It can be hard to get teenagers to attend Bible studies or go to church on Sunday mornings. It seems that kids are too busy with school or work to go to church services regularly. A lot of kids simply have no interest in going to church because they fear that other people’s beliefs will be forced on them. That is why it is important to offer something besides conventional worship and Bible studies to kids today.
Sports are being used more and more to reach kids from all walks of life. It can reach boys and girls, rich and poor. They teach kids to work together and make friends. It is also a safe alternative to other things that kids could be doing with their time. Ouachita sophomore Kyle Smith has experience with this idea. While working at an internship for Lucha Ministries, Kyle saw how playing soccer could help lead kids to church. “They Lucha let us use a local field house to play soccer in with young Hispanic kids and teenagers,” Kyle said. Kyle went on to say that by playing soccer with these kids, he was able to talk to them about Christ.
Playing soccer also helped keep these kids off the street. “Instead of doing drugs or getting in trouble, these kids were playing soccer and learning about Jesus,” Kyle said. “I think that is what is most important.” Kyle credits the game of soccer for helping reach these kids and change their lives. “Maybe next time somebody invites them to church, they will be likely to go,” Kyle went on to comment. The group from the ministry teams would lead Bible studies for the kids and would take any questions that the participants had.
Kyle has also used soccer to minister to people while at Ouachita. His Spanish class invited Hispanics in Arkadelphia to come to campus and enjoy food and activities for children. “My job was to organize a soccer game and play with the kids,” Kyle said. “It was a good way to show the community that OBU cares.” This was a good way to expose kids to a friendly environment and maybe minister to them a little bit. “Sports provide an easy way to impact the community for Christ,” Kyle went on to say.
Another example of sports being used to reach kids is in Midland, Texas. Nate Peace, a junior at Ouachita, saw how Ultimate Frisbee could be used to minister to teenagers. While doing an internship for Crestview Baptist Church in Midland, he was able to watch as students without a church were able to hear the Bible. “It was cool to see how many kids outside the church would come to play with us,” Nate said.
Ultimate Frisbee was a good way to bring in kids from the community into a church environment without any pressure every Sunday night. “Teens are more willing to go to play a sport than they are to go to church,” Nate said. “That’s why it is important to have something like this for kids.” Nate also went on to say that he thinks it was effective not only for bringing in kids from the community, but it also encouraged members of the youth group to attend church more. “I think that the kids of our youth group grew closer and learned to like each other more,” Nate went on to say. This could be a good idea for youth groups to come together.
Besides playing Ultimate Frisbee on Sundays, the youth group would also play water games and volleyball during the summer. “Meeting at parks during the summer encouraged more kids to come and bring their friends,” Nate said. “When there is no school, the kids can stay out longer and play volleyball and other games.” Nate gives credit to these games for bringing in a few students who otherwise would not have gone to church.
One other church that uses sports to reach the high school and college aged kids of its area is Harwood Terrace Baptist Church in Bedford, Texas. Harwood came up with the idea several years ago to open its basketball gym every Thursday and invite the students in the community to come play. Every week for a few hours the church would be open for all to enjoy.
This began to gain a lot of popularity pretty quickly; many students in the church’s youth group began bringing friends to come play. Then those friends began to bring their friends. Soon, there were more kids from outside the church playing than there were kids from the church. The youth pastor who started it, Rob Watson, saw this as a great opportunity to minister to the new kids coming on Thursdays. “I knew that the Lord was giving us a good chance to reach kids who otherwise wouldn’t be going to church,” Rob said. Rob began leading a short 15-minute Bible study in the middle of the open gym to expose the kids coming to the gospel. The kids were willing to listen to a short Bible study in exchange for having the gym open. Although the Bible studies were short, some of the kids would approach Rob afterward and ask questions about what was taught. “There were a few kids who wanted to know more about Christ because of what they heard on Thursdays,” Rob said. “It is cool to watch God work through something so simple as inviting kids to play basketball.”
As the years have gone along, many kids have passed in and out of the gym. There have been several youth pastors since the church began opening its gym, but each of the new youth pastors has seen its value. “I think it’s a great idea,” current youth pastor Jarred Bryant said. “It gives me a chance to present the Bible and play basketball.” There have been a few salvations in the few years that Jarred has been there.
Many churches are recognizing the importance of sports in its student’s lives. Kids are playing sports for clubs and schools and love the games that they play. It is becoming more and more common to see churches using sports as a way to minister to kids who otherwise would never see the inside of a church. Kids are getting very busy and want some entertainment wherever they go. Although nothing can replace Bible studies and actual church services, sports can have a role in church. In cases like this, coming together and playing a game can change lives forever.
