What do you do as a Christian parent when your kids want to be on a team? How do you maintain a healthy balance between sports and church involvement?

As Christian parents, we can also help our teens utilize their participation in sports as a way to help them grow in their faith.

I was a children’s ministry leader for over ten years, and I’m going to be fully transparent with you. I remember numerous times being annoyed by kids’ sports. Sports meant families missed church regularly, and the parents who served as volunteers weren’t available during the season.

Is there a way sports can be used to help our students actually grow in their faith? I think if we frame the question this way, we will be better able to equip parents to navigate sports and faith.

When my firstborn was about 18 months old, I was offered a part-time job as a school librarian. My husband and I agreed that the only way I would accept it was if she was with family while I worked. Our parents said they’d be happy to help. Even though we offered to pay them, they refused. Their free babysitting was a huge blessing to us. Several years later, when I took a full-time position, my parents came over every morning to get our kids fed, dressed, and on the school bus – another fantastic blessing. Aside from the no-cost babysitting, infinitely more important was the fact that the girls would be with people who loved them, shared our values, and modeled Jesus for them.