Ben Wildman is full of energy, an insightful communicator, and a bold bringer of new ideas. I had the chance to chat with him about how he’s implemented innovation in the training of Sports Friends’ coaches – what he calls the “bread and butter” of the Sports Friends ministry, writes Sports Friends Intern DK Roy.
Innovation is starting with something you already have and improving it. For more than 20 years, coaches from local churches have been trained to use sports as the platform to share the gospel with young people in their communities.
Now Ben, in his role as Sports Friends Director of Training, has used new technology to take this to the next level. What was previously done through hard copy training manual books is now being communicated through an online training platform, making it accessible to leaders around the globe with just a few clicks.
Sports Friends has different levels and types of training on this new online platform. The Level One training is all about the coach and getting started with church-centred sports ministry. The new Level Two training is directed toward the player, with a deeper focus on ministry.
Ben is hoping to initiate a Level Three training soon, which will focus more on the community and the local church. As a ministry of SIM, at the heart of all this training, is the desire that no one should live and die without hearing the good news of Jesus Christ.
One positive of this plunge deeper into the digital world is that language becomes less of a barrier. Ben shares that at a recent global conference, a Sports Friend’s worker told him, “Because of this online translation option, you have saved me nine months of translation work.” He can now share this training with coaches in their heart language.
Ben reminds us that all this, of course, does not negate the need for face-to-face training that will always play a vital part in the ministry of Sports Friends. But given that Sports Friends’ coaches are scattered across 20 different countries around the world, they must make the most of the online tools and platforms at their disposal, even with their limitations and frustrations.
Ben adds: “We’re excited about what the future holds. The world is ever-changing with AI and various other developments. We’re open to seeing how we can, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, leverage the ever-changing world of technology to continue to make disciples and advance God’s kingdom.”
Please pray
• Pray for Ben as he works on enhancing all our training resources and better equipping our 14,000+ coaches to make disciples of Jesus Christ through sports.
• Pray for coaches who are using our virtual training platform to be beacons of hope in the communities where they serve.