In north Georgia close to 50 football players on the team at Shorter University made decisions for Christ this year before the season started, and 17 followed through with believer’s baptism.
Zach Morrison, in his seventh year as head coach, described what happened after players arrived at the school in early August for preseason training and conditioning camp. “We took them to a couple of local churches,” he said, “and about 150 players visited Life Church.”
That Sunday, Morrison recalled, Life Church Pastor Jason Stockton preached and closed with an invitation. Team chaplain Topher Stockton (no relation) said 48 players followed Christ that morning.
Morrison says local pastors have been meeting with the players talked through what their decisions meant, and what baptism is and is not.
Coach Morrison said in addition to helping the players learn the playbook, he’s making sure these new believers learn the first step in being disciples of Jesus.
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There is a sense of loss when people leave a church. There are also times when that loss is coupled with celebration.
Christ Fellowship Church Cherrydale, South Carolina began 15 years ago, sent out by another young church, Crosspoint in Clemson, S.C. As church planter in residence at Crosspoint, Matt Rogers learned about looking at the bigger picture and serving in a ministry that remains small even though it is in consistent growth.
Christ Fellowship, with attendance of 500-600 each Sunday, is currently in the middle of showing what that looks like.
Five families have recently pledged to go overseas and help start new churches, with two of them already on the field. Another will have their last Sunday this weekend. The final two will be gone by the end of the year.
Rogers says the families will be missed, but the sorrow is worth the pain to carry the Gospel forward.
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