Calling all church leagues! Please STOP!
Why?
I can understand back in the 70′s and 80′s why you would want to get all the churches together and play sports. All the churches felt obligated to keep their “sheep” away from the world. But now? I have no problem with sports, what I do have a problem with is building a wall around yet another event you have on a weekly basis and calling it “a church league.” I know there’s something wonderful about getting to pray with the same group of guys after the game that you just chewed out for calling the “stupid foul” on you, but seriously, let’s let this phenomena die…and very soon.
Here’s a few things I despise about church leagues:
1. In many of them, there are no referees.
Ummm, I understand the majority of us profess to have a relationship with Christ, but Christ wouldn’t even want to get in the way of some our tempers. A basic rule of thumb – if there’s no referee, it’s pick up ball anyway.
2. It’s just another ministry of the church that takes people away from their families.
I know, I know, a city league would take away from family time too, but at least that’s the decision of the individual. Because trust me, down the road, people will start blaming the church.
3. They take away from “Kingdom Living”
I know it seems spiritual to let people see “churches coming together”, and occasionally praying afterward, but it’s not – there, I said it. What church leagues do is give churches an excuse to make a name for themselves. If you want to be a testimony, get out of your comfort zone, and register for a city league. You know, people who don’t go to church, and live out what you believe every time you play on the field or the court. And if you don’t want to live out what you believe, at least it’s not the church that’s taking your time. It’s time to stop playing in our holy huddles and begin making a difference in people’s lives.
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Good post and also very true, but it probably won’t stop. Our church has a softball team, and about a third of the team consists of non-church going people. Two people have recieved Christ… so something good is coming of it.
I do agree though, if people want to be in a league, they should go out and join non-church leagues and have a better chance of being a witness there by their actions and the way they react to situations. My husband is on a basketball league at the gym out here and they call him “the peacemaker.”
But what about the goons who can’t ball and would never make a city league?
but that probably strikes a nerve way too close to Christian school leagues that are filled with players that have no business being on a court
Good thoughts Marty.
Oh Marty, I disagree with each and every one of your points.
Dirt is at our church Basketball league right now! …with my brother (who is a non-believer) – it’s the one day a week that he goes to church, rub shoulders with solid Christian men, prays (though I’m not sure who or what he actually prays to), and it’s all good.
Our church has probably a 50/50 mix of Christians/non-Christians in the league. It’s a great outreach for our little community. Families get together to watch husbands/dads play (my son loves to go with his dad). It’s such a positive ministry. I don’t know how many people have come to Christ through this ministry, but even if it’s just one, it’s worth it.
…and we do have refs – and stats online. It kinda rocks.
-Erin
Erin,
You have just given me the one reason why I wouldn’t hate Church Leagues. I wish the league in your community were the rule and not the exception. Thanks for sharing this! And you have such a great way about disagreeing by the way, that I totally understand! Good stuff.