I’ve been captivated by the stories of the world’s best athletes during the 2024 Olympics this past week. As I watch these events unfold while Tropical Storm Debby hits the southern coast, I notice several similarities between the Olympics and effective local church ministry.

In the Olympics, athletes of all ages and sizes compete at the highest levels. This is a great analogy for multigenerational ministry in the church, where faith formation can be shared across generations. Instead of just offering a backpack blessing for young children, we extended our blessings to everyone involved. First, we prayed for the leaders in nursery, children’s, and youth ministries. Next, we blessed the children, teens, and young adults. Finally, we prayed for their parents and grandparents. A special thanks to Christina Embree of Refocus Ministry for this inspiration.

At our grandson’s church, senior members invited middle schoolers to their July luncheon to play board games, with the students bringing dessert. Our church’s empty nesters’ Sunday school class also supports and mentors a new young adult class, offering them fellowship, easy relationships, support, and leadership each week.

Just like athletes who compete individually in their countries come together as a national team in the Olympics, building teams in ministry makes us stronger. During the busy summer months, coaching and training interns allowed us to offer more faith formation opportunities. The youth intern handled Wednesday night programming, the summer mission trip, and designed the upcoming Confirmation cohort. The nursery intern focused on recruiting and orienting new leaders, while the children’s intern directed day camps and planned ministry activities for families with preschoolers.

A laity-driven initiative led to the design of a new church building, where middle schoolers played a key role in assembling furniture, hanging wall pieces, and building standing desks. Each member contributed their unique skills, from art teachers to national designers, making the project a success. Thank-you notes are going out tomorrow.

The Olympics showcase incredible stories of physical struggle, obstacles overcome, joyful surprises, and unlikely partnerships. Similarly, in our spiritual journey, we undergo “soul training.” Our spiritual diet, influences, and the guidance of mentors are essential in helping us grow and achieve our goals in faith. Just as an athlete needs a supportive environment, we too need to encourage each other, celebrating our successes and cheering each other on as we would a family member in the Olympics.

If you are in the path of Tropical Storm Debby, I pray that you find help or become a helper. As we watch the final week of the Olympics, let’s be inspired by these amazing athletes and motivated to achieve great things in our own lives, for the cause of Christ.

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24