I need to make this clear right out of the gate: I don’t know any of theses athletes personally, nor do I know anything about where they stand spiritually. I don’t assume to know what they will do—or won’t do with the insane contracts they just signed. This is actually not for them at all. It’s for us, the church, and why discipleship (and contextualized sports ministry) still matter deeply.

Let’s roll through the recently signed contracts. And we could use any sport, but we’ll focus specifically on football in the last couple months.

Deshaun Watson signs a $230 million dollar contract with the Browns.

Matthew Stafford signs a $160 million dollar contract with the Rams.

Aaron Rodgers signs a $150 million dollar contract with the Packers.

Davante Adams signs a $141 million dollar contract with the Raiders.

Tyreek Hill signs a $120 million dollar contract with the Dolphins.

In one week, the Jaguars signed seven players to contracts totaling $259.5 million with $155.25 million in guarantees.

You get the point.

Again, I don’t know what these men will do with this type of money at their disposal. But I can’t help wondering:

What if all of these athletes were discipled in high school or college by Godly men and women who imparted to them the importance of generosity? 

Discipleship Matters

What if someone pursued these high profile athletes before they became high profile athletes? What if they were receptive to sitting down on a weekly basis with someone who promised to invest in their spiritual well being? What if they understood that the total athlete is one who is consistently growing physically, mentally, and spiritually?

What if they understood the Gospel and how everything they could ever want is given to them through a relationship with God?

Yes, God can use specific moments to bring about radical changes in people’s lives. But there is a reason Jesus chose to invest the majority of His time by spending it with twelve men. It’s because discipleship matters deeply to God. Jesus took twelve jacked up individuals and through a three-year process of relational connection to Him, they began to change. In fact, it wasn't until after Jesus died, resurrected, and ascended into heaven that his disciples aligned the entirety of their lives with what Jesus called them to. 

Discipleship is the process God uses to help His people become more and more like Jesus. Church history shows most of the disciples were martyred. Do you think any of them would have endured that type of suffering before Jesus showed up? No way. But after Jesus discipled them, they began to see the world around them through different eyes—and they were willing to risk everything for Him.

Contextualized Ministry Matters

What do I mean by contextualized ministry? Simply put, it means presenting the Gospel in a way that they can understand—or in a language that is familiar to them. It is a way to engage with a category of people that reduces hindrances to them getting to know you—and more importantly, getting to know Jesus. 

Don’t hear what I am not saying. I am not saying the local church is not important or effective. I firmly believe the local church is God’s “plan A” to reach the world. But contextualized ministries have the advantage of knowing the people group they serve so well that they may be better equipped to bring these people to the church than the church itself. 

Most athletes are resistant to meeting new people outside of their athletic community. Why? I have worked with Athletes in Action for over a decade and I can tell you based on my experience, most athletes interactions with people outside their sport brings up the same question, “What do these people want from me?” 

Most people look up to athletes. They want to meet them, be associated with them, take pictures with/of them, and get their autographs. It’s no wonder athletes gravitate towards distrust when it comes to relationships outside of their athletic circles. 

Contextualized sports ministries like Athletes in Action, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Upward Sports, and The Increase provide safe spaces for athletes to connect with staff members and other athletes who see them as people first and athletes second.

The benefit of a contextualized sport’s ministry is having a reputation of caring for and serving the athletes and coaching staff. When new athletes and coaches come on campus, they here from the peers (third party verification) about who these people are and it becomes one less barrier to the potential relationship.

Again, discipleship in these athlete’s lives is critical. And contextualized sports ministries often provide the least amount of friction for athletes to connect with a potential discipler. 

What about you?

Yes, you can hope that athlete’s signing massive contracts will choose generosity. You can pray that charities and ministries will benefit from their wealth.

Or, you can commit to discipling young men and women who will one day be in their shoes. You can trust that imparting a Kingdom mindset to today’s athlete will lead to future generosity toward Kingdom missions. 

Who is in your sphere of influence that you can move towards today? Do you know a young athlete from church? What would it look like to start a huddle group with FCA at the high school level? Have you considered volunteering with Athletes in Action?

Maybe the athlete God is calling you to disciple is your own kid! Imagine a future where athlete’s in our society at every level have older men and women who have spoken the truth of God’s word into their lives. The lives you invest in today could be the future Matthew Stafford or Davante Adams. Even if they don’t rise to that level, they will have influence as long as our culture continues to elevate them. 

If you choose not to get involved in discipleship, what would it look like for you to invest some of your own money into individuals and ministries who are pursuing these high profile athletes (not because they are famous, but because they need Jesus too)? Instead of wishing that these athletes would give, what if you decided to give to the missionaries called by God to reach them? 

It should go without saying, but I will say it anyway: Our motivation to invest in men and women cannot be perverted by what they could do for us in the future, but what God could do in and through them—for their sake and His glory.