The Association of Church Sports and Recreation Ministers (CSRM) has organised a one-day conference at Bethany Christian Centre, Houghton-le-Spring, Durham, taking place on 11 November. The conference will focus on how churches can create an effective mission-focused sports game plan.

Entitled 'Effective Sports Ministry in the Local Church', the conference will tackle a number of topics, looking at the opportunities and pitfalls that present themselves when churches use sport to reach out to the community.

In addition, the event will showcase a brand new mission-focused sports pack called Higher Rugby, devised by the Christian organisation Higher Sports, featuring everything churches would need for eight weekly sessions of tag rugby. The sport, which is suitable for both boys and girls, includes eight units of drills and devotions.

"Sport has the remarkable capacity for building relationships in zero time and giving a real sense of well-being to those partaking in the activity," says CSRM director Bryan Mason, who is also a director of Higher Rugby.

"Alongside music it is the international language of the 21st century with the ability to build bridges across creeds, cultures and communities whilst the sound social effects of sport are always a given factor and when this is allied with the physical benefits then a powerful unit comes into being."

It is becoming increasingly obvious, he adds, that the spiritual nature of humankind has also much to learn from sport.

"A raft of recent scientific studies," he says, "has established that having deep personal convictions and values can do wonders for almost every aspect of your physical and emotional well-being - and this unlocks the doorway to better all-round fitness."

Given the important part sport plays in our lives, it is not surprising so many churches are choosing to incorporate football, rugby or aerobics, for example, into their weekly activities - although as many find out the hard way, in a new millennium when the church is being constantly marginalised, there is a danger of churches simply introducing an ad-hoc outreach ministry that has no lasting significance - which is a missed opportunity.

"Many churches see sport and recreation as something folk do with any spare time they have and don't expect it to get in the way of church commitments," Bryan says.

"This flies in the face of much of the Apostle Paul's teaching with his many references to running the race, training as an athlete and winning the prize.

"He realised that the church needed to play 'away' as well as at 'home' because the playing fields of the world are where the crowds are gathered and the good news of God's salvation in Jesus needs to be brought into this arena.

"If the world of sport won't come to the church then the church must go to the world of sport."