“A coach will impact more people in one year than the average person will in an entire lifetime.”
— Billy Graham
Our Strategy
We equip churches and church planters to use sports to make disciples of Jesus Christ among young people, their families, and their communities in four key ways:
Share a vision for local churches and church planters to use sports as a ministry tool. We believe sports are a powerful tool for crossing barriers, building relationships, proclaiming the gospel, discipling believers, and planting churches.
Train Christian leaders to start up sports ministry teams in their local church or as part of a new church-planting effort. We train church and mission leaders in how to develop fruitful sports ministries that will make disciples of Jesus Christ in a variety of contexts.
Equip coaches for sustainable ministry through ongoing support, encouragement, and trainings. We mentor, disciple, and significantly invest in these coaches’ lives and ministries, helping them to live, lead, minister, and coach for the glory of God.
Develop leadership capacity of sports ministry coordinators, who will provide vision, guidance, and management of the local sports ministry movement and develop coaches at the local church level.
Wonderful to be a coach
A once-dead parking lot near an urban church in the United States has become a Saturday-night spectacle. It’s the weekly Futsal gathering. The nets and goals are set up to beckon 35-40 young refugee men from the community to come together and play small-sided soccer.
Coaching
A powerful connection exists between coaches and their players, godly coaches demonstrating His love can impact the lives of young people for eternity. Sports provide a natural environment for discussing character issues and life lessons—such as self-control, respect for authority, honesty, teamwork, and commitment—and these conversations often transition to the truths of the Bible. Team-based ministry is an ongoing, relational ministry, and we believe that sustainable, local church ministry is the foundation for relational evangelism and discipleship.
Sports ministry initiatives in the local church can take many different forms such as pick-up play, tournaments, competitive teams, or league play. They can use a variety of sports but still have a common focus: to make disciples of Jesus Christ among young people, their families, and their communities.
Blessed are the persecuted
Suzeni’s father believes in African traditional religion. His daughter follows Jesus and knows she is a daughter of the most high God. But her earthly father is angry about this other “Father” that Suzeni loves so much and constantly talks about.
Camping
Camping is a critical element of the overall Sports Friends mission and a powerful tool for coaches to further minister to their players. During Sports Friends’ camps, many young people encounter the love and good news of Jesus through crafts, dramas, games, and the relationships they build with camp staff and their coach who accompanies them. As the Holy Spirit works in their hearts, whether at camp or with their coach back home, many young people respond in faith to Christ, changing their lives as well as the lives of their families and communities.
Our work is guided by nine priorities.
By Prayer
Since 1893, SIM’s motto has been “By Prayer.” We, as a people and a ministry, are wholly dependent on God.
Church Focus
We serve and partner with the Church, believing that God’s primary means of relating to and transforming the world is His Church.
Church-Planting & Missions
We train and equip local churches, church planters, and missionaries to cross barriers and proclaim the gospel through sports.
Relational Disciple-Making
We believe that sports provide natural opportunities to build relationships and make disciples of Jesus in a non-threatening environment.
Sustainable Ministry
We encourage churches to develop sustainable and ongoing ministries, rather than event oriented outreach.
Grassroots
We focus primarily on sports at the recreational level—for those who want to play, improve their skills, and have fun.
Multi-Sport
We train local church leaders to use whatever sports are appropriate in their culture and context.
Leader Development
We are committed to identifying, training, and building leadership capacity for sports ministry in the Church.
Ongoing Commitment
We seek to come alongside leaders in order to mentor, disciple, and significantly invest in their lives and ministries.