Youth Sports and Discipleship: Conflict or Opportunity?

It’s 9am on Sunday and the soccer game whistle blows — at the same time the church service begins. What should a Christian family do? Where should they be?

Let me personalize this and describe two kinds of people I know:

First, are faithful followers of Jesus who love their church and are doing their best to integrate their kid’s sports involvement with their other priorities. “The practices and weekend tournaments can be a lot but we’re doing what we can to juggle everything together” is the sentiment of these parents.  

Second, are faithful pastors and church leaders who love these very families but sometimes bemoan how sports can get in the way of greater church involvement. “I so want the student to get more plugged in but sports seems to compete against church activity.” 

Who is right? Is youth sports and discipleship compatible? Or are they in competition? 

The Argument For Incompatibility 

The person making the case that the two don’t fit together might say something like this: 

“The demands of youth sports are so great one can’t help but end up making it a higher priority. But aren’t the teen years formative years where crucial spiritual habits become cemented which will bear fruit for decades to come? Many adult followers of Jesus point to their teenage years as being a critical turning point in their spiritual journey. Why wouldn’t parents want to prioritize their child’s spiritual growth when eternity is at stake and the odds of going pro are so slim?  

I resonate with this. As a dad, while I want the best for my children and want to give them everything they desire, I know it is ultimately “God’s best” that my kids need most. They need the saving knowledge of Jesus and the savoring of Jesus as their ultimate Satisfier. Nothing is more important than them grasping life as meant to be lived as defined by God. This means I need to be strategic and place my children in the right spiritual environments.

The Argument for Compatibility 

But the person who believes they do fit together may respond with something like this: 

“Yes, the demands of youth sports can be a lot. But it would be foolish to think that the demands of a teen’s academics or social groups would be any less. Would Scripture counsel them to give up school or friends? Isn’t one of the goals of discipleship helping Christ followers see the integration of Christ into every aspect of life instead of simply trying to reduce or shrink down life to mere Christian activity at church? These teenagers will one day grow up and step into complexity that will make the complexity of youth sports laughable. The church has the opportunity of coming alongside these teenagers and families now, yes to correct when needed, but to also help prepare them for ongoing future discipleship.” 

This also resonates with me. As a dad, I don’t want my children to see Jesus as the first item on a list of priorities but as the piece of paper upon which all priorities and tasks find their ultimate meaning. I don’t simply want my children to be saved, but I want them to work out their salvation with the pull and push of life’s circumstances and complexities. This means I wouldn’t want the kinds of pastors and youth leaders who are only invested in environments that fall under their influence but those who also care about the environments my children and their friends find themselves in. 

Conclusion

So which one do I believe? At the present time, I believe the latter. I believe they can fit together. 

I believe this because I am giving the benefit of the doubt to the person desiring genuine harmonization. I believe they will go the extra mile and sacrifice for true compatibility. I believe they will honor their commitment to a local church even if it’s tiring.

I say “at the present time” because I may learn that there are some who simply say they want to make it work on the outside while tilting the priority completely towards sports in reality. I may change my mind down the road.

The reality is that everyone needs greater discipleship integration. Not only the family with youth sports, but also the church leader who mostly spends time with other church leaders, or the weekend-working-professional, or the young family who just had a baby and is thinking about taking a seasonal break from church. Discipleship, which is about the whole heart, the whole life, and every decision is a journey every follower of Jesus is on.

Integration is messy and it’s not pretty, but I can’t deny the opportunities. Perhaps, the one opportunity that tilts my opinion comes from my perception that Christians are more insular (surrounding themselves with only Christians) than we want to admit. For many Christian parents, their child’s sport teams may be one of the best opportunities, if not the only one they have, to engage with those who don’t know Jesus. 

Parents: 

• Regularly remind your child that Jesus is central out of the model of your lives.

• Look for a substitute on impacted sports weeks. Can’t go to a Sunday service? Go find a church with a Saturday service.

• Look for ways to disciple “on the go” to practices and games.

Youth Pastors:

• Ask for your students’ game schedules and pray for their games and attend one if you can.

• Always remind students during their season that you’re thinking of them and that you’re available to them even if they can’t make it a youth group event.

• Be the shepherd that goes the extra mile. Find ways to engage, check-in, etc.

Students:

• Remember that sports is a gift, but it will fail as your god.

• Jesus is the ultimate goal of life.

• Leverage your influence to be a godly influence on others.

It’s 9am on Sunday? Follow Jesus wholeheartedly.