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After a tough front nine often the golfers rest between sides
and then wonder if they even wish to play the back nine.
In this game however, it is very important that we
play the back nine.
In order to do so, we must get our heads together and
prepare to Finish strong.
I
have seen golfers go to the club house between nines and ask
the pro for a pointer or two to help improve their game on
the back. The
steps which follow are ones which will involve a church in
the mission ministry of golf.
As
we prepare to play this side we must first have played the
front. A church
must have individual golfers committed to the personal witnessing
effort. Then
a church gathers those people and commissions them to carry
out this very important ministry Get your whole church involved
by allowing it to vote to include this ministry in its mission
efforts. Include a chairperson on Church Council, if possible, to continue
to report and update the church on new ministry efforts from
your golf ministry.
When
this is finished, continue to train and improve your ministry
with workshops, fellowship and outreach opportunities.
When
we plan to go out and play a round of golf we look for someone
to go and play with us.
This is also true of setting up an ongoing ministry
in your church. Always
recruit and train new members into the ministry.
Like everything else we do in the church, the more
who are involved the more you can do for Christ.
One idea is to have a monthly golf outing with the
people involved. Talk
after the round about new ways to witness and include others
in your ministry. This
fellowship will bring strength and energy to your ministry.
At
many larger courses you must have a set time to get started.
This is also true in setting up your golf ministry.
Set a target date to have the training, supplies, and
interested people together so that you may get off to a good
start. Talk with
this group and set goals for the ministry: Who will we target;
what area (course) will we target; how many people can we
involve? Then
look at the overall purposes of the golf ministry (see p.1)
Know them, study them and incorporate them into your ministry.
Golf
can create the best possible fellowship.
When you play 18 holes of golf with a person you get
to know them very well.
Many churches already have annual tournaments which
include inviting non-Christians. Why not expand that opportunity?
Golfers who love to play will play in 6-8 tournaments
a year which are sponsored by all types of groups from charities
to beverage companies.
Why can't your church work with a course to sponsor
a tournament open to the public?
Provide at that tournament some of the personal witnessing
tools as tournament gifts.
Sponsor an outing to give out the awards and during
that share a testimony and information concerning your church.
When your church sponsors anything it should be for
the purpose of uplifting Christ.
You can certainly do so at a public golf tournament.
There
are hundreds of ideas.
Let's share and talk about more of them, but remember
it is the ongoing use of the personal tools and sharing your
story that will make the difference in golfers' lives.
Ministries
that do not grow and expand tend to die!
So it is with your church's golf ministry. You should include playing golf as a part of your gift search
when talking with new and prospective members.
You have a ministry they can plug into immediately.
Promote
the ministry to other churches.
They may not know what to do and would invite your
help or the help of CGM to get started.
As
a church we are always looking for opportunities to start
a new and needed work.
As the turn of the century approaches we know that
churches and church attendance are changing factors.
One main purpose of leisure ministry concepts is to
meet the needs of salvation, spiritual growth, and worship
opportunities in a fast changing world. Your church should consider things like holding vespers at
a course on Sunday morning, the need for a weekly Bible study
at a course, or even a church/congregation mission which might
meet at a golf course anytime during the week.
Consider times other than Sunday morning.
This is one of the busiest times at a course and facilities
are used to the maximum.
How about Thursday night or afternoon?
Our purpose is to reach people where they are and when
they are willing. Be
creative! You
may just end up being the sponsoring church of a great and
growing mission ! !
Playing
the hole is the carrying out of the game.
It is important that the golfer and the church have
a sincere desire to share Christ with others.
Can you think of how well you play golf or do anything
when you really don't desire to do it?
Make your commitment to "play the hole."
Your church should always envision long-range possibilities
and the individual golfer should look for each and every opportunity
to share Christ.
As
we said on the front nine, hazards can create a renewed opportunity
or create more conflict trying to get out!
Remember that there are some hazards any time a church
tries something new and different.
Educate your church.
Keep them informed and you will avoid many of the hazards
on the course of this ministry.
The
sand trap is a place where you can become bogged down on a
very small or short shot.
When in a trap you must hit the ball just right in
order to get out. Remember,
these hazards are very close to the green (your goal).
Use the right club, the right swing and you will soon
achieve your goal. Don't
hit at the ball without thinking it through or you will miss
the ball (the point of conflict) and end up right back in
the trap again.
When
your ball goes astray (and it does sometimes), you may end
up in the woods or rough.
Often you can have a clear and clean shot out of the
rough without much trouble. If that is the case, pick your club wisely and take your best
shot. If you
don't have a shot, many times you are better off to pick the
ball up, take a stroke and continue play from a better lie
(position). Don't
be too proud to start over or improve your position if it
can make a difference in your whole game.
If
you hit in the water most of the time your ball is lost.
Your only choice may be to drop a new ball and start
from a point of play.
Don't try to fish out a ball from the middle of the
lake or you will get wet!
Don't try to hit a ball lying in the water, you will
get wet and the ball may not even move ! !
The
greatest dream for water hazards on a golf course would be
to someday attend a baptismal service being held at the pond
on a beautiful fairway! ! What a thought !
By
the time you reach the seventeenth hole, most golfers have
a real good idea how they played.
They sometimes begin to total their score and find
out what they must do on the next two holes.
Your church should always be aware of what the ministry
is doing and seeking new opportunities for growth.
If it works, keep doing it day after day.
If it doesn't work, talk about it and be willing to
change.
After
each game golfers evaluate how they played.
Some may even take a lesson from a pro, read something
on how to improve, or go to that old driving range and just
hit balls until they feel it is right.
As a church starting a golf ministry, remember that
this ministry is designed to involve the individual golfer
in sharing Christ, to develop new work in and around golf
courses and communities, and to lift the name of Christ in
all we do. These
are great and worthy causes.
Always be willing to learn and share what you have
learned. Be open
to new ideas and willing to try them for the cause of Christ. Remember John 5:30: "By myself I can do nothing; I judge
only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to
please myself but him who sent me." NIV.
We
must always work as a team at any ministry in our church,
not just to please ourselves, but to please the one who sent
us out to share his LOVE, FORGIVENESS, and ETERNAL REDEMPTION!
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