I love sports! I have always loved sports - and I probably always will! To be honest, some of my earliest and fondest memories involve either playing in sports or watching them with family. I remember very vividly Christian Laettner’s shot in 1992 from the free throw line as time expired to send Duke to the Final Four and ultimately win the NCAA men’s basketball championship. As a matter of fact, we usually go to at least a few sporting events each year, and when our kids are in sports, we are usually out 4 nights a week with them. And my friend, I would not have it any other way.

Although I think sports are a wonderful outlet of recreation in life and teacher of discipline- and just downright fun- sports are a terrible master in life. The Apostle Paul (who regularly made sporting analogies) said that he would not be “mastered by anything” but Jesus in 1 Corinthians 6:12. Yet, I think our contemporary American culture is enslaved to sports. The clearest evidence of this is travel sports that take Christian parents and their children away from Sunday worship to the ball field (or other sporting venue). 

I think this is more of a recent phenomenon in sports. While I am not 100% sure about this, I do not believe there were any type of kids’ travel sports 20-30 years ago. When I was growing up, you would play “little league” or “rec ball” until you got to middle school and if you were good enough, you played middle school and then high school ball. Yet at the time of this blog, the best competition is in travel sports, and parents think that if their kids are going to make it to play college or professional sports, you have to do travel ball. While this may be true, I think there are much bigger issues at stake than the level of competition our kids are playing in. 

As our culture has gotten more secular and Sunday has become more a day of recreation than rest and worship, the serious question we need to ask ourselves is whether  this view is more Christian or secular? Is this better for the church and Christian families, or is it more pagan? Even if we are faithful to church, do we still see Sunday as “The Lord’s Day” or do we just have a Lord’s hour approach to Sunday? I do not believe having your children in travel sports is a good idea if it takes you away from church on Sunday. I do not think it honors Jesus to have our kids miss out in worship on Sundays at their local church to do sports, and I will give you three reasons why. 

First, the Bible commands faithfulness to church. It is amazing to me the older I get, the more the basic principles of the Christian life become more and more essential. We never outgrow the things we heard directly after our conversion like the need for Bible reading, prayer, sharing the gospel, giving to our local church, and faithful church attendance. There is very little wiggle room in the clear command of Scripture found in Hebrews 10:25, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” The Greek word for “meet together” is episunogoga. It means “a gathering together to or toward at some location.” The clear emphasis is here meeting as Christians on the Lord’s Day. 

This tradition of Christians gathering on Sunday dates back to the earliest Christian congregations in the New Testament. Christians are to meet for worship, teaching, singing, giving, the Lord’s Supper, baptism, and prayer on Sunday. The Christian day of meeting is Sunday, not Saturday, because Jesus rose from the dead. 

One may ask here, is there ever a time when it is permissible for a Christian to miss a Sunday or consecutive Sundays? I confess that I am loosely a Christian Sabbatarian, meaning at a bare minimum that Sunday is to be different from the other six days of the week. However, I do think there are some exceptions to not being in church. First and most obvious, you are sick and providentially hindered from attending. Second, you are caring for someone who is sick and you need to be with them during the Sunday worship of your church and that time. Third, your work will not allow you to work any other time but Sunday. I think we should seek vocations that allow for Sunday worship, but I do understand some situations are unavoidable. Your boss telling you that you have to work on Sunday is a different matter all together from you choosing to work on Sunday to either get ahead or make extra money. “Take Sundays off” should be the Christian’s motto. 

Vacation is a debatable point because you are most likely away from your local church by choice for relaxation but I think you should set a precedent and go to church on Sunday when out of town. It is not hard to find a good church through the internet. Ask your pastor to help you find one or go to the 9 Marks website and look at the church locator.

While I think these are all acceptable reasons to not be at the corporate gathering, I cannot find a “loophole” for secular sports for our kids on Sunday that takes them away from church. As a matter of fact, the more Baptist Reformed confessions of faith like the New Hampshire Confession of Faith or the Second London Baptist Confession say that Sunday is a day for only religious purposes.   

May I also say, being in a kid’s program or Bible study fellowship is not the same as corporate worship. Hebrews 10:25 is clearly speaking of the weekly gathering of the saints for worship. A small group Bible study is a wonderful avenue for encouragement, accountability, and personal growth, but it is not a substitute for corporate worship. 

A second reason why I disagree with kid’s sports that takes them out of church on Sunday is that it sends our kids the wrong message. What is the purpose of travel sports? It is to be engaged with the best youth competition in a general region. Meaning, the intent is that we want our kids to be the best they can possibly be either for just pure achievement or financial compensation in the future. I do not think those goals are bad in and of themselves. What a blessing athletics can be to teach children discipline and for the rare few, a means to better yourself and your family financially through either scholarships or compensation on the pro level.

However, if we deliberately miss church for the sake of having our kids go play the sport of their choice, we are essentially “telling” them that there are times when it is OK to miss church worship, and where we are now is more important than being in church with Christ and his people. How can any Christian argue against that?  

I think this falls under one of those hard truths that Jesus taught. Luke 14:26-27 says, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. There are times when obedience to Christ means saying no to what our children want and there are times when obedience to Christ means saying no to what we want. This may not be fun here, but Jesus is worth any sacrifice or inconvenience we may suffer. Really, you need to answer the question, is this something your children want or is it an idol in your own life of watching them achieve in competition? 

A third reason we should not put our kids into travel sports that takes them away from church is that gathering at the church provides something for the Christian that you will not have if you miss church. In the context of local church discipline in Matthew 18:20 Jesus says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” When we gather as a church Christ is there. When we hear the preached Word, pray, take the Supper, and sing, Jesus is with us. Certainly, we can do some of these things and should do some of these things in private and benefit from them. The church gathering is unique and to cut ourselves off from this intentionally- even for one week- is a mistake and a strike at the Lordship Christ deserves in our life.

I know that what I am saying is countercultural. It may even be controversial but it is Biblical. This is a day that calls for strong male leadership. Humble and loving servant leadership to be sure but strong and clear leadership that says, this is a better way and we need to follow this. Men need to lead their wives and kids to Christ and the Word. Saying “no” to the prevailing culture and saying “yes” to Jesus is something your children will rise up and thank you for someday. So I ask you, what is your main goal in kids sports? Contrast that with what your main goal in bringing your kids to church is? One far outweighs the other because the result of one is eternal glory and the other is temporal glory. But your choice demonstrates what you value the most. 

Soli Deo Gloria