Church Is a Team Sport: A Championship Strategy for Doing Ministry Together

by Jim Putman

Now available in trade paper, Church Is a Team Sport shows proven ways to push believers, new and mature, toward growth as both Christians--and leaders. Through this powerful, thought-provoking volume, ministers both in the congregation and on staff will discover how to expand the church one soul at a time. Making disciples is the crux of pastor Jim Putman's message. The plan works. Caring for people, following up on stray sheep, and teaching what it means to love God and obey him. That's how Church Is a Team Sport transforms Christians from Monday-morning quarterbacks into dynamic players.

Genres: Leadership, Discipleship, Nonfiction, Church, Christian Living, Christian, Religion

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Landon Genry]

Would highly recommend this book! Gives practical strategies for discipleship and is very challenging!

[Jack]

Jim Putman gives the history of Real Life Ministries along with their philosophy and structure of ministry while challenging the "normal" church model we are used to. He challenges his readers to consider what our calling is as followers of Jesus Christ. Using real-life (no pun intended) examples of both leaders and situations in his own church, and with candor and honesty of his own struggles and failures, Putman demonstrates that there is a better way to do church than just waiting for the pastor to do everything for us. Using sports metaphors from his own experience wrestling in high school and college, Putman helps us to see that church does not have to take a backseat to everything other interest in our lives.

[Brittany Dunnavant]

This book has really good info for people who are trying to be leaders in the church or are already leaders in the church! I found it was harder for me to connect with this book because i do not desire to be part of a leadership team in a church, but there is some good information that i think will help someone looking to join a church decipher if a church has a God centered leadership.

[Gabe]

Excellent resource focused on multiplying disciples rather than mere knowledge acquisition.

[Linda]

great book

Great for building up the church. Teaching discipleship. I really enjoyed his process and the way he wrote. Great read.

[Wade]

Book 1 of Putman’s three very solid books on biblical discipleship (Church is a Team Sport, Real-life Discipleship, and Discipleshift). Of the three books, this one is the most introductory. Despite the cheesy cover, and pretty much every illustration being a sports-related illustration, the content is still very solid.

[Tung]

Putnam is the head pastor of Real Life Ministries, a megachurch in Idaho. Within a period of just eight years, the church grew from a few people to over eight thousand – all in a city whose entire population is only ten thousand. This book lays out the church’s strategy behind the successful expansion, and frames it in sports analogies derived out of Putnam’s background as an All-American wrestler in college. For example, he calls the leaders of the church “coaches,” and the vision/mission of the church as the “playbook.” Putnam lays out the overall mission of every church – victory is winning souls for Christ – and discusses why the contemporary American church has failed to win so often. He then expounds on the major principle of his church: discipleship through relationships built in small groups. Putnam argues that the church is too focused on what he calls “the show” – the weekend service. Real life change, he argues, is not built in one-hour blocks on the weekend, but rather through living the Christian life 24/7 in intimate faith communities (small groups). Every ministry of the church – service ministries, care ministries, teaching ministries – is accomplished through these groups. Putnam does an effective job of providing a framework for aligning the entire vision and programmatic structure of a church through the single lens of small groups and relationships. As a book, it accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish: outlining one church’s strategy on how to center church activities through relationships. My negative reactions to this book lie more in my disagreement with Putnam’s prioritization of relationships as the highest priority in the faith. Building a faith community that loves each other is not, in my opinion, as critical as building a faith community that fully understands the nature of a sovereign God, and fully understands and loves Scripture. My theological disagreement notwithstanding, it's a recommended read. Pastors and church leaders with an interest in church organization will especially enjoy this book.

[W. Russell]

I really enjoyed this book by Jim Putman. He matter of factory lays out how his church committed to basic discipleship and leadership principles which resulted in great success for the ministry. There is something here for any church leader or member.

The only negative for some might be the abundance of sports metaphors, but I enjoyed them because I am a sports guy. Putman's straight forward delivery gives you a lot to think about and easy ways to wade into some real change in culture and process at your church. I do not agree with everything he says but enjoyed reading it. All in all it is an easy read with practical application.

[Michael Mack]

This is one of several books I recommend for developing a team approach to ministry, whether at the church-leadership or group-leadership level. It was one of the books that was a basis for chapter 3 of my book, Small Group Vital Signs "A Healthy Group Shares Leadership with a Core Team."

[Kevin]

This book was a refreshing suggestion towards the biblical simplicity of discipleship, offering a more intentional approach to modern day "small groups". The goal is to grow from infants to adults in Christ, becoming disciples who make other disciples. Not perfect, but a great starting point for practicing discipleship in your church.

[Kristin Hodge]

This book was such an easy read! Some times these topic books take me so long to read because they are not written in a way that keeps me interested! THIS BOOK DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! This book is eye opening, and mind blowing with all of the practical instruction to disciple! And just wow! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

[Brandon Boyd]

Highly recommended first read on the process of building Biblical disciples in relational disciples. The Real Life Ministries approach to disciple making is the best stuff written (and lived out!) in the last 15 years. If new to the subject start here!

[Travis Miller]

He is right on with the biblical method of doing and being the church. Discipleship.

This book has helped shape the way that I will be doing ministry for the rest of my life. I didn't agree with everything in it, but what I did agree with, was very good.

[Eric]

Thought the book was good in presenting the need for discipleship and that the body of Christ needs to be involved in making disciples.

[Nathan Schneider]

Ministers are called to equip the church for ministry. That's the story of Jim Putman's leadership and Real Life Ministries. This book is a helpful guide to intentional, relational discipleship.

[Joe Cox]

This going to be a game changer.

[Ashley]

So, the team analogy is taken to the extreme, but this discipleship strategy appears Biblical and solid. Could have been about 1/2 as long.

[Dante Lupinetti]

This is the way to do church.