Game Plan 3

GAME PLAN 3 OUR FIVE YEAR PLAN: 2013–2018

INTRODUCTION Every day millions of people throughout the world experience the excitement and joy of sport.

T

he 2012 Olympics and Paralympics gave us some powerful reminders as we marvelled at the achievements of Usain Bolt, Jess EnnisHill, Ellie Simmonds and many others pushing themselves to go ‘faster-higher-stronger’.

Perhaps you don’t even need to think back to London because you know first-hand the thrill of sport, whether it’s rising to the challenge of being pushed by a fellow competitor, the drama of scoring the last minute winner, or the lifelong friendships that are formed in living through the highs and lows of a season.

At Christians in Sport we live and breathe these things because our heart beats with those who have a passion for sport.

Yet we know that amidst the joys and jubilation, there are many challenges that Christians in sport face today. How to play hard and yet not let competitiveness spill over into professional fouls and excessive aggression. How a parent can encourage a child to continue in their sport whilst keeping them engaged in church. How an athlete can live out a bold faith within a world where

Christianity is so often seen as an entirely subjective affair, not something to be discussed with others in the public arena.

This gives just a snapshot of why we exist.

Our mission to reach the world of sport for Christ, is a call to see Christians everywhere living out their faith in their sports clubs and teams, churches engaging with their local sports communities and sportspeople everywhere having the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

As we look ahead to the next five years, we believe that there has never been a greater opportunity to engage Sport and Christianity and that’s why we are as passionate about our mission today as we were when we started over 30 years ago. We hope that as you read through these pages, you will be inspired and moved to join us, as together we get stuck into the world of sport for Christ.

Graham Daniels General Director

Our mission‌ Reaching the world of sport for Christ.

A vision for the future...

Christians everywhere living out their faith in sports clubs and teams.

Churches everywhere engaging with their local sports communities.

Sportspeople everywhere having the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

THE LAST FIVE YEARS

TARGET 7,500 Christians in sports teams and clubs across the UK

3

TARGET 1,000 international leaders trained in sports evangelism

P

P

P

2

OR RI I T

OR RI I T

4

Y

TARGET 50,000 sportspeople who are not Christians to hear the Christian message

OR RI I T

Y

1

GAME PLAN 2 AT A GLANCE .......................

Y

OR RI I T

Y

P

.......................

TARGET 15,000 mission partners enabling the work

15,800 GAME PLAN 2

63%

of guest event attendees were not Christians

8,700

7,900

3,800

GAME PLAN 1

GAME PLAN 2

GAME PLAN 1 Mission partners enabling the work

Christians in sport supported

81,900 sportspeople who were not Christians heard the Christian message at 2,600 events

7,900 Christians in sports teams and clubs across the UK are now being supported

1,200 international leaders were trained in sports evangelism

15,800 mission partners are now enabling the work

A FIVE YEAR CAMPAIGN: 2012 GAMES Thousands of churches engaged with the 2012 Games thanks to the initiative ‘More Than Gold’.

THE STORY SO FAR…

What started out in the 1970s as a small movement of Christian sports players roaming the UK for like-minded people, has fast become a global movement of Christians and churches seeking to reach the world of sport for Christ. As we look ahead to the future with excitement and humility, here is where our hopes and prayers lie for the next five years…

GAME PLAN 3

.......................

OUR FIVE YEAR PLAN: 2013–2018 .......................

Building on the impact of the last five years, our three priorities for 2013-2018 are to:

ENGAGE Christianity and Sport

EQUIP

leaders to grow the work

ENABLE

the work through our partners

ENGAGE .......................

CHRISTIANITY AND SPORT .......................

As we seek to engage Christianity and Sport in the next five years, we will focus on achieving four key actions: KEY

A

1

CTION

ENGAGE CHRISTIANS WITH SPORT

KEY

A

2

CTION

ENGAGE SPORTSPEOPLE WITH CHRISTIANITY

We long to see Christians everywhere living out their faith in sports clubs and teams. We want to support them to pray for their friends in sport, play in a way that honours God and to be able to say something of their faith confidently and relevantly. We’ll do this through insightful and effective communications, excellent resources, and focused training to help them reach the world of sport for Christ.

We want to do all we can to give the sports person who is not a Christian the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. We want to provide compelling resources that explain the Christian message, engaging guest events, and residential weeks that provide the opportunity to explore Christianity in more depth.

5 YEAR » 15,000 GOAL Christians in sport

5 YEAR » 2 GUEST EVENTS GOAL a day

KEY

A

3

CTION

ENGAGE CHURCHES AND SPORT

KEY

A

4

CTION

PARTICULAR FOCUS:

ENGAGE CHRISTIANITY WITH PERFORMANCE SPORT

The Church is a key partner in this mission and we want to continually foster better relationships with local churches, as we help them to see the opportunities to engage with sport. Equally we are committed to helping Sport see the Church as a valued partner as it looks to achieve its own goals.

Building on the experience of years of work, we recognise our unique position to serve in performance and elite sport and understand the particular demands both Sport and Church place on elite sportspeople. Subsequently, we will have a particular focus on investing in this area, including working with a network of chaplains and developing excellent support to young performance athletes (YPAs).

5 YEAR » 3,000 CHURCHES GOAL engaged in sport

5 YEAR » A CHRISTIAN PRESENCE GOAL within 20 sports at the elite level

WE LONG TO SEE CHRISTIANS AND CHURCHES EVERYWHERE ENGAGED IN SPORT.

© ADY KERRY

EQUIP .......................

LEADERS TO GROW THE WORK .......................

As we seek to equip leaders to grow the work in the next five years, we will focus on achieving two key actions: KEY

A

5

CTION

KEY

A

6

CTION

EQUIP LEADERS IN THE UK

EQUIP LEADERS INTERNATIONALLY

Christians in Sport is made up of thousands of leaders, there to support the many more thousands of Christians involved in sport across the UK. We see the need to develop a large and motivated team of leaders as essential to the sustainable growth of the work. As well as the daily investment in our leaders and the frequent training events, we will also continue to provide full time training schemes to help build future leaders.

Since the start of Christians in Sport we have served the global sports movement, helping leaders across the world to grasp a biblical understanding of sport and the gospel. We do this through training events as well as providing them with a range of freely accessible resources to help them develop sports mission in their own countries and contexts. We see this as a key area where our input can have a significant global impact.

5 YEAR GOAL

5 YEAR GOAL

ALL UK BASED LEADERS equipped and empowered for their roles

Leaders from OVER 120 COUNTRIES equipped for sports mission

WE LONG TO SEE LEADERS EMPOWERED AND EQUIPPED TO REACH THE WORLD OF SPORT FOR CHRIST.

ENABLE .......................

THE WORK THROUGH OUR PARTNERS .......................

As we seek to enable the mission through our partners in the next five years, we will focus on achieving three key actions: KEY

A

7

CTION

KEY

A

8

CTION

KEY

A

9

CTION

ENABLE REGULAR AND COMMITTED PRAYER

ENABLE THE MISSION FINANCIALLY THROUGH DONORS

ENABLE EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE TO ALL PARTNERS

As Christians, we know that ultimately this is not our mission but God’s and so it is vital that as we grow we continue to build a team of committed prayer partners for the mission.

Our work is financially enabled entirely through voluntary donations. Therefore future growth relies on increasing our donations base as well as careful stewardship of the resources we are given.

We want to deliver excellent service to our mission partners through our operations, communications, marketing and media relations.

5 YEAR GOAL

5 YEAR GOAL

5 YEAR GOAL

7,500 PARTNERS committed to praying daily for the mission

DOUBLE THE DONATION BASE to help grow the work

A CUSTOMERORIENTATED CULTURE underpinning the whole work.

WE LONG FOR THE WORK TO GROW AND BE ENABLED THROUGH THE CRUCIAL SUPPORT OF OUR PARTNERS.

ARE YOU READY TO HELP REACH THE WORLD OF SPORT FOR CHRIST? Find out how you can play your part at christiansinsport.org.uk/areyouready

@CIS_UK Christians in Sport 01869 255 630 info@christiansinsport.org.uk Frampton House, Unit D1, Telford Road Industrial Estate, Bicester OX26 4LD Registered in England. Company number 4146081.

Charity number 1086570.

Š ANDY SMITH