If there’s one thing that causes most kidmin leaders angst, it’s youth sports—especially travel ball. In 2023, about 38% of 6- to 12-year-olds played at least one sport on a regular basis, and the average number of sports a kid played is 1.63. That means that at any given time, a good percentage of our kids and families are spending more time on the sports field than on the church campus. It makes planning ministry challenging, but more importantly, we wonder if our kids and families are keeping Christ at the center of their lives. Many families seem to place following Christ on the altar of sports, or perhaps the idea that they are helping raise up the next professional superstar.

We know that putting anything above Christ is foolish; as Jesus himself asked, “For what benefit is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his life?” (Mark 8:36, NET). And we also know that the idea that a child will become the next professional athlete is nearly as foolish. Take baseball, for example. Every year, four million kids play Little League Baseball, and there are only 1,200 Major League Baseball spots. That means a little leaguer has a scant 0.03% chance of making the big leagues.

Because of this, it’s easy for us to assume a combative posture against Little League sports; they cost our church families so much time and money (the average sport costs a family $883 per season). If only we could snap our fingers and make them all go away! But should we if we could?

Recognizing the Value of Sports

While there are certainly valid reasons to be concerned about sports, not everything about them is bad. Studies have shown that active children are healthier, have 40% higher test scores, are 15% more likely to go to college, and experience lower levels of depression and higher levels of self-esteem. Those are all good things we want for our kids!

Beyond that, playing sports is simply fun. But that fun doesn’t last. The average kid will spend less than three years playing a sport, quitting by age 11. Sure, that means kidmin leaders bear the brunt of this time, but it’s helpful for us to remember that playing sports is one part of what it means to be a kid. Fewer teens play than kids, and fewer adults play than teens. So, we need to be fair and recognize that we are looking at a very small window of time.

Recognizing the Challenges of Sports

Beyond the concerns of sports taking kids away from church and creating an unrealistic hope of a sports career, sports are costly. About 43% of 18- to 34-year-old parents struggle to pay sports fees, and 62% of 35- to 49-year-old parents do. Unsurprisingly, then, 74% of moms are concerned about the cost of sports. This financial pressure surely ripples down through a family, creating additional stress.

It’s also important to note that almost 71% of moms are concerned about the time commitment sports requires. While this surely goes beyond a concern with how sports can take families away from church, it’s important to recognize that families aren’t nonchalant about this challenge.

Developing a Moderating Position on Sports

So, there are some good things and some not-so-good things about sports. That means we’d be best to take a moderating position concerning them—neither rejecting sports outright nor accepting them carte blanche. So, how do we do that? Here are four keys:

A Tender Heart

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the true state of your heart when it comes to sports. Do you tend to assume a combative posture toward them? Are you beyond frustrated? Perhaps even angry? Ask the Spirit to soften your heart, while still preserving valid concerns over sports. Ask him to remind you that while some families surely are out of balance, many aren’t. They know the pros and cons and are trying to do the best they can.

Intentional Discipleship

Determine how you can help disciple your sports families. As we’ve seen, they are in a crunch for time, money, and energy. How can you help them seek balance in these areas? Don’t look at sports as an enemy to be defeated; see it as an area of needed discipleship.

Practical Equipping

It’s right to be concerned about kids missing out on opportunities to grow in their faith because of sports, but that doesn’t have to happen. This just gives us even more incentive to train and equip our parents to disciple their kids. Teach your families how to have meaningful devotions on the way to games and how to weave faith into what happens on the sports field.

Missional Vision

How can your church serve the sports leagues around you? Move past tolerating them and bless them! Can you help with concessions, uniforms, equipment, or field care? Can you encourage your members to be active as refs and coaches? How about developing a chaplain program for Sunday games? Go out of your way to become the community’s biggest supporter of the sports leagues and see what happens.​

Brian Dembowczyk (PhD, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the associate publisher at Thomas Nelson Bibles. He previously served as managing editor of The Gospel Project and in full-time ministry. He is the author of Faith Foundations (IVP), Family Discipleship that Works (IVP), and Gospel Centered Kids Ministry (B&H).