(This article was written by Dr. Tom Cocklereece and published in the March 2011 edition of the Noonday Light, the newsletter of the Noonday Baptist Association, Marietta, GA)

In 2010, Shady Grove Baptist Church, pastored by Tom Cocklereece, accepted a new vision to do whatever it takes to reach their racially diverse community.  Their church made the decision to start J.U.M.P. Sports—Jesus understands My Problems. As its foundation, participants hear the gospel of Christ each week and core elements of discipleship are taught. They use the Simple Evangelism and New Christian Life Coaching card from the book Simple Discipleship, written by their pastor.  The children, youth, young adults, and other guests who come to watch also connect to the message. The circle-up prayer and half-time Gospel and Gatorade elements are as important to the participants as the sports component.

The ministry approach is simple. They provide just enough structure to make the ministry work.  There are no referees, no one to keep score, but they do have plenty of volunteers and some designated “coaches” to have a tip-off when players get to an impasse. The teams are designated according to the four colors of the Simple Discipleship logo—red, blue, yellow, and green. At half-time the players circle up at the top of the key for a lesson that lasts no more than ten minutes. They enjoy their drinks and snacks during the lesson. It is amazing to see the participants warm up to the leaders more each week.  This ministry intentionally emphasizes “Christmanship” over sportsmanship and regularly compliments the players when they yield to the smaller and weaker participants. In the time they have been doing J.U.M.P. Sports, there is a noticeable difference in attitude of many of the participants. Christ is working in their lives as many of them now ask for prayer for specific needs.  About 90% of the participants are unchurched and this ministry is their only strong spiritual connection.  Most of them live in the multi-family housing units close by. Church volunteers enjoy connecting to parents and friends from the community.  The ministry has revitalized Shady Grove Baptist Church. After five months of J.U.M.P. Sports they have over 80 players and another 30 spectators from the community. That is 100 new unchurched contacts in just a few months.

Plans are being made to expand to other sports venues such as soccer, volley ball and badminton.  Wii Sports are being used for the younger children.  The response of the community and the church membership has been a blessing. They have had several of the sports ministry participants attend Sunday school, church worship, and some have joined the church. The church is in the process of reconfiguring the ministry to do it other venues such as Backyard Bible Clubs, Neighborhood Sports Events, VBS, and Summer Sports Camp. Virtually any sport may be used for J.U.M.P. Sports, but evangelism and discipleship are essential to this ministry.

JUMP Sports

ADDENDUM: The response to this new ministry has been great, with many church leaders expressing interest. My ministry team has made plans to develop a J.U.M.P. Sports Resource Kit that will be available soon. We plan to have it ready by June 1, 2011 and make it available for purchase at http://www.simplediscipleship.com . The kit will include a J.U.M.P. Sports Startup Manual, a resource CD with needed artwork for logos, a copy of Simple Discipleship, Simple Evangelism and New Christian Life Coaching cards, and other materials. The release cost is projected to be $95.00. We are not taking pre-release orders as yet, however if you are interested in purchasing the J.U.M.P. Sports Resource Kit when available, email us at tom@simplediscipleship.com . We will likely begin taking pre-orders with discount pricing ($75.00) beginning in May 2011.

Make disciples!

Dr. Tom Cocklereece, The Disciplist

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Simple Discipleship: How to Make Disciples in the 21^st Century was published and released by Church Smart Resources in November 2009. It is not a self-published book. To learn more about Simple Discipleship and to order the book, follow the link below:

http://www.simplediscipleship.com

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Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC

Author “Simple Discipleship,” contributing writer L2L Blogazine
He is a pastor, an author, professional coach, and leadership specialist

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