Training a select group at Stewartstown Baptist Church in sports evangelism for local outreach

Sports can provide a unique opportunity for Christians to share the gospel with people who do not believe in Jesus. Sports can connect people from various walks of life as children from all walks of life and different economic levels can play sports with one another. Parents can sit with friends and watch the children play, and children on the team talk before and after the game. Sports bring people together to help form relationships. How can Christians share the gospel using sports? Should church leadership train Christians to engage in sports and share the gospel with others? Christians can engage in sports and utilize the opportunity to build relationships with others in order to share the gospel.;The project director led a select group of active church members from Stewartstown Baptist Church through a training process to equip them to share the gospel with others. The project director developed training sessions based upon the examination of authored works in the areas of evangelism and sports ministry. The training focused on equipping the members of Stewartstown Baptist to take a relational/missional approach in evangelism.;Three conclusions were drawn from the project. First, church members desire to share the gospel but often do not know how to connect personal faith with everyday life. Second, sports provide an opportunity to build relationships with others, which can lead to chances to share the gospel with others. Third, leadership must focus on equipping church members to share the gospel in a relational way through everyday living and not rely solely on attractional events.