Northland International University

We are excited about the addition of the Sports Ministry program at Northland International University. Sporting activities and events are gathering places in our current culture. If we want to connect with others for the purposes of evangelism and discipleship, we need to be involved in their lives and interests. For many people, that is a sports activity so this is where sports ministry comes in. Sports ministry can be a one-day event, a summer-long youth league, a week-long sports camp, or a once-a-week adult recreational activity. The sky is the limit as far as ideas that can be used. In this sports-crazed culture we live in, sports ministry is an effective tool to reach people who might not otherwise hear the Gospel. If you have any questions about a specific sports ministry or have an interest in developing something similar in your ministry, please contact Coach Dennis Scott at Northland.

Related Links

Philosophy

Sports Ministry, an Oxymoron or an Opportunity?

Barry Bonds, Michael Vick, Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones. Positive images? Great role models? Not exactly. Each of these men is a high-profile, professional athlete who has recently been in the news as a result of bad character or wrong choices. It is exactly this kind of behavior that causes many Christians to shun sports altogether. Admittedly, there are many disturbing aspects of our contemporary sports culture: bench-clearing brawls, trash talking, taunting, strutting, cheating, drug use and abuse, promiscuity, and god-like worship by adoring fans. However, that does not mean that sports cannot be an effective tool for ministry.

In 1991 while interviewing for a teaching and coaching position at Northland, I was challenged in my thinking about athletics by Jim Phillips, who was Northland’s athletic director at that time. Coach Phillips had sent to me an extremely thorough coaching questionnaire that caused me to seriously examine why I was involved in athletics. Was it just for personal enjoyment since I could no longer participate as a player? Was it just a power and prestige thing—having control over a group of guys and gaining recognition from their accomplishments? Was I just motivated to give back to the game and provide an opportunity for others that I had enjoyed through high school and college? I wasn’t really sure why I was spending all of the extra time after school and on weekends, but it seemed to be only for my own personal benefit. My thinking certainly needed to change.

It was through that process that I began to realize the tremendous tool that sports can be for touching lives. Since that time, we have seen sports used as a tool for evangelism as well as for discipleship. We have seen souls saved at summer sports camps, through local church sports outreaches, and even after some game competition against secular colleges. The universal language of sports has opened many doors on our athletic team mission trips, and we have seen people trust Christ on the mission field. The mission trips have also been a tool for making an impact in the discipleship process of our own athletes. Discipleship has also taken place during the season through practice sessions and game competition, team devotions and prayer time, ministry service opportunities as we travel, and in the one-on-one counseling opportunities a coach has with his or her team members.

Many of these situations have encouraged us to train the next generation of coaches through offering a Sports Ministry major program of study at Northland. While Sports Ministry is a relatively new program at Northland, the concept certainly is not. It was a significant idea for ministry outreach even as far back as 1889. When James Naismith applied to be a student at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, one of the questions on his application was, “What is the work of a YMCA physical director?” He answered, “To win men for the Master through the gym.” In December 1891, Dr. Naismith created the game of basketball. Naismith’s invention came during that winter when his supervisor asked him to come up with an indoor game to attract young men during the harsh New England winters in order to share the Gospel on a year-round basis. (Garner, p. 2)

Historically and culturally, our country has passed through a number of phases in relationship to sports and recreational activities. In the early days, there was a time period of opposition toward such activities. This era was characterized by a work ethic mindset, and there was little time for frivolous activities such as sports. Many religious groups even supported a ban on some sports and recreational activities. Gradually, however, social groups, including churches, began a period of acceptance. This era was characterized by a tolerance mindset, which began to recognize that there were some small benefits socially, physically, and spiritually to these activities. Our culture now has moved into a new time period of promotion. The mindset has become leisure oriented, and there is an aggressive challenge to be involved weekly, if not daily, in some kind of physical activity. Our society has become leisure-oriented, competition-driven, materially focused, and spiritually starved. If we do not recognize this cultural shift and take advantage of the tool of sports and recreation, we will miss out on many opportunities to reach people where they are. This is where sports ministry comes in.

Sports ministry can be done through organizing youth sports leagues, summer sports camps, one-day sports tournaments, men’s adult recreational leagues, or ladies’ fitness fellowships. These are activities where community families can be invited to participate. Each of these events provide an opportunity to build relationships through which the Gospel can be shared. While traditional methods of door-to-door outreach should not necessarily be eliminated, this type of contact is being more frequently met with cynicism and skepticism—if the door is even opened at all. It is difficult to reach new people without first developing a relationship with them. Ministering to people through a sporting activity is a great way to break down many barriers.

Rodger Oswald of Church Sports International states, “. . . nowhere does Scripture mandate or forbid the use of leisure, recreation, and/or sports. In fact, modern society is demonstrating that redeemed man within the context of a well-organized recreation and sports ministry (usually within a local church) can be an extremely effective tool for communicating Jesus Christ, seeing people come to faith, assimilating them into the local church, and assisting them in their spiritual growth. (Garner, p. 27)

Our goal through the Sports Ministry program at Northland is to help each of our students (not just our athletes) see the value of sports as a ministry tool. We are excited about training the next generation of coaches and leaders of sports ministry. While sports and recreational activities are considered unconventional tools for ministry and are often misunderstood by those not familiar with them, they are nonetheless very effective tools to build relationships with this current culture.

References made to: Recreation and Sports Ministry: Impacting Postmodern Culture; John Garner (general editor). Broadman & Holman Publishers; Nashville, TN; 2003

Click here for a list of classes that are required for the Sports Ministry major. A brief description of the content of each class and the number of credits for each class is also included. Please contact Dennis Scott with any questions regarding the Sports Ministry major.
 

Coach Dennis Scott

Dennis Scott graduated from Maranatha Baptist Bible College in 1980 with a BS degree in Bible/Secondary Education (Math). In 1989 he received the MSS (Master of Sport Science) degree from the United States Sports Academy and completed the academy’s coaching certification program. Coach Scott and his wife, Corinne, came to Northland in 1991 after serving for eleven years at Grace Baptist Church and Heritage Hall Christian School in Muncie, Indiana, where he served as varsity basketball coach, high school math and Bible teacher, youth pastor, and junior/senior high school principal. Currently Coach Scott is serving as the director of Sports Ministries at Northland. He is also currently pursuing his doctorate degree and is enrolled in the doctoral program at the United States Sports Academy.

In the past, he has served as Northland’s athletic director (ten years), men’s basketball coach (sixteen years), men’s golf coach (ten years), and women’s soccer coach (three years). The classes Coach Scott has taught at Northland include: Sport Ministry, Sport Management, Sport Conditioning, Sport Medicine, Sport Biomechanics, Sport in Society, Current Events and Issues in Sport, and Coaching Basketball Methods. He has been a frequent speaker at educator’s conferences, coaching sessions, and sports banquets. He has conducted summer sports camps for over twenty years. The Scotts have three children: Drew, Carmen, and Brittany

Coaching Resume

IACS Basketball State Champions: 1986
IACS Basketball State Runner-up: 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991
NCCAA II Regional Champions: 1994 and 2007
NCCAA II Regional Runner-up—Men’s Basketball: 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005
NCCAA II Midwest Region Coach of the Year: 1997, 1998, 2007
NAC Conference Coach of the Year: 1998 and 1999
NABC Coaching Certification and Professional Development Series: 2004 and 2007
National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) member for 15 years
NCCAA Division II Men’s Basketball National Chairman
NCCAA Midwest Region Chairman: 2004−2007
NAC Conference Basketball Champions: 1997, 1998, 1999