describing and Defining the Two “Dysconnects” While sport, recreation and fitness ministries offer a most strategic and relevant tool for outreach, local congregations must find ways to bridge two substantial chasms separating the unchurched from becoming involved in congregational life, and ultimately from becoming dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ. These are termed: “dysconnects.” Misspelling is intentional because they reflect the dysfunction most Christians and Christian ministry experience as they strive to reach an increasingly secular world. The First “Dysconnect” – From the Street to the Gym The first “dysconnect” reflects the growing problem most local church sports ministries have in connecting secular people to their Sports Outreach Ministries. There are two relevant reasons for this recent “dysconnect.” Certainly the increasing secularization of society in general and the resultant discrimination and bigotry towards Christians has started to poison the hearts and minds of many towards anything to do with the church, however, a theological and philosophical shift in thinking by local church sports ministry leaders is a bigger concern. Many local church sports programs have implemented non-competitive models. This is based on a faulty theology that believes competition is innately and intrinsically evil. This includes such specifics as not keeping score, stats and/or league standings. In addition, many sports-related, para-ministries have created programmatic resources such as non-competitive leagues, camps, clinics and services which they provide to churches. The end result is problematic for any church wanting to reach those far from Christ. Non-competitive sports leagues lack the necessary strategic relevance and “staying power” to attract and/or keep large segments of the unchurched community. Thus the first chasm, or “dysconnect,” results in churches that are less able to attract the truly unchurched person to their gyms and/or keep them involved over a long period of time. The Second “Dysconnect” – From the Gym to the Sanctuary The second “dysconnect” has a much longer history, and has beset The Church for centuries. Both local church sports ministries and sport-related, para-ministries have always struggled to move people from their sports outreach activities to full participation in the overall activities of a local congregation, and thus their ultimate goal of making dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ goes unfulfilled. This second “dysconnect,” as well as the first, can be greatly overcome by fully understanding and embracing the utter importance of the first “B.” The answer for the para-ministry community and the local church community is however, much simpler to understand in concept than it is to implement in reality. The next blog will outline strategies for overcoming these dysconnects. You can get a copy of Sports Outreach Fundamentals in the bookstore: https://csrm.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/csrm/product.jsp?product=10&

This was originally posted on the CSRM Blog October 7, 2016, and is featured in Dr. Linvilles Book Sports Outreach Fundamentals. This series of blogs will describe and explain the “5-B’s” of Evangelistic-Disciplemaking of The Sports Outreach Movement. This series is a Level #2 Philosophical Principle of the “3-Tier Paradigm” and serves to succinctly chart a step-by-step Biblically-based philosophical progression of The Evangelistic-disciplemaking Concept from which Level #3 Methodological Models can emerge. Each of the five steps starts with a word that begins with the letter: “B.” It is conceptualized from within, and built out of, the 5th of “7 Sports Outreach Continuums of Tension” – Celtic–Roman as outlined and further explained in the book from which this excerpt is taken. The “5-B’s” in concept, are not unique to the Sports Outreach Movement but to the author’s knowledge, this is the first place they have been categorized and aligned as such. While almost embarrassingly simple in concept, the “5-B’s Rubric” is ingeniously helpful to all Sports Outreach Movement leaders who are attempting to comprehend and implement the evangelistic-disciplemaking concept in their Sports Outreach Ministry. This series has two sections and a number of subsections that include: The description and explanation of, the “5-B’s Rubric” of Sports Outreach The relevance of the “5-B’s Rubric” of Sports Outreach The Description and explanation of the “5-B’s Rubric” of Sports Outreach The “5-B’s Rubric” of Sports Outreach is a helpful shorthand way to encapsulate the evangelistic-disciplemaking concept and is designed to help the leaders of the Sports Outreach Movement conceptualize, implement and evaluate whether or not they are actually succeeding in making “dedicated-disciples” rather than the typical “days-decision” experienced by most attempting evangelism. Each “B” represents a clear step in the evangelistic-disciplemaking process. Each identifies a necessary step in the spiritual journey of secularized, non-churched, non-believers as they become “dedicated disciples” of Jesus Christ. Each “B” will be stated and then described. The “5-B’s” are: Belonging Believing Baptizing Behaving Becoming The next blog will begin the first step in the journey by explaining the first “B” - Belonging You can get a copy of Sports Outreach Fundamentals in the bookstore: https://csrm.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/csrm/product.jsp?product=10&

One morning, Jesus woke up early to pray. His influence had been steadily growing and large crowds had followed him, and He needed some time alone to connect with His Father. On the way up the mountain, His cell phone pinged. He had forty-three emails waiting for Him in His inbox. Jesus sighed, thinking, I’ll never be able to focus in prayer knowing I have this much waiting for me. I’ll hammer out a few of these real quick. Several of the emails were from members of the crowd that had been following Him. One of them read, “Dear Jesus, I heard your devotional the other day, and I’m concerned about the part where you talked about eating your flesh and drinking your blood. Many people left the gym that day upset, and I don’t think they’re coming back. I want to encourage you to stick to the things that draw people in. We’ll never be able to be able to build the new sports complex God promised us if you offend people.” Another was from Bartholomew, one of His disciples. There had been an argument among the disciples about who was the greatest, and Bartholomew was hurt by some of the things that were said. “Don’t tell anyone, because I don’t want to hurt their feelings, but can you please find me another team to play for?”, Bartholomew asked. Jesus typed a quick reply, assuring him that the tensions would blow over, and asked if he could grab coffee with Him on Friday. That was His day off to rest, but seeing that His calendar was already full that week from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day, it was His only option. He skimmed over the titles of most of the emails and flagged fourteen of them to look at later, dropping them alongside the seventeen hundred other flagged emails in His inbox. As He started to walk back up the mountain, He realized the sun had risen; the crowds had arrived for that day’s activities and were now pleading with Him to attend to their needs. Oh well, He thought. Maybe tomorrow. It was the fifth day in a row He had neglected to connect with His Father. He felt a little heavier than He had before, and somehow His mission had become a little less clear, but He figured, At least I’m doing ministry. Adapted from the short Devotional: Parable of the Modern American Pastor. Click the link to download questions for deeper reflection.