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THE HEART VALUES OF THE MOVEMENT - EVERY COUNTRY EVERY CITY The Vision and Mission of the Movement Jesus’ great commission to his followers, while standing on a hill 2000 years ago, started the growth of the church and the extension of his Kingdom. It is a wonderful mission that won’t end until he returns in triumph and glory. In obedience to the words of the Bible, we are compelled to share the love of God for the people of the world. In this sports movement, the passion for the gospel and for sport is what brings us together. We are a partnering movement of many people, many churches and many agencies. Our VISION together is: Growing disciples in all nations for Christ in and through the world of sport. This can only happen as we love each other, pray together, work together and serve each other. As a team we seek to obey our Lord Jesus by our MISSION of: Partnering to serve Christ's Kingdom in and through the world of sport. To accomplish this, we are grounded in constant prayer, knowing that it is only by God’s kindness and his spirit’s work through us that anything good can happen. Together and alone we spend much time with the Father as Jesus himself did. The privilege and wonder of serving our Lord and Savior in and through the world of sport has led to growing the Kingdom in every region of the world. The next phase, taken from the great commission of Jesus, is to extend the impact to every country and every city. The diagram below shows the flow from the Mission to the Vision of the movement:
MISSION
Partnering to serve Christ's Kingdom in and through the world of sport.
HEART VALUES
VIRTUES
SERVING THROUGH
To proclaim the gospel
Diversity
SSP
To make disciples
Passion
ASC
To serve the local church
Empowerment
CS
In obedience to the Bible
Holiness
CYCAS
In and through sport
Integrity
ISLT
In every country, every city
Stewardship
MSE
We live as servants
Creativity
PSP
We work as teams
Humility
SRC
We build partnerships
Interdependence
SPS
VISION
Growing disciples in all nations for Christ in and through the world of sport.
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This is done through serving the growth of the local church as part of the Body of Christ across the world. Through this our desire is that every village, island, community, family and person is impacted with the good news of Jesus and given the opportunity to become a disciple of the servant King. What we are taking to every country and every city is not simply a set of sports programs and strategies, but the very heart of the Kingdom and the gospel. The approach of this movement is ‘open-source’ as each partner is welcome to anything that others have ‘placed on the table’ whether or not you are led or able to provide anything. We seek to practically reflect Kingdom principles in daily life, and this Handbook outlines some of the ways that this is being done. Our prayer in this movement is that each person would be everything that God intends them to be—living as godly people, holy and righteous. Living counter-culturally in this godless age. As Paul writes to young Timothy: “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:11-12) “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:8-13) This is God’s movement, God’s work, he is Lord of the harvest and we are his workers. We seek to serve his goals and not our own. These notes give a glimpse into the heart values of the movement we serve. Together, let us partner with God and one another, to establish Christ's Kingdom in and through the world of sport. Paul writes about the need for all to work together, no one is important – only God. Our role is to serve (1 Corinthians 3:5-9): “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” This document outlines the heart of this movement. It is what we hope every person lives by in their lives and ministries. “The LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
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BACKGROUND READING ON THE HEART VALUES The Heart of the movement is founded on a vision of, ‘Growing disciples in all nations for Christ in and through the world of sport.’ This is achieved through the mission of, ‘Partnering to serve Christ's Kingdom in and through the world of sport.’ The nine HEART VALUES are based on the mandate of the words of the Bible to every believer. In this movement we seek to give expression to these in and through the world of sport. Sport is one of the major ‘languages’ of the world and bridges gender, culture, language and age.
to proclaim the gospel The core of the vision is to proclaim the gospel, make disciples and to do this within the framework and service of the local church. It is only through the Bible that God and the gospel can be known. The Bible explains that only by knowing Jesus can we know God. The proclamation of the gospel is quite simply the speaking of the truth of the Lord Jesus as the Savior and King of the world. The only way that a person can be in a right relationship with God is by grace alone, through the forgiveness bought through Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection. There is an urgency that everyone hear the gospel as all are at risk of eternal separation without Jesus. The gospel is reflected in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus, meaning “God saves” and Christ, meaning “anointed one”. Jesus, the one and only Savior and rescuer and the one and only anointed King. The whole of creation suffers under the curse of sin and it’s recreation and restoration comes through Jesus. The gospel, the good news of God, is a person and his name is Jesus Christ. Proclamation of this good news by sports people, to sports people and through the language and experience of sport is at the heart of what we do.
to make disciples The proclamation of the gospel must lead towards long term, daily, self-denying discipleship. Hearing the gospel is only the beginning, hence Jesus’ command not to simply share the gospel, but to make disciples of all nations. Being a disciple means following in the footsteps and teaching of Jesus. It means trust and obedience to the words of Jesus in the Scriptures. Discipleship also means to disciple others to follow Jesus. We follow the model of Paul and Timothy and the model of Jesus and his disciples. What was Jesus’ solution to the enormous harvest field and the huge need for more workers in Matthew 9:3510:1? His strategy was to pray and to disciple a small group of people. Sometimes he met with one disciple, sometimes with
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three, sometimes with twelve and sometimes with many more. It was in focusing on deep, lasting discipleship that Jesus transformed his followers into obedient faithful witnesses who, with the Spirit, changed the world.
to serve the local church The church is Jesus’ followers called out from the ways of the world to the ways of the Kingdom. His followers have been given the Spirit of Jesus (John 20:21-22) to continue the mission of Christ to establish the Kingdom of God on earth in the hearts, lives and through the obedience of his followers (sometimes described as: "to bring heaven to earth!"). “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known …” (Ephesians 3:10) The church is described as the Bride with Jesus being the Bridegroom. The people in the church are described as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:26-28). Jesus explained to Peter that he would play an important part in Jesus’ work in building his church. “… I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18). It is the work of every believer to serve the growth and health of the body of Christ, the church, and the local expression of it. The church is the people of God and not a physical building. While differences over time have led to many denominations, the Bible explains that there is only one worldwide and universal church. In this movement, we serve the local church and seek to encourage unity and partnering between them. This reflects Jesus’ prayer for all believers, “That they may be one.” (John 17:22) Within the church are many roles: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13) We seek to hold up the Biblical pattern that all members of the church have an active role to play and are given gifts by God. Indeed all are priests. “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) It is the role of the whole church to keep each other accountable to the words of Scripture. Part of serving and building up the church is helping keep it true to the words of the Bible. It is the building up of the church, the body of Christ, that is at the heart of this movement.
in obedience to the Bible The absolute rock-solid foundation for all other Heart Values of this movement is the Bible—the true and trustworthy Word of God. We seek to hold to it with integrity and obey it diligently. The Bible is God’s method of revealing Himself to humans. The Old Testament revealed God’s purposes for mankind that were fully expressed in the New Testament through Jesus. “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son …” (Hebrews 1:1-2a) The central focus of the entire Bible is the plan of God foretold
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and then revealed in Jesus. It is as we follow Jesus, and his Spirit giving understanding to the Scriptures that we live out the words of the Bible. The Bible is the handbook for living as disciples of Jesus. “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105) It also shows us that God’s ways are different to man’s ways and helps us to live counter-culturally to the world around us. It is also a judge and shows the dire consequences for all who disobey God’s ways. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Paul’s letters to Timothy give clear instructions of the importance of faithfully following the Bible and testing all we hear, even in churches, against it. “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:14-17) The greatest wonder of the Bible is that it reveals a God of grace and love. From the very beginning to the end, it is revealing a God whose character is loving and who gave everything to show it. He made it possible for us to be restored into relationship with Him and to be adopted as his own children forever. The Bible alone shows us how to enjoy and live in awe of the wonderful, loving, creator God—revealed through Scripture as the three in one—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
in and through sport Sport is loved, played and appreciated by men and women of all ages, across cultures, all over the world. Sport can be enjoyed because of God’s gift of physical bodies, but also because he has created us with the gifts, talents and abilities to play sport. Yet, as with all of his created order, sport has been spoilt by sin and therefore needs to be redeemed; this can only happen with God’s help. Sport is a way of life for so many people. It shapes their time, activity and focus. Within this world, we seek to serve the needs of sports people as well as their families, helping them to become the people that God created them to be. We recognize that elite sports people in particular face unique challenges and serving them in love is a key aspect of this movement. Sport is a wonderful, universal language that is fun, challenging, competitive and relational. For these reasons, it provides a powerful way of connecting people with one another whatever their age, gender or background. This helps create an environment where evangelism, discipleship, leadership development and even church planting can occur. Sport adds to the unique style and strength of this movement. For example, the knowledge of team sports informs our understanding of the importance of teams in ministry. A champion team is often made up of players working together, serving each other and working in unity with a common purpose. This understanding can help the church live out Kingdom principles with each believer playing their part. On the field of play, all are equal and all are valuable. Sport is active and involves the whole person. This is how we have the potential to live as disciples, loving and serving God with our heart, soul, mind and strength.
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in every country, every city The vision of “every country, every city” is a way of describing the Great Commission in Matthew 28. It is a vision of impacting everyone on earth both mega-cities and smaller cities, in villages, on islands, in jungles, in the suburbs, in prisons and in refugee camps. God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only son. We seek to grow disciples who in turn grow other disciples in such a way that the whole world can be impacted for the Kingdom. The other aspect of this Heart Value is the understanding that the primary citizenship of every disciple is in heaven. “But our citizenship is in heaven.” (Philippians 3:20) “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28) It is as we seek to grow disciples in and of every nation that they receive the gift of eternal life and hope.
we live as servants The movement is based on an attitude of service with humility. To lead is to serve. This is because the Master, Jesus, taught us the model of servant leadership. Matthew 20:25-28 explains the approach: “Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Our choice as a disciple of Christ is to live as he lived. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) The disciple surrenders themselves to Christ. We die to the desires of self and live for Christ. We don’t make decisions that feed our ego. This is a process of daily wrestle and struggle. “Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.” (Galatians 3:24 The Message) Our servant nature, led by the Spirit, leads to the fruit of the Spirit being displayed in our lives. “Love, joy, peace, patience/forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 3:23). In the movement we believe that being a servant extends to our churches and organizations. We are there to serve each other’s interests and consider others more important than ourselves. Many of our resources and materials go out without names and logos, as an act of service for the benefit of others. We are quick to help others succeed and raise up others to lead, again, as an act of service.
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we work as teams We believe that the Biblical mandate of ministry, life and faith are all based on relationships. In this movement, we believe a good way of expressing this is to work as teams of people. A flat structure, all equal and yet with different roles and gifts, all serving a common goal. We work as a team based on trust, mutual love and service. We have seen that the ability of people is less important than their availability to do what God calls them to do. We are also a body. 1 Corinthians 12 describes it vividly: (14) “Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. (17-20) If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. (24-26) But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” As a team we carry those who are weak and struggling (1 Corinthians 8) and as a team we push each other to greater acts of service. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 20:17) “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24,25) We hold each other accountable to live in the truth of the Bible and in the ways of God. We surrender our pride and ego to serve the team as it serves the purposes of God. God is the ultimate expression of perfect relationship and team, as the three persons of the Trinity. Jesus’ understanding of this is expressed in how he prayed for all believers in John 17:20-21: “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” We believe that the best way to obey the Great Commission is to do so in teams. A team is a group of disciples. The teams we grow are meant to be multiplying teams—teams that grow teams that grow teams.
we build partnerships The complete picture of teams is seen in the way we seek to build partnership. Each local church, each small team, each movement and each organization that follows Christ is part of the greatest team of all, the Body of Christ. As Ephesians 4 explains it, each part seeks to serve the whole picture. The chapter starts with: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” It then states that the work of pastors and teachers “is to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” There is only one body and the goal of partnering is to build that body. Psalm 133 graphically and beautifully describes it in a song sung by God’s people on the way to the temple: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” Building partnerships, especially locally, is messy, complicated, tiring and hard work! But it is right, as Jesus’ prayer for all believers shows (John 17). He didn’t pray for great strategies, even for success in the great commission. Instead he prayed that
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we might be one. Paul goes from the great chapter on the workings of the body in 1 Corinthians 12, to 1 Corinthians 13, the great chapter on love. Why? Because it is going to take huge amounts of love, perseverance, patience and grace to partner within the body of Christ. Our understanding of partnering is that we seek to help people, groups and churches to work together. We seek to bring people to pray and seek God together. We believe in flat, roundtable operation, not hierarchies and power-based structures. This is to enable partnering to grow and flourish. It enables new people to join easily and leave easily. It is not based on qualifications, age, title or position. It is based on servant roles, giftings and to the raising up of others. We minimize the use of titles, rather prefer the Biblical use of verbs (doing words) and roles. Successful partnering is based on: relationship and trust; common vision; clear process; an understanding that it will be messy; godly consensus; and good facilitation.
VIRTUES REFLECTED IN THE MOVEMENT Over time the movement has sought to live out the message of the Bible and express the fruit of the Spirit in how we live. There are several virtues that particularly resonate with the style of the movement and are important to highlight: Passion, Empowerment, Holiness, Integrity, Stewardship, Creativity, Humility, Interdependence and Diversity. These link to every Heart Value described previously. Consider how these impact your life and ministry:
Passion We love giving our all in everything we do. Our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength. We do everything with passion. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10) and, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) “The Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Empowerment We love to build up others, enable them to be the best they can be, even if it costs us a lot. This is seen in how we make and grow disciples, helping them to be even better than we are. “… in humility value others above
yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)
Holiness God is holy and we seek to obey him. We all sin and will continue to sin, but we strive to be more like Christ daily. “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14-16)
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Integrity Serving God demands that we live with integrity, honesty and faithfulness. We seek to be transparent to each other, open and honest to God and full of integrity in all we do. We also seek to use the Bible with integrity, letting it speak to us and not twisting it to suit ourselves. Paul’s letters to Timothy especially encourage the correct use of the Bible. “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” (2 Timothy 1:13-14) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Stewardship Our lives, our world and everything we have is a gift from God. We seek to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. In the world of sport, we have a special role to play and we need to be good stewards of every opportunity in the task of redeeming the world of sport by the love of Christ. In particular, we seek to be good stewards of the financial resources God entrusts us with absolute honesty and transparency. We know that all need money. But it is not money that drives our work, but faithful obedience to what God calls us to do. All money we have comes from God and all that we have belongs to God. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10) Stewardship applies to everything we are and do. 1 Peter 4:7-11 says things like: “ … be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray … love each other deeply … offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace
in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen”
Creativity We serve the only truly creative One, our Father the Creator of the Universe. Human ‘creativity’ is about taking what he has already made and rearranging it into ‘new’ patterns and ideas. The role of this creativity is important to the work of the Kingdom, as we draw on wisdom and ideas of God. Instead of just repeating what has been done before, our creativity helps keep what we do new and fresh. God’s compassion to us is “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23) Jesus himself said that the Father told him what to say and how to say it. (John 12:49) Paul walked through the marketplace to be able to find the right illustration to engage his hearers in Acts 17. Jesus was the great storyteller and illustrator. We use creative gifts to find ways to connect with people, to engage the world of sport and to keep the message of Christ fresh for each new day. The message never changes, but the methods do. Our ultimate work is not just creativity, but ‘re-creativity’, participating is God’s work of recreation and reconciliation: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation …” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
Humility Everything is done with humility as we serve Jesus and others and seek to follow his example. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking
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the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8) “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)
Interdependence Working as teams and partnering need interdependence. We need each other to be obedient to the call of Christ. We are a body—when one part suffers we all suffer and when one part succeeds, we all succeed. Someone estimated that 44% of the letters of the New Testament are about how we should get along with one another. We are commanded to—love, be devoted, honor, live in harmony with, build up, be likeminded towards, accept, admonish, care for, serve, bear burdens for, forgive, be patient with, be kind and compassionate to, speak with psalms to,
submit to, look to the interests of, bear, teach, comfort, encourage, stir up, show hospitality to, be humble to, pray for, confess our sins to—one another. We need each other!
Diversity We understand that God has given each of his people gifts for use to serve and build up the body. We also observe that different cities and nations also have distinct gifts, experiences and perspectives that can serve the building up of the Body of Christ. Both locally, nationally and globally we benefit from the diversity that God has made in every different tribe and language. This virtue has been wonderfully seen in the many strategies in the movement that have been developed from different places. We are richer for celebrating, honoring and raising up the diverse gifts, styles and experiences of the entire Body of Christ.
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THE HEART VALUES DIAGRAM
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PRACTICAL IDEAS TO IMPLEMENT THE HEART VALUES show us what God is really like, and because he lived the perfect life, he could pay the penalty for our sins. Faith is much more than, “I believe in God.” It’s recognizing that Jesus alone knows the way to heaven and I cannot get there unless he takes me there.
to proclaim the gospel 1. Understand the gospel from the Bible Take time each day to read the Bible to know the gospel clearly as God gave it in his Word. Especially read the books in the Bible called the ‘Gospels’—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—regularly to be reminded of who Jesus is and why he is the Savior of the world.
Human words have no power to save; only God’s words can do that. See Hebrews 4:12.
3. Learn to start a conversation by asking questions
2. Prepare a simple testimony
Always start with a smile and start with a question.
Prepare and continually update a testimony that tells your story with God. Here are some points that will help you:
4. Do a survey
Keep your testimony short. Make different versions. In other words, work out what you would say to someone if you only had 1 minute. Work out what you would say if you had 2 minutes or 5 minutes. What would you include and what would you have to leave out? Explain your story in 3 steps. What your life was like before you met Jesus, how did you meet and decide to follow Jesus, and how has your life changed since then. Use simple words that people will understand rather than religious jargon. Would the person you talk to understand words or phrases like ‘righteousness’ or ‘sanctification’? Probably not! So prepare your ideas carefully in advance with fresh and easy to understand words. Here are some examples: Heaven is a free gift; you can’t earn it; so no one can brag about how good we are. People are all habitual sinners. We can’t stop sinning or save ourselves from the consequences of sin. God is both loving and just; he loves us but he must deal with our sin because sin is so destructive and can ruin everything God loves. Jesus is both God and Man; so he came to earth to
Do a survey of people you come across and ask, “Can you help me? I am gathering information for a survey.” Ask for their opinion, making it clear you value their response. Examples: ‘Do you think (people in your city or country) are more or less interested in spiritual matters than they were 5 years ago?’ Then move to more personal questions: ‘How about you: are you more or less interested in spiritual matters than you were 5 years ago?’
‘On a scale of one to ten…How certain are you that God is real?’
‘How certain are you that he knows you and cares about you?’ ‘How certain are you that you must give an account of your life to him?’ ‘How often do you talk to God?’ ‘Do you think it’s okay for churches to talk to people about heaven?’
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Then you could ask some deeper diagnostic questions: ‘If you were to die tonight, how certain are you that you would go to heaven?’ ‘Suppose you were to stand before God and he were to ask you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” What would you say?’
5. See new opportunities to share the gospel Where can you share your story of God with others? In Matthew 9: 35-38, Jesus sees all the needy people around him as potential followers. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like 37 sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are 38 few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Where are there new opportunities? Sports teams, clubs, community events? You can use Ubabalo or Max7 for working with your sport team or you can take a simple Bible study before trainings. Pray for the people you want to share the gospel with. Ask for good opportunities to talk about Jesus in an open and relevant way.
to make disciples 1. Find someone to disciple you Submit yourself to someone who follows Christ to disciple you. Look for a strong mature Christian whom you admire, who will tell you the truth, and who has time regularly to see you face to face.
2. Find a younger Christian to help grow in faith Find a younger Christian of the same gender to disciple. Show an interest in them and get to know them personally. Meet regularly with them for at least 1 hour at a time. Pray for them and pray with them. Study the Bible together. Create an atmosphere where any question or comment is OK. This promotes honesty and real growth. Don’t be surprised by anything.
3. Help build a church that nurtures everyone’s faith Do not let any newcomers, and especially newborn believers, to remain without a discipler. Help create a structure in your local church that nurtures every believer. Can everyone in your church say who their discipler is and who they are discipling?
to serve the local church 1. Foster the right perspective Come from the perspective of ‘How can sports ministry serve the mission of the local church?’ not from the perspective of ‘How can the local church build our sports teams?’
2. Move ahead slowly so everyone owns the idea The local church needs to own the sports ministry rather than it be imposed on them from the outside. Invite the key people like the pastor, elders and other keen leaders to share the vision.
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3. Invite other churches to visit your events Invite surrounding churches, even from other cities, to come and experience your sports ministry events. They can see it in action before they commit their church to any programs. This is one of the most powerful tools of multiplication in the movement.
4. Let churches work with each other Provide opportunities for local churches from different denominations to work together. Know that all Christians are part of the Body of Christ and therefore connected to, and responsible for the other members (1Cor 12:12-30). By planning and doing a mission activity together, trust and long term working relationships can mature. Global Community Games, Sports tournaments, compassion projects, Community Cup of Nations, Big Screen events and community outreaches can all help churches serve each other and the community.
in obedience to the Bible 1. Make your Bible reading active and alive Here are some great suggestions to help you read the Bible and study it with integrity and passion Read the Bible verses in context. Don’t take verses out of context. Read whole chapters and books of the Bible. Do a systematic and regular reading of the Bible from start to finish. This will take years but don’t be discouraged. The whole of scripture is God breathed and useful. Take a day out to read the Bible and pray away from everybody. Study the Bible with others regularly.
2. Try some creative methods of Bible engagement Memorize or meditate on a scripture passage using your skill or passion (paint it, draw it, practice a sport skill while reciting a verse, listen to the Bible while you run, write a Bible passage into a song, etc.) Study a passage and then create an Ubabalo or KidsGames/Max7kids lesson based on that passage. This will help you understand it more deeply and then communicate it in powerful new ways.
3. Two main approaches to study your Bible Deductive–when you are studying other’s opinions about God’s word. This is done by listening to sermons and reading commentary books. This is good and important but limited. Inductive–when you are dealing with the source-the Bible itself. This is more difficult to do because we have to do the work ourselves. However the results can be very rewarding.
4. What is inductive Bible study? “Inductive” means we use the Bible as the primary source of study to learn about God and what the Bible teaches so you can discover truth for yourself. In this method, it is recommended that you study the book of the Bible yourself before you are encouraged to read somebody’s interpretation about it. This is how you do it!
The Method The Inductive Study Method is an investigative approach to the Bible using three basic components: Observation, Interpretation, and Application.
Observation—discover what it says! What is the context? (Who, what, when, where, why?) What do you observe about the details of the scripture?
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Ask questions like a detective would. How does this scripture fit in with the whole Bible narrative? How does it relate to Jesus?
Interpretation—discover what it means! Search for meaning Let Scripture interpret Scripture. Where else does the Bible uses these words or imagery? Let’s figure it out together. Use the wisdom and ideas from the rest of the group.
Application—discover how the principles work in our lives! How can this principle transform my life?
Ask yourself these questions: What are the primary obstacles in having a permanent personal devotional time and what are some ways to overcome them? When and how does reading the Bible become enjoyable for you? How can you make it more enjoyable so you want to do it more? Be creative! What can you change in your life that will make Mt.6:33 (Seek first...) true about us? What is the relationship between study-meditationprayer?
Replication/Evangelism — be intentional to share your discoveries with a disciple or neighbor! With whom do you plan to share what you just learned? How can you teach others to obey?
in and through sport 1. We serve “in” and “through” sport We serve “in” the world of sport by: 1. Valuing sport. Since God gave us the abilities to develop sport, we should maximize these abilities with responsibility, elevating each other to higher performance and greater joy for the common good of society and the glory of God! 2. Valuing all sport structures, creating the environment for sport. We pray for them and serve them by getting involved so that the governance of sport will be to the benefit of all. 3. Caring and serving sports people and their families. Our service is based on our love for the person and not the value of his performance. We want to take care of the wholistic development of sport people and would therefor serve them towards maturity in Christ. We serve “through” sport by: Understanding that sport is a powerful global language that enables us to build relationships through playing sport and providing sports opportunities. This creates a great platform to: 1. Proclaim the gospel 2. Develop discipleship 3. Take the church outside the 4 walls through sport to impact society.
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We strive to redeem sport:
4. Share your testimony on video
Since human being are sinful, all the creations of our hands and minds are sinful and thus need redemption. We endeavor to redeem sport by
The movement has started a global library of testimonies of sports people in many sports and from many cultures. If you are an athlete, why not create a 2 minute clip of your story and share it with others. Let your sports friends know of this opportunity to share their faith story with others. Please do not have their testimonies recording before they have been tested by a spiritual mentor in their walk with God and have been in Bible studies for at least 6 months. We need the testimonies of growing followers of Jesus!
1. Training sport people in having have positive relationships with team players and competitors. 2. Creatively developing the quality of sport, sport structures and administration, sport rules and all the different aspects making up the world of sport. 3. Life coaching sport people to represent God in all their behavior and to glorify Him through success and failure and general participation. 2. Sport is about people Understand that the people of sport are people! They may be high-performance athletes, elite players, celebrities or completely unknown passionate sports people. They need our love and care. Don’t put them on a pedestal, because God doesn’t. When you are given opportunities to serve, show practical and simple love to them and their families. 3. Don’t move too fast Many sports people will come to faith. Some of these will be famous players. They need to be discipled like any other believer. It is tempting to involve them quickly in sharing the gospel publicly. Don’t move too fast and don’t expect them to understand the Bible and live as disciples any better or faster than any other person. Take the time to serve them and disciple them.
we live as servants 1. Ask yourself some difficult questions regularly Am I really honoring God? Is what I am doing bringing glory to God and honor to others, or is it really just promoting me? Here is a practical idea. Start focusing on those people who will take on your role next and start serving them. Make sure they succeed and do the role better than you did it. Am I happy to serve God where he has put me or am I concerned with my status and title? For example: The Bible describes people with roles with gifts, not with fixed positions and titles. Being a servant means humbly serving in a role. Roles change over time as others become more and you become less. Not having a big role does not mean being less able to serve. Some of the greatest servants in the sports movement have no roles or titles at all. Any role you have, globally, regionally or locally is just as important as any other. You are there to fan the flame wherever God has put you.
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2. Do I practice putting others first? Listen rather than think you already know it. Do you ask people questions and find out their perspectives more than giving your opinion? Take time to listen without prejudice. Share rather than hold back. Are you being generous with your resources, time and ideas? Are you sharing anonymously so ‘your right hand does not know what your left hand is doing?’ Can your group serve and consider others’ groups better than your group? In the sports movement we often create resources with no one’s name on them and no logos. This is an act of service. Empathize rather than judge. Do I really understand the people I am serving? Walk in the shoes of others to understand their context. Visit people where they live and don’t make opinions too quickly.
3. Am I serving God and others in the small practical ways? Be a good steward and account for everything and every opportunity you have been given. Remember to send back reports, photos and stories of how God is using the resources and opportunities given to you. These resources are often donated by people and organizations that need regular feedback. Be accurate with numbers of people and money spent. Serve others by being prompt and honest with communication.
we work as teams 1. A movement of serving teams In the movement we are focused on serving as teams and not as lone individuals. We serve in many areas: Some serve in a local church team
Some grow teams across their cities or countries Some are in a mini-region team across multiple nations Some serve in global roles No one is more important than others as each team serves every other team. We often move from one team to another and work hard to raise up team members to take over our roles as we serve them and help them succeed. When we move from one role, we move to another. We don’t need to “step down” as there are always places we can serve. There are many roles in a team, with four key ones that have helped grow the movement: Strategist/catalyst / initiator – see the big picture, help grow teams, plans to spread and make a difference, bold and stands out, embrace the early adopters as equals Implementer – are the champions of the movement as they involve people and implement programs on the ground, and are strong peer influencers Trainer – are servants who help to spread skill, knowledge and vision Tool developer – are passionate workers who write materials, translate, create videos and new resources to help grow the movement.
2. Make your team an ‘ant team’ (Proverbs 6:6-11) A strong team is a team where every teammate is like an “ant” - proactive, practical, and doesn’t need a leader to start things. The most important virtue of the “ant team” is the absence of laziness and time wasting. Anyone can lead and impact other people’s lives through any role within the team whether a person is in the ‘front’ or at the ‘back’ of the team. Understand your role on the team. What unique quality do you bring? Change the team’s paradigm into the Kingdom way of thinking.
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Help everyone to define their call and role in order to be in tune with everyone. Teach your team to constantly search for the will of God. Start each day by asking this question: “Lord, what do You want us to do for You today”? Obedience to the Word of God and to the team’s plan. For a new team - Remember, new members will need more direction and support. Increase their responsibility as they are successful in the tasks they have been given.
3. A team is the best place to disciple others. Jesus discipled in a team (2 Tim. 3:16-17) Remember that relationships and the personal growth of team members is as important as projects that the team accomplishes. When the team has good relationships this will positively influence every project the team does together. Practically do these things: Get to know each other well and have fun together. Do team-building activities together that will help mold the team. Encourage honesty, trust and diversity. Teach every teammate to personally study the Bible and teach it both one on one and in small group settings. Learn new skills together. Work out what each person needs to learn and give opportunities for them to learn these new skills. Visit other ministries as a team to learn from others. For a new team - allocate each person with a partner. Each pair can pray for each other, read the Bible and be accountable to each other.
4. Reinforce shared HEART in the team - goals, strategies, structures, values (2 Tim 2:2, Deuteronomy 11:18) Each team will develop its own character. The HEART of the vision needs to be easy to understand, easy to model and easy to pass on. The functions of the team should be Biblical and should depend on the HEART which will be implemented in the team at the formation stage or later during the development period. Work out the values that will reflect your HEART as a team. They should be based on the Bible. Make your goals clear, urgent and valuable for the Kingdom of God. Can your say what the heart of your mission is in 1 sentence? Make sure your strategy is achievable and applicable in different regions. It is best if it doesn’t require too many resources. Structure your team on the discipleship principle where it is relationship based, not hierarchical. For a new team - remind the group about the vision every time you are together. Do this in creative and practical ways; at meetings, Bible studies, in emails, on logos, and through games and songs.
5. Regular and effective communication in the team (John 13-17) Jesus, just before he died, communicated the most important truths so that the disciples would understand and follow them. Communication in the team is vital for close and deep relationships and effective ministry development. It is essential for communication to be developed and sustained. Here are some practical ideas on regular and effective ways of communication:
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Try to take advice from the whole team on different issues in order to make decisions in wisdom and creativity. Set a regular time for team meetings. Use any possible tools for that. You can have meetings using available technology, such as Skype in case your team is scattered over different cities or organize meetings in one place and at one time for team gatherings. Try to have consistency about times and procedures. Have effective meetings regularly and with time limits. Have an agenda and stick to it. Follow-up with minutes from the meeting. Also act on any decisions made by the team. This builds trust! Spend time with the team and have fun together. For a new team - Make it clear to every teammate what is next, what is important, and what to do.
6. Pray for the team and individual team members (2 Thess 1:11 and 3:1) The team that is alive and active begins and develops as people of God when they pray intensively. God moves way beyond our expectation when the team is serious about prayer. Pray that your teammates will develop their personal relationships with God, to obey his Word practically and to help to grow in the skills of working with people, organizing and managing. Set apart enough time for purposeful prayer for the team so that God will show how to develop each team member and the team as a whole. Pray for those who will join your team in the future. Pray for specific places and people where your team is involved in ministry. Make your prayer focus on seeing where God is at work and joining him as co-workers rather than solely on the needs of the team. Make prayer one of the key parts of your team meetings, fellowship times and strategic planning gatherings. It is vital!
For new teams - raise up and develop a team of prayer partners who will pray for the ministry team and its projects. This is vital early on.
7. Multiply your team (1 Thess 1:6-7) The true fruit of the team is not the projects that are successfully completed, but the other teams that develop and become active as a result of your team. As your team grows and gains in experience, allow team members to form their own teams. As a leader you need to be discovering, equipping and enhancing the capacity of other leaders. You may begin a new team in a new geographical area or with a new ministry focus. Make it clear that the team’s success is when it helps to reproduce another team. Therefore success is defined by generations of team formation. Start to invite leaders from different places for them to see your team’s environment and motive them to start their own team. Visit other places and cities as a team to help start and develop new teams. Make sure that every teammate is responsible for a particular sub-strategy so that they can form another team of their own. For a new team - Make it clear from the beginning that the aim is to multiply the team and raise up new leaders. You do not want to start a ‘holy huddle’.
8. Invite new and inexperienced people to join the exciting team vision (Acts 16:1-3) Be ready to extend invitations to new inexperienced people to join the team. Be ready to mentor new people and give them the skills and confidence to fulfill their role. Link a new person with a more experienced person to help this process.
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Create an exciting one sentence vision that can be shared in a minute and teach every team member to pass on your team’s vision. The core leader should focus on constant quality growth. Let your team have enough places for new and potential teammates. Search for the opportunity to meet new people and share vision with them. Invite them to join your team in a specific role. Be constantly fishing for talented people using your vision as bait. For a new team - Give new team members small responsibilities first and then let them grow into their role as they develop more skills.
we build partnerships 1. Be Visible Get involved in citywide activities organized by alliances, national councils, Christian agencies etc. Build relationships! It is all about relationships!
4. Be a Connector See how best to link relevant people with similar interests to one another. They will in turn connect you with people who have the same interests as you.
5. Be a Servant Look out for opportunities to serve the larger body of Christ and earn the respect of fellow leaders in the city or village. You may earn the right to be able to speak about partnering efforts through sports ministry.
6. Be a Catalyst Step out and organize citywide events that can bring many partners together on projects like KidsGames (GCG), 123 trainings, CYCAS trainings, MSE projects etc.
7. Be a Builder of Teams Work in a team yourself. This models personal partnering. Start building teams with those close to you and those that are close to your initial group members. Build out from there. Work with other teams too, then connect the dots by bringing them together whenever possible.
2. Be a Champion Speak, promote, endorse, testify & live up to the call of God for partnering. Establish a reputation as one who believes in unity and partnering.
3. Be a Trainer Teach the church how to partner. Know the Bible verses that relate to the body. Use the partnership training materials of the movement to help leaders understand the importance of partnering with others.
8. Be Prayerful and Mindful Be prayerful and mindful as you journey in being a Kingdom Partner. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you to key individuals and leaders who will enhance the growth of God’s Kingdom. Ask the Lord to bring these people into your path so that you can establish good links and working relationships.
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MORE HELPFUL IDEAS
effective facilitation 1. Read, understand and transform body language Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, which consists of body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously. Body language may provide clues as to the attitude or state of 1 mind of a person. When you facilitate a group, the following signals can help you read what they are feeling. Interested: Consistent eye contact, sitting on the edge of their seat, taking notes, dilated pupils, open palm, chin rubbing Uninterested: Tightly folded arms (leaning away from speaker, harsh or blank expression), lack of eye contact (beware of cultural norms), doing something else, legs crossed when seated (beware cultural norms). Remember to read two or more signals. Reading body language in isolation can cause you to make serious mistakes. If you face negative body language, try to get to the source. Ask respectful questions and listen attentively. In a group situation, use small group discussions to allow the participants to share their concerns. In situations where the participants are uninterested, use energizers, ice-breakers, small group work to force a change to their body language.
2. Manage group dynamics well The maximum attention span of a healthy teenager and adult is 20 minutes. Other determining factors are commitment level, enthusiasm level, skill level, emotional and physical state, psychological state, and the environment. Use different methods to help your learners extend their concentration levels. For example, use energizers to boost energy levels; use active learning to engage all 5 senses of the learner; explain the learning outcomes and gain their commitment. Identify as quickly as possible where your group is in terms 2 of the 5 stages of group development . At each stage, the facilitator needs different intervention approaches. During the Forming, Norming and Storming stages, the facilitator tends to need to be directive and provide clear engagement parameters. In the Re-norming stage, the facilitator steps back to allow the group to develop consensus and inclusiveness. In the Performing stage, the facilitator mainly plays the role of encourager. In the Adjourning stage, the facilitator helps the group to break up and to manage the emotional spikes.
3. Be active Sports people, in fact everyone, like to be active. This is especially true in meeting and learning environments. Get people standing up every 20 minutes at least, preferably with an activity that helps build on what you are doing. Experiential learning is a core tool of the sports movement, learn it well. Experiential activities can go for 30 seconds or for hours or days! Don’t just use one method, mix it up. Energizers are quick activities that get the blood flowing and the brain active. Add some in throughout your sessions.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_language
Stages of Group Development (Bruce Tuckman, Mary Ann Jensen, Timothy Biggs)
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4. Use teachable moments Teachable moments are when the learning of a principle or lesson is possible or has least resistance. A facilitator needs to understand the circumstance (e.g. traumatic event), gauge the learner’s teachability, draw from Biblical truth and/or past experiences, and to think creatively on the spot. He must be comfortable with awkwardness and be flexible to make changes when suitable. ‘Rhema’ and ‘Kairos’ captures the idea of teachable moments. Rhema is the revealed word delivered to the 3 heart of the listener by the Holy Spirit . Kairos is the 4 appointed time of God to act . A transformational facilitator needs spiritual sensitivity and discernment in order to hear God’s word and timing to guide the facilitation process. There is no secret method. You need to have a healthy relationship of two-way communication, 5 and to be surrendered to the still small voice of God .
5. Create the best learning environment Relationships based on trust and respect help the participants feel accepted, safe and open, rather than judged, vulnerable or defensive. It is important to understand that the quality of our relationships impacts the quality of our interaction and learning. Thus, the right learning environment needs to be established. It is both visible and invisible, internal and external. Begin with the meeting room. Ensure the temperature is suitable and that there is sufficient light. Look at seating arrangements that will facilitate optimal participation and create a sense of equality, e.g. set up roundtables, stick flip charts with participant feedback on the wall. If you are using technology, ensure you test it out beforehand.
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John 14:26, Romans 10:17, Matthew 4:4 Mark 1:15 5 1 Kings 19:12 4
Be ready internally to receive your participants. Pray and commit the time to the Lord. Master your content beforehand so you are sufficiently adaptive when required. Start well. Go through the welcome, introductions, set the context, ground rules and boundaries, lay out the desired outcomes, etc. Include a sense of fun and humor.
6. Use tension, discomfort and conflict for learning According to Tuckman, every performing team has to go through the storming stage. A set of carefully designed activities can help a group move more quickly through the stages of group development, all of which are inevitable if you wish to see a performing team. Conflict and tension in the group can help learners move out of their comfort zone and stretch them to reassess how they need to think, feel, and behave in the new circumstance. There are 5 possible responses to conflict – to avoid, to compete, to accommodate, to compromise, and to collaborate. As a facilitator, you can utilize the reactions and responses of the learners as a context for teachable moments. Do remember to allow sufficient emotional release to restore level-headed thinking. Without the emotional release, the participants will feel distracted. This release can be brought about through a time of prayer, pair and share, journaling, group confession time, etc.
7. Practice good listening skills – verbal and nonverbal Be attentive when listening. You need to listen with your ears (words, tone, pitch), mind (understand), eyes (facial expressions, body language), and heart (emotions). Attentive listening – Facilitator talks at most 20-30% of the time. The conversation is guided by the learner. The facilitator responds with verbal acknowledgement as well as appropriate body language. There is no
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interpretation or judgement in the framing of questions by the facilitator. Inattentive listening – Facilitator talks 70-90% of the time. They are more absorbed in their own thinking than in the thoughts of the learner. There is frequent interruption and finishing the sentences of others. Distracted listening – Facilitator moves around, does other activities, lacks eye contact, asks unconnected questions that confuses the learner.
8. Ask the right questions at the right time Jesus asked questions. In the gospel of Mark, there are 67 episodes in which there is a conversation, and there are 50 questions by Jesus (after counting double questions, e.g. “Whose face is that on the coin? Whose inscription is it 6 painted with?”) Open-ended questions – these are questions that assist in the exploration of a subject matter, and truly request the thoughts of the learner. Contextual questions – these are questions that assist the facilitator to get more information about the context of the learner. Typically not helpful to the learner. Close-ended questions – these are questions that simply result in monosyllabic answers (yes, no, maybe) Leading questions – these are question that contain the answer in the formulation of the question. This is a more advanced form of telling. Telling – no attempt to ask questions. The facilitator dominates by speaking conclusively. Asking questions helps the participants to learn by discovery, and it shows that you respect their prior knowledge and experience.
9. Have times of quiet and of celebration Learning and meetings need some times of quiet reflection and some times of celebrating what has happened. It is a way for the brain to take in what has happened and consolidate what has been learned.
good communication The landscape of sending and receiving information has changed dramatically in the past 25 years. The communication process is changing from being unidirectional (moving or operating in one direction only) to multidirectional (reaching out in several directions) as we are beginning to share information using a variety of channels and devices. The purpose of these ‘Practical Ideas of Communication’ is to describe how this shift in the communication process has affected the movement as well as to highlight best practices that have been observed.
1. Remember that the Holy Spirit is the Director The priest and prophet Ezekiel experienced a series of visions while exiled in Babylon. In Ezekiel 1:12 he writes about a vision he had that included creatures with wings that covered their faces and how they went straight ahead wherever the spirit would go. Then later in v.14 the creatures sped back and darted around like flashes of lightning. The world we live in today is much more complex and the tools for communication are many. This reality is not new to the Holy Spirit. We may be overwhelmed but the Holy Spirit is not overawed and will guide you through today’s multidirectional communication process.
2. Give someone responsibility to focus on communication 6
Jesus Asked. What He Wanted to Know (p19, 2003, Conrad Gempf)
The movement is a relational network and information is critical to the ability of the network to function efficiently.
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The role of the individual who has the ability to act and communicate within a specific area is a key role on any team. It is important that you identify someone in your Strategic Program or Mini-Region who will facilitate your communication process.
3. People will remember how you made them feel not what you say It is a scientific fact that by tomorrow you will forget 80% of what you see and hear today. But people always seem to remember how you made them feel. Be a coach, player and supporter for your team. People will remember how you made them feel when they received communication from you.
4. Choose your communication tool with an eye toward the future not just today When it comes to technology and websites, an important principle is to “say less or say nothing” online if you don’t have to. What is written in one nation can and DOES have a big effect in other nations. Be cautious. Technology is constantly changing so what works today may not be the best tomorrow. So don’t be afraid to change communication technology as new technology becomes available. But know the strengths and weakness of each. For example:
Using Facebook Pro: You can keep in touch with your friends and update about what is happening any time you want. Con: You might mistakenly befriend an individual with bad intentions and expose your friends to this person. Nothing you publish on social networking sites is private. It is a request of the movement that the name of the movement and details and names of programs are NOT put on Facebook and other websites.
Using Skype Pro: Free text chat, voice and video calls between any two Skype users on a Skype enabled device. SkypeOut is also offered as a paid service that allows low-cost calling to land lines and cell phones. Con: Internet quality effects quality of voice and video calls. Spam messages are also a problem if you don’t set security settings to only receive messages from members of your choice.
Using paid WebEx type services Pro: Popular web conferencing solutions that lets users meet over the Internet while sharing screens and speaking through a phone or via VoIP. Minimal processor and bandwidth usage is required (although WebEx requires more than GoToMeeting). Con: Price is $50 a month for unlimited meetings with up to 15-25 participants each.
Using Gmail and google docs Pro: Access from anywhere, compatibility with different platforms, you can easily collaborate and have security from crashes of your computer. Con: No offline access, unavailability of the information if servers go down and security concerns. For example Google servers could be broken into by hackers or has also provided US & China government information stored online when requested.
5. Do’s & Don’ts of Internet communication Email – when writing an email review, review, review and then send. Understand how to use CC (‘carbon copy’) and BCC (‘blind carbon copy’). If you are sending information to a large group use BCC rather than CC. Be careful responding to an email you’ve been BCC on. If the email was addressed to someone else, you have only received the BCC so that you will be aware, not so you can
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respond. The one receiving the email doesn’t know you have received a BCC so you will embarrass the sender and yourself by responding. Only CC when everyone receiving the email already knows each other or if it is an email to make introduction. When sending with attachments keep attachments small so that the person receiving doesn’t waste time waiting for it to download. Do not waste other people’s time by forward virus warnings, chain letters and jokes. Did you know that now it is estimated that 90% of email is marketing or considered junk mail? Mobile – if you’re calling into a conference call with your mobile or computer and you’re in a public place or walking on the street, mute your phone when not talking so everyone else doesn’t pick up your background noise. Social Media – post information from others who you know want their information to be posted. Be safe and check before you post or re-post. It is also important to realize that communicating via Social Media is not secure and you don’t want to share information others don’t want shared. Conference Call - take conference calls from a quiet location, mute when you are not talking, assume your line is never muted to avoid embarrassing situations, give the call your undivided attention (avoid multi-tasking) and take turns speaking.
6. Creating content and editing How often should you communicate? Communicating monthly will probably fade from your memory so you should communicate regularly and consistently. But make sure your communication is providing great community value. When linking and sharing someone else's information add commentary to it as to why it matters to your community.
7. Understand the security risks It is best to assume nothing is secure. You need to worry about the confidentiality of data transmitted across the web. The TCP/IP protocol (the "internet") was not designed with security in mind. Therefore it is vulnerable to network eavesdropping. Instant messaging has same security threats as email or other online communication. Promote and encourage secure "language" so that communication is confusing to those outside the movement. It is better to say nothing online that say something that causes other people (and you) difficulties. Some people have faced prison and worse because of careless information shared on websites.
SOME WISDOM GATHERED FROM THE MOVEMENT In addition to everything in this document, there are some key lessons learned from many years of experience.
Some things you don’t need Pride and ego. Comfort, control, rigid policies, politics, procedures, highly established traditions. Gatekeepers and people with titles who have to approve what happens. Copyright, logos and names on materials you share – always share and give away your creativity. Rigid structures. Guilt, fear, contracts, pledges – base everything on trust and relationship and work at it.
Some things you need Lots of prayer. The local church.
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A global vision that helps you think big in your local context. Relationships, teamwork and trust are the foundation for everything else. Shared vision and ownership. Non-experts and lay leaders.
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:31-33)
To think in short steps or ‘phases’ but with a long-term (20-30 year) mindset. Surround yourself with people more talented than you. Start working on who will take on your role as soon as you can.
Some things that are surprising Go slow at first to go faster later. Focus on the few (or one) to win many. Stay only where Jesus has prepared someone’s heart to hear and obey. Share only when and where people are ready to hear.
MORE RESOURCES: To get the latest version of this document and other EVERY CITY EVERY COUNTRY sports resources, go to:
www.max7.org/channels/everycity If you translate this, please add it to the Every Country Every City website above.
A novice insider will produce more fruit than a highly trained outsider. Expect the hardest places to yield the greatest result. Focus on ordinary people not professional or vocational Christians. Addition does not add up to multiplication. The least likely people may be exactly the ones God is preparing. Look for people of character, commitment, chemistry and only then competence. Movements are counter-intuitive. It does not fit management theory or organizational development. Structure kills movements. Be aware that most of what you are called to do might not be enjoyable.
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