I love sports. I grew up playing them, and now I enjoy them with my kids. Sports can teach grit, teamwork, humility, and discipline. But as a pastor—and more importantly, as a Christian father—I’ve grown increasingly concerned about how travel sports are shaping our families.
Not just our schedules. Our souls.
We’re in a cultural moment where many well-meaning Christian homes are slowly letting sports take priority over worship. I’m not writing this to shame anyone. I’m writing as someone who’s had to wrestle with this in my own heart and home. If we care about discipling our kids, we’ve got to ask some hard questions about the Lord’s Day and what it means to honor Christ with our calendars.
The Quiet Displacement of Worship
What used to be unthinkable is now normal—Sunday tournaments, all-weekend travel, and seasons that pull entire families away from the gathered church for weeks or even months.
I’ve talked with parents who are genuinely torn. They want their kids to grow in their gifts and be a part of a team. But let’s be honest—when worship becomes the thing we miss whenever sports show up, what are we really teaching our children?
Whether we realize it or not, our habits preach. And when church gets pushed aside for a game, the message comes through loud and clear: Jesus can have the leftovers. He doesn’t need the first day, or the first place. But Colossians 3:4 says Christ is our life—not a part of it.
The Lord’s Day Is Not a Burden—It’s a Gift
The early church gathered on the first day of the week to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). Sunday became the Lord’s Day—set apart for worship, rest, and fellowship.
This isn’t just tradition. It’s God’s design for our spiritual health and the life of the church. Hebrews 10:24–25 calls us not to neglect meeting together, especially as the days grow more difficult.
The 1689 London Baptist Confession puts it like this:
“The sabbath is then kept holy…when people have first prepared their hearts appropriately and arranged their everyday affairs beforehand; then they observe a holy rest all day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employment and recreation…” (22.8)
The Lord’s Day isn’t a rule to endure—it’s a grace to embrace. Our kids need that weekly rhythm of worship and rest far more than they need another medal.
Parents, You’re the Disciple-Makers
Deuteronomy 6 is clear: parents are called to teach God’s Word diligently to their children—when we sit at home, when we walk along the way, when we rise and lie down. In Ephesians 6:4, Paul specifically charges fathers to “bring their children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
I know how busy life can get. But we can’t afford to delegate discipleship. The church is here to support us—but the primary spiritual formation happens in the home.
Our kids are watching where we go on Sundays. They’re listening to what gets our energy and attention. Every time we prioritize something else over the gathered church, we shape their understanding of what (and Who) is worth worshiping.
What Are We Really Chasing?
If we’re honest, many families chase travel sports for reasons we rarely say out loud—exposure, scholarships, dreams of going pro. And while it’s not wrong to pursue excellence, Jesus asks a piercing question in Mark 8:36:
“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
We may give our kids every opportunity to succeed—but if they don’t know the gospel, if they don’t know the Word, if they don’t love the church… what have we really given them?
Success on the field fades. Only Christ satisfies.
What’s the Long-Term Cost?
I’ve seen it many times. A family gets deeply involved in travel sports. Church becomes occasional. Worship becomes optional. And slowly, without anyone noticing, Christ becomes irrelevant.
This isn’t just anecdotal—it’s observable. Children who are pulled away from the church during their formative years often grow up without meaningful connection to Christ or His people. And it started with the idea that missing a few Sundays here and there wouldn’t matter.
It matters more than we think.
We Don’t Have to Quit Sports—We Just Have to Be Faithful
Let me be clear: I’m not saying travel sports are always wrong. I’m not saying your kid shouldn’t play competitively. I’m saying the Lord’s Day must matter more.
Here are a few practices we’ve seen help:
- Look for Saturday-only tournaments or local programs that don’t pull your family away on Sundays.
- Tell the coach up front that Sunday worship is a non-negotiable for your family.
- If you’re out of town, find a solid church to worship with—and help your kids see that worship doesn’t stop just because we’re on the road.
- Draw your line early and stick to it. Your kids will thank you.
- Consider the Scriptures and God’s command and call for your life as a parent. Pay special attention to passages like Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians 6:1-4.
This isn’t about legalism. It’s about loyalty to Christ. The goal isn’t to say no to everything—it’s to say yes to what matters most.
It Takes Courage to Swim Against the Stream
Parents, I know this is hard. I know there’s pressure. But God has given you a high calling: to raise your children in the Lord. That means you may have to make some decisions that look strange to your neighbors—but faithfulness often does.
One day, your kids won’t remember every stat line or championship. But they will remember what your family treasured. They will remember whether the church was central. They will remember if Christ was worth more than competition. The glory of championship rings will not last eternally, but the glory of Christ will.
And you will give an account—not for how many games they won, but for how you led them toward the Savior.
Give Your Kids the Greater Treasure
The Lord’s Day isn’t just one more item on the weekend agenda. It’s a weekly gift of grace—God’s way of drawing our hearts back to Him, anchoring us in truth, and reminding us of what matters most.
Don’t trade that for a tournament. Don’t exchange the eternal for the temporary. Give your children something better than applause. Give them Christ.
KJ Writes 