Abstract
The sports organization should direct its actions to the service of Jesus Christ. The mission of Athletes in Action is based on the growth of Colossians 1: 2; in order to spread the righteous faith and glorify the unity of God through team games. Sports activities can help attract more people to religion. The organization’s primary purpose is not to win certain competitions but to provide everyone an understanding that everything in life happens with the permission and command of the Almighty.
Introduction
Modern sport is a complex, multifaceted, and in many ways contradictory phenomenon. On the one hand, people have always known that movement is an integral part of life. On the other hand, people close to the sporting top often note that athletes rarely think about the soul. Consequently, it is essential to state that a sound and sober life is the key to success. Sports, in turn, do not contradict biblical concepts but, to some extent, can bring one closer to God. One prime example of a non-profit Christian sports ministry is Athletes in Action.
Mission and Objectives
The organization’s mission is to send athletes out into the world, assist, and train to create pure movements around the globe through the platform of sports. Everyone must know the person who truly serves Jesus. One of the primary purposes is to challenge contestants to think critically about their own identity and place within it. To this end, athletes are helped to build their physical and mental health. Numerous programs are created to give them a sense of the hope and purpose of following Jesus. The organization also seeks to integrate faith, life, and sport so that each person can feel their victory outside of a competitive environment (Aicinena, 2017). Unfortunately, sinfulness is everywhere today, but in the Gospel, there are answers to the problem. The foremost challenge is not numerous achievements but to gain victory over oneself.
The focus is on team spirit, and this requires frequent team meetings so that everyone realizes they are an essential part of the whole. A strong relationship between team members is necessary for a more robust connection to Jesus, and, as a result, it will help spread the mission. It is also a global purpose to have Christ-followers on every team, sport, and nation (Aicinena, 2017). Therefore, it is necessary to get as many people involved in systematic training and encourage interaction to build the necessary skills and spread religious principles globally.
General ministry concept
An organization needs to have its concept of a ministry. It is critical to remark that sports activities can influence the spiritual education of young people and support the idea of the ministry. The concept of Athletes in Action is based on the growth of Colossians 1:28 (Holy Bible, 1995). Learns must choose at least one day of the week to pray for each of the organization’s athletes and coaches. Thus, recognition of the spiritual care of athletes will be inspired to win. The concept also includes attending sports competitions to express relief for athletes. Coaches and spiritual guidance are also significant. Together, they will be able to work in such a way that before each professional training, players have the opportunity to glorify God for at least ten minutes and ask him for help and protection.
For the concept, it is valuable to open a church for the team. In this way, competitors will be able to receive the chaplain’s instructions about their spirit and body before the game. Accordingly, athletes will develop not only physical health but also religious principles. At the same time, educational materials are also essential for the opinion, which anyone can obtain to read the interpretation of biblical teachings. This indicates that modern people will be able to constantly improve their spiritual progress.
Biblical Basis for Ministry
Every servant of God is invited to serve and glorify him but in different ways. Thus, in each sphere of human life, there should be bells proclaiming the commandments of the gospel to build the kingdom and glorify God. Therefore, it is essential not to aim to win competitions but to spread the righteous faith in a sports organization. Personal abilities or skills are not as valuable to God as the urge to pray and spread the religion. The AIA promotes athletes and fans to follow Fruitfulness – ‘Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit… but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide…’ (Holy Bible, 1995). In the sense of sports teams, this means that Fertility suggests that athletes are willing to work towards a collective purpose. That is, to increase the number of people who are ready to come to the Lord and spread his teachings throughout the world. They will understand what the Almighty wants from him and have a sincere desire to dispose of knowledge carefully.
The following postulate is Faith; the way of life in the organization should be organized in such a way as to concentrate on the global purpose and not on personal requirements. ‘Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen… And without faith it is impossible to please God’ (Holy Bible, 1995). Team members need to understand that God is the driving force of progress because absolutely everyone is dependent on higher powers every minute. Therefore, humanity must refuse its ego to express gratitude and devotion to Jesus Christ.
Programs and Activities
The organization offers daily training in a variety of sports and summer camps as part of its ministry. The most significant advantage is the size of the teams, which are small enough for everyone to feel a spiritual connection with their teammates and counselors. There is a practice every day except Sunday so that everyone can choose the most convenient time and date. For example, baseball, soccer, and tennis are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are for aqua aerobics and swimming. Being a professional sportsman can be lonely, especially if trying to grow mentally. That is why each training begins with a 30-minute biblical discussion, where the staff connects trained athletes with a caring community of other Christ-followers (Ellis & Weir, 2020). There are debates, encouraging and tuning each other up in the Word. Everyone can express an opinion, offer an idea, and be heard. Through this interaction, people can find like-minded souls and mentors who can support them in their faith in a way that meets the many demands of the sport.
After the words of encouragement, the effective training sessions begin. The program of each exercise is unique and includes several stages. Practices last one hour and start with a warm-up for different muscle groups. Then the athletes begin a specific training, depending on the sport they have chosen. The coach supports everyone in a team, making each member feel significant. It is an essential element because each needs to understand how valuable their personal beliefs are to the system, both spiritually and athletically. After each practice session, everyone has an opportunity to talk with a teammate or coach. Sometimes it is essential to take the opportunity to teach one-on-one because not everyone can express themselves freely in a wide circle of people. Spiritual discussions provide even more motivation and opportunities for growth and point in the right direction. Every Sunday, there is a large gathering for all members. Newcomers and sophomores are welcome to join the team (Ellis & Weir, 2020). They receive an Athlete’s Bible, access to all faith and sports resources, and invitations to local services. Most importantly, everyone gets to interact with a caring community, and ultimately with Jesus.
Operational Concerns
In order to conduct productive activities, organizations need to clearly set up time management.This will serve to allocate time for prayer and sports. At the same time, an extraordinary moment is to attract sponsorship and donations to buy sports equipment to build gyms and stadiums. Moreover, given many planned activities, it is necessary to involve professional sports coaches with religious education. In this way, it will be reasonable to provide a spiritual connection during training. All these activities will assist in understanding the value of glorifying God to new personalities who want to attend classes (Trothen, 2018). Thus, the goal is to increase the audience and team members who can potentially join the religious movement in the future.
Conclusion
Athletes in Action is a unique organization for both solid and spiritual development. Due to constant and practical training, each member can achieve better results and find other Christ-followers. Through cooperation and shared goals, they will be able to carry the vital mission through life and gain resonance in the hearts of others. Each member can achieve the desired and become one step closer to God.
References
Aicinena, S. (2017). Implicit religion and the use of prayer in sport. American Journal of Sociological Research, 7(1), 56-65.
Bible, Holy. ‘New American Standard Bible.’ Grand Rapids: World, 1995
Ellis, R., & Weir, J. S. (2020). In praise of God: Sport as worship in the practice and self-understanding of elite athletes. Religions, 11(12), 677.
Trothen, T. J. (2018). Spirituality, sport, and doping: More than just a game. Springer International Publishing.
Appendix
Figure 1: Schedule