Grant Sheppard Tells Us Why World Sport Ministries is So Culturally Relevant Today!
A direct encounter with God inspired Grant Sheppard, the dynamic head of World Sport Ministries to set up this culturally relevant Christian outreach ministry. Combining fantastic life skills, fun, mentoring with of course, sport! Originally from the UK and now living in Bath with his talented photographer wife, Estienne and their daughter, Beau, Grant takes some time out of his busy schedule to explain why WSM is so important in teaching the gospel of Christ.WSM appears to have been set up in 1999 as a culturally relevant way of bringing Jesus into people's lives - can you tell us how you got the idea to reach people missionally via sport?
(PICTURES: GRANT AND ESTIENNE SHEPPARD, THE WSM LOGO, A BIG FOOTBALL, GRANT, MENUNITED LOGO, A SPORTY CHILD FROM WSM SITE, GRANT IN PAKISTAN)
I got the idea from God. Having been saved for just over a year, I was worshipping 
the Lord to some music in my car when the Holy Spirit said "I want you to work for Me like you work for your cricket Union."
I didn't really know what that meant so just starting sharing my faith through my sports coaching in schools and God gave me no further information or divine appointments for three whole years! I then had a 45 minute encounter with the Lord in South Africa when He spoke clearly into my spirit one night and revealed great detail of the sports ministry calling and said "You shall call it 'World Sport Ministries"'.
Over 80% of our nation and the world are somehow impacted by sport, they either play it, watch it o
r read about it so it's a huge mission field and the apostle Paul said he would become all things to all people so that they may be saved; ministering through sport helps us go into other people's worlds as they don't just walk into church.
Statistically men and young men are arguably the smallest numbers in a church - do you think that charities and organisations like WSM are a means of countering that?
Yes I do. God is moving through great men's ministries out there - who understand why men struggle with church and that taking the church (His people) to where they are at is how to love them into the Kingdom.
Jesus didn't wait in the temple for people to come - He was criticised by the religious leaders of the day for spending time with tax collectors and prostitutes. Men in the world have a picture of a very meek and mild Jesus; but when they discover the Jesus 'mean and wild' side to complement it, they discover truth and are attracted to Him.
Do you think we need more Christian outreaches to men 
specifically?
Yes but outreach without Christian men willing and available to 'get messy' and walk alongside or disciple near or new believers can be unproductive.
In this busy life, it's proving difficult to find lots of good examples of men sacrificially investing in other men; one on one and in small groups. Jesus did it and those He reached and then walked with changed the world and are responsible for you and I knowing the Master. We need to make disciples and not just decisions.
You are supportive and involved with Menunited - do you feel that God has called you to particularly engage with men missionally? (Grant gives the video introduction on the Menunited website)
I love mission tha
t is partnership based and takes the church to the people and that's what MenUnited does. I saw MenUnited as a great way to take my not yet Christian friends to meet other believers in a great non church and non threatening environment.
It works because it's growing and I believe that if those that are seeing God impact their friends can share those stories and techniques for discipleship - it could and would explode into mighty mens mission. WSM and myself have a heart for all people but we know that if a man comes to Christ then his family is so much more likely to also follow Jesus.
Tell us about your journey; getting WSM from an idea or concept to a great organisation?
Not sure it's great yet - but Lord willing He will grow it for His glory as a significant piece in His jigsaw puzzle of end time outreach.
After the Lord spoke to me, I built the ministry on enthusiasm rather than wisdom which was a mistake. Now we are very clear in what God is calling us to do. Our heart is to give the vision away because it's His and not ours; we do this by establishing Community Sports Teams (CST's) who are made up of sports minded people from different churches who we train and encourage to serve local churches and reach their community or city through sport.
As a registered charity we have a board of trustees and a Central Operations Team who seek to start and support CST's by training leaders and creating resources. We have served on mission in 10 countries and begun CST's in Kenya as well as in three Cities in the UK to date. Last year we staged 52 outreach events that reached over 7,000 people with the gospel in the UK.
When the Lord provides more funding we are looking to start 12 more teams this year and through a partnership with More Than Gold (churches response to 2012 Olympic Games) there is scope to train CST based church ministry all over the country through 2011 and 2012.
Who forms the WSM team now?
We have active CST's in Bath, Bristol, Newham and Nairobi with more in the pipeline. Many of our workers are church rep volunteers but we hope to have a full time and paid for Central Operations Team this year and part time leaders in all of the CST's - particularly WSM Bath by year end.
What sort of events and regular happenings does WSM have? Does WSM attend other Christian events?
We have a schools ministry where trained coaches develop character through P.E 
and after school sports specific clubs. We have excellent childrens sports camps called 'Get Sported' in Bath, Frome and Bristol and we stage many events where Christians can bring guests to build relationships and hear the gospel such as adult and teenage monthly tournaments in football, netball, golf and various other events such as game screenings on television, festivals and family games days.
We base our events calendar upon where partnering churches would like help and whom is on the CST with ideas from God to explore. We attend other events that churches or ministries put on where we can serve and add some value.
What do you hope an individual will get from attending a WSM event? Any valuable life lessons?
If they don't know Jesus I hope that they would hear the truth and be set free at some stage. Many who come and aren't ready to make that commitment continue to come because of the character and skills development they receive and because of the love they are shown. If they are already a Christian, I would like to think they would see how we can use our passions and giftings for eternal purposes and not just for temporal pleasure.
What are your hopes for children and young people today?
Big Question Emma! That they would find and follow Jesus; that they would be discipled and mentored by a Godly role model so that they can also disciple and lead others.
I hope that 
adults would give them a chance to lead and invest time in them as there is no better investment to make. I hope that some churches would change their view of children and childrens ministry and devote more than 20% of their focus and budget to it and see children as people with the same aged Holy Spirit in them and not not just kids who need child care so that their parents can attend church. Young people are misunderstood but it takes time to gain trust and produce Godly diamonds who the Lord has predestined to be the people of today and tomorrow.
What are your hopes for WSM? do you hope for growth? Franchising? Involvement in Schools?
We want to serve whoever God has aligned for us to partner with. We believe God wants us to establish effective sports ministry teams that reach people and bridge them into the local church all over the UK and eventually the world. We don't want to build an empire but rather His kingdom. We want to be faithful with the vision that He gave us.
Millions of people the world over are being reached for Jesus through various ministries and the UK is very secular at present and with the 2012 Games around the corner, we really believe this can be a catalyst to help the church get into it's community and engage with more people through the relevant and powerful tool that sport is.
Are you and WSM involved with Christian festivals; New Wine, Greenbelt?
We are looking into this but do so as part of the Sports Ministry UK network and More Than Gold - for churches to harness and get involved with the 2012 Games right now.
Tell us a little about yourself?
I'm 6ft 1 - only kidding!! I have a beautiful and wonderful wife called Estienne who led me to Jesus in 1994. We have an angel of a daughter called Beau who blows us away everyday with her sweetness.
Estienne is an artist and lifestyle family photographer in the Bath area and from South Africa. We live in Bath and love it here. Ouside of God and sport I love spending most time with my Estienne and Beau and we have just brought a bread maker and now baking cakes to satisfy my 4pm craving for tea and cake!
Any thing else you would like to say?
Not really - think I've covered most although we are looking for millionaire donors who can help us reach the world through sport in each nation!!!!