Nathan Youlton works as a Sport & Faith Leader at Sportily, (based in Gloucestershire). It’s an organisation that reaches out into communities, to young people in particular, with sport and wellbeing activities, while also introducing participants to the Christian faith.
Here Nathan explains:
Energy, passion, courage and an unwavering trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit are all qualities you can’t help noticing when Nathan talks about his work.
He’s been in the role since 2017 and continually emphasises what a blessing it has been – that he can combine his passion for sport and his passion for talking about Jesus with people who don’t yet know of Him.
Nathan also acknowledges that connecting with young people is something that many churches struggle with, but that offering sporting activities that young people can join in with is one effective way to break down the barriers.
“What I’ve learned is that sport offers a common language that connects people like nothing else can. If we’re not influencing young people like we used to do years ago in Sunday school, how can we influence them today when they’re not in our buildings? I’m not claiming sport is the be-all and end-all, but what we do know is that it can, and does, connect with people, and if that opens the door to building relationships, just like Jesus did, then we’re in a good place.”
Nathan’s remit at Sportily has a regional focus in North Gloucester, where an estate of 4000 new homes is currently being built. There is a parish church dedicated to the area, but Nathan says that geographically, the Church is still far away from the estate.
He said, “People don’t travel to church these days, they don’t even go to the church that’s nearby, so what does it look like to take the message out there that Jesus Christ is relevant for all people and not just those who walk into a church building every Sunday morning? Most people today are not comfortable just walking into that space. Even Jesus spent time in the places where people were just living, where they felt comfortable, so that is what I’m trying to replicate through my work.”
He added, “There are some very faithful ministers in the area, but they have huge workloads with their existing congregations. I can be much more mobile in those new estates and be where the minister cannot be, and they’re happy for me to do that.
“So my remit is to be involved in that community and use sport and play – sport in its widest sense – to make connections with the people living there. I’ve been running some football sessions with local kids, some basketball sessions, I’ll sometimes be based in the local school, I’ll be running some pilates and some yoga for local parents, we’re starting to do Forest Church out in the community a bit more, looking at a set of walking and running routes. Simple things like that, things that anyone can enjoy - I’m not trying to train up the latest Olympian.
“And we’re really transparent about being faith-based sports groups, and what I find is that people are interested. We presume that just because people don’t want to come to church that they’re not interested in faith. I don’t think there’s any lack of interest, it’s just where that interest takes them and what avenue they follow. I just want to make sure they hear about Jesus.”
Eventually, Nathan expects there may be regular gatherings around the faith-sport sessions he leads that begin to take the shape of a new worshipping community, or a fresh expression of church, but it could be some way off.
He explained, “This kind of ministry is really hard. It’s easy to talk about this stuff and be excited about it, and of course I am excited about it, but when you’re on the front line, just like any front line worker, meeting people who haven’t committed, we’re just playing sport and connecting at the moment, sometimes it can be hard going because it takes time.
“But on the other hand, when you think about the place these new people are starting from, just seeing young people being willing to engage in conversation about Jesus, willing to come to a faith-based residential, or asking questions about Jesus, that’s a huge encouragement. And then one day, someone will come along and tell me they want to commit to following Jesus. I’ve seen this happen and it’s a great feeling.”
Although it may seem like Nathan is working in isolation in the Gloucester estates, he says he maintains close ties with the local parish churches of all denominations and relies on them for prayer and support. He sees himself as serving the churches, and encouraging volunteers from within the church to step out and try doing ‘Church’ in a different way.
He said, “I was chatting with a minister the other day who was saying he felt overwhelmed by the number of new homes going up here, and he had too much already just looking after his existing congregation. My role is to assist – I’m growing another kind of church over here which is focused to its location and anyone who wants to be a part of that would be so valued and welcome. The churches here have been a massive support and I’ll continue to visit them on Sundays and tell them what’s going on, keep them in the loop, ask them to pray, and ask them to support me with their time and with their energy as well.”
Part of the challenge in recruiting volunteers, Nathan says, is the perception that this kind of ministry is for ‘sports people’ but he wants to reassure anyone thinking about exploring sports ministry and mission that being super fit and sporty isn’t necessary - just a general interest in sport and a willingness to talk about faith in a natural, easy way is all that’s needed.
“I’ve had lots of volunteers over the years who think their sporting years are behind them, but I encourage them to just come and get involved. You might just sit at the side, but then you might share something faith-related with someone that strikes a chord, or chat to the parents, build relationships. Often the people who feel their sporting years are behind them can do the stuff that I can’t – I can lead the sport and do all that stuff, but I need others to just come and be among the people, to talk, to be alongside people and to build those relationships.
“When church members come and see what it’s like and get involved, they’re encouraged and emboldened once more to go out and be willing to share the gospel. There’s definitely week to week encouragements, like people coming back the next week and asking more about Jesus, the individual conversations, kids who initially came just because of the sport, but are now engaging with faith and coming along to things that are more discipleship-focused. We’re also seeing parents and families and local people ‘softening’ towards faith whereas once they might have been a bit more against it. So there are rewards and encouragements all along the way.”
Anyone in the Gloucestershire area wanting to partner with Sportily in similar ways can get in touch. For churches outside of Gloucestershire, contact Natalie Andrews, the national Church of England’s Sport & Wellbeing Project Lead, to see what the local opportunities for sport outreach could be.
Nathan believes that trying new areas of ministry can create a pathway to discipleship for people who have very little experience of church or Christianity and sport is especially effective in reaching younger age groups.
He concludes, “In the Bible, Jesus said ‘Come and see’, so come, try things and out and see if it’s something you’re interested in. God will call you on from there. Just be willing to try, and willing to fail, it’s absolutely fine to fail. Many of the people in the Bible failed and God sustained them through that into eventual success. I’ve been blessed in this job, that I’ve been allowed to fail, and to keep trying and moving on to see where the Holy Spirit takes me. So if you’re a person that wants to learn how to do that, then come and try!”
For more on Sportily see the website.
“Play sports, talk life. Fluff it. Duff it. Score it. Smash it. Whatever you do, just give it go.”
