You Already Have Everything to Start an ASM
Launching Adventure Sports Ministry Without Adding Budget or Hiring New Staff
“Greg, this sounds great, but we’re already stretched thin. We don’t have the budget to hire another staff member. Our current staff is maxed out. And honestly, we wouldn’t even know where to start.”
I hear this every time I talk to a church about adventure sports ministry. And I get it. You’re busy. Your budget is allocated. Your staff is overwhelmed. Adding another ministry sounds impossible.
Here’s what I want you to understand: Launching adventure sports ministry doesn’t require hiring new staff or increasing your budget. But it does require something more challenging—honest evaluation of how you’re currently deploying your existing team.
You already have everything you need. You just need to reassign responsibilities so the right person can do what they’re gifted to do.
The Real Challenge: Deploying Your Team Correctly
Here’s the uncomfortable truth about most church staffing: we’ve assigned people to roles based on organizational needs rather than their actual gifts. The person who’s brilliant at recruiting and inspiring volunteers is stuck doing administrative tasks. The natural team-builder is buried in program management. The connector who could multiply ministry is trapped maintaining existing systems.
Adventure sports ministry needs a specific kind of leader—someone who can:
• Meet and recruit passionate volunteers
• Train and equip those volunteers for ministry
• Inspire volunteers to connect their outdoor passions to their faith
• Build teams that multiply organically
• Cast vision that motivates people to serve for years
You probably already have someone on staff with these exact gifts. The question is: Are they free to use them?
The Staff Leader You Already Have (But Haven’t Freed Up Yet)
Adventure sports ministry absolutely needs staff leadership—but not a new hire. What you need is to identify the right person on your current team and free them up to do what they do best.
Who Should Lead This?
Look for someone on your current staff who:
• Is naturally gifted at recruiting and building teams. This is the critical skill. They don’t need to be an outdoor expert—they need to be able to identify, recruit, and inspire volunteers.
• Loves connecting with people and casting vision. They light up when talking about possibilities. They naturally network and bring people together.
• Has passion for outdoors or adventure (bonus, not required). It helps if they personally love hiking, camping, or outdoor recreation—but what matters most is their ability to recognize and empower others’ passions.
• Is entrepreneurial and comfortable with organic growth. They don’t need everything planned out in advance. They’re comfortable starting small and building as they go.
• Is currently doing tasks that don’t require these gifts. This is the key. They’re probably stuck doing administrative work, program maintenance, or operational tasks that someone else could handle.
Does someone come to mind? That’s your adventure sports ministry leader—if you’re willing to free them up.
The Reassignment Challenge
Here’s where most churches get stuck. You’ve identified the right person, but they’re already fully allocated:
• Running the weekly program
• Managing the database
• Coordinating schedules
• Handling logistics and operations
All important tasks. But here’s the question: Do these tasks require a team-builder’s gifts? Or could they be done by someone else—an administrative assistant, a different staff member, or even a well-trained volunteer?
This is the investment required: Not money for a new hire. Time spent evaluating your staff’s best use. Courage to reassign responsibilities. Willingness to let your best team-builder actually build teams.
It costs nothing financially. It requires everything strategically.
What This Looks Like Practically
Let’s say you identify Sarah on your staff. She’s currently the Children’s Ministry Coordinator, but half her time is spent on administrative tasks—scheduling, database management, supply ordering, facility coordination.
Meanwhile, Sarah is brilliant at recruiting volunteers. She has natural relational warmth. She casts vision that motivates people. And she personally loves hiking and camping.
The reassignment might look like:
Before:
• 50% of Sarah’s time: Administrative tasks (scheduling, database, supplies, facilities)
• 30% of Sarah’s time: Program coordination
• 20% of Sarah’s time: Volunteer recruitment and training (her actual gift)
After:
• 10% of Sarah’s time: Children’s Ministry volunteer recruitment (she stays connected but hands off day-to-day)
• 60% of Sarah’s time: Adventure Sports Ministry (recruiting, training, inspiring volunteers across multiple sports)
• 30% of Sarah’s time: Broader volunteer development for the whole church
• Administrative tasks: Reassigned to an administrative assistant or a detail-oriented staff member
Same staff. Same budget. Dramatically different impact—because now Sarah is doing what she’s gifted to do.
The Financial ROI of Getting This Right
Let’s talk numbers, because senior pastors and boards need to understand the return on this investment.
In conservative evangelical churches, the average giving unit (single adult, couple, or family) gives approximately $2,000-$2,500 per year in tithes and offerings. This varies by region and church size, but it’s a reasonable benchmark.
Now let’s do the math:
Year 1 of Adventure Sports Ministry:
• You attract 20 new giving units to your church through outdoor events
• Average giving: $2,000/year per unit
• Potential additional income: $40,000/year
• Cost of reassigning staff time: $0 (same people, different deployment)
• Minimal program costs: $500
• Net financial impact: +$39,500
Year 3 of Adventure Sports Ministry:
• You’ve now attracted 50-75 new giving units through established programming
• Potential additional income: $100,000-$150,000/year
• Your adventure sports leader has built a volunteer team of 10-15 active leaders
• The ministry is largely self-sustaining through volunteer leadership
At this point, the financial case for resourcing your adventure sports leader becomes overwhelming. If they’re producing $100,000+ in additional annual giving, investing in their role isn’t just justified—it’s wise stewardship.
Resourcing Team-Builders as They Produce Results
Here’s a principle most churches miss: The staff who build teams that attract and attach new people to Jesus and the church should be resourced as the ministry grows.
What does resourcing look like?
Phase 1 (Launch): Reassign existing staff responsibilities. No new budget required.
Phase 2 (Growth - Year 2-3): As the ministry brings in 20-50 new giving units, consider: additional training budget for leader and volunteers, modest equipment investment, possibly a part-time administrative assistant to support the leader.
Phase 3 (Established - Year 4+): As the ministry brings in 75+ new giving units and generates $150,000+ in additional annual giving, consider: expanding the leader’s role to full-time adventure sports focus, hiring additional staff to support growing divisions, significant equipment and program investment.
The key principle: Resource proportionally to results. When a staff person is building teams that produce significant church growth and financial increase, investing in their continued success isn’t an expense—it’s multiplication.
At Bayside, adventure sports became one of the most cost-effective ministries per dollar invested. We weren’t spending money on marketing or programs—we were empowering a team-builder to recruit and inspire volunteers, and those volunteers were attracting hundreds of new people to the church.
What You Actually Need Beyond Staff Leadership
Once you have the right staff person freed up to lead, here’s what else you need—and you probably already have most of it:
1. Passionate Volunteers (Already in Your Congregation)
Your staff leader’s primary job is to identify and equip these people. Look for:
• The guy who mountain bikes every Saturday morning
• The woman who plans her year around hiking trips
• The family that camps multiple times per summer
• The young professional who rock climbs at the gym three times a week
• The retiree who fly fishes and has been doing it for 40 years
These people already have the passion, the skill, and the gear. They’re already doing these activities. Your staff leader just needs to help them see how to invite others from church and intentionally build community and share faith while they do it.
The staff leader recruits, trains, and inspires these volunteers. The volunteers lead the events and build relationships. It’s a multiplication model, not an addition model.
2. Minimal Start-Up Costs
Here’s what it cost us to launch our first official adventure sports events:
• Dirt bike ride: $0 (everyone had their own bikes and gear)
• Mountain bike ride: $0 (same)
• Camping trip to Yosemite: $0 from the church (participants paid their own campsite fees)
• Hiking trip: $0 (it’s hiking!)
As you grow, you’ll want:
• Walkie-talkies for leaders: $50-100
• First aid kits: $30-50
• Signage/banners: $50-150
• Liability waivers: $0-50
First-year program budget: Under $500. Compare that to the potential $40,000+ in additional giving from just 20 new families.
3. Simple Registration System
You need a way for people to sign up for events and for leaders to communicate. Options:
• Meetup.com (~$180/year, handles everything)
• Facebook Groups (free)
• Google Forms + email lists (free)
• Your church’s existing event management system
Don’t overthink this. Keep it simple.
4. Liability Coverage
Call your insurance provider. Ask if your current policy covers volunteer-led outdoor activities. In most cases it does, or can be added for minimal cost. Combine with signed liability waivers from all participants.
We’ll cover this extensively in Article 4, but don’t let fear of liability stop you from launching.
Your First 90 Days: The Practical Roadmap
Here’s exactly what to do in your first 90 days, assuming you’ve identified and freed up the right staff leader:
Days 1-14: Identify and Recruit Your First Volunteer Leader
Week 1: Scout for Passion
Your staff leader looks for someone in the congregation who:
• Is already passionate about an outdoor activity
• Is a committed follower of Jesus
• Is relationally warm
• Already does this activity regularly
Post in your bulletin: “Are you passionate about hiking/biking/camping? We’d love to talk with you about a new ministry opportunity.”
Week 2: Cast Vision and Get Buy-In
Your staff leader meets with the potential volunteer for coffee and shares:
“What if you could use your passion for [sport] to build community and introduce people to Jesus? What if the Saturday morning rides you’re already doing could become ministry? Would you be willing to lead one trip—just one—in the next month? Invite people from church. We’ll help you promote it. You lead the trip like you normally would, but be intentional about building relationships and creating space for spiritual conversations.”
Most people will say yes. Because you’re not asking them to add more—you’re asking them to make what they already do count for eternity.
Days 15-45: Plan and Promote Your First Event
Week 3: Event Planning
Your staff leader helps the volunteer plan:
• What: Specific activity
• When: Date 3-4 weeks out
• Where: Trail/location they know well
• Who: Skill level expectations
• How many: 8-12 people for first event
• Cost: Free if possible
Make sure they have: communication method, first aid kit, liability waivers, simple spiritual moment planned.
Weeks 4-5: Promotion
Promote through:
• Sunday announcements
• Church bulletin/email
• Social media
• Direct personal invitations
Keep it simple and invitational.
Days 46-60: Host Your First Event
The volunteer leader runs the event. Your staff leader’s role: pray, check in beforehand, celebrate afterward.
Success metrics:
• Did people show up? (Even 3-4 is success!)
• Did they enjoy it?
• Did meaningful conversations happen?
• Did anyone express interest in another event?
Days 61-90: Debrief, Celebrate, Build Momentum
Week 9: Debrief
Your staff leader meets with the volunteer. Ask:
• What went well?
• What was challenging?
• Would you lead another event?
Encourage them. Thank them. Celebrate what happened.
Weeks 10-12: Momentum Building
If the first event went well, schedule a second. Your staff leader also starts looking for the next volunteer leader in a different sport.
Goal by Day 90:
• 1-2 successful events hosted
• 1-2 committed volunteer leaders
• 2-3 more events scheduled
• Congregation awareness building
You’re launched.
The Real Investment Required
Let’s be honest about what launching adventure sports ministry actually costs:
Financial Investment: Minimal. Under $500 for first year.
New Staff Hires: Zero. You’re reassigning, not adding.
Time Investment: For your identified staff leader, 10-15 hours in first 90 days to launch. Then ongoing depending on growth.
Strategic Investment: This is the real cost. Honest evaluation of current staff deployment. Courage to reassign responsibilities. Willingness to free up your best team-builder to actually build teams. Patience as the ministry grows organically rather than programmatically.
The financial cost is negligible. The strategic cost requires leadership courage. But the return—lives changed, families connected, church growth, kingdom impact—is worth every ounce of effort.
“But What If...” (Addressing Your Remaining Concerns)
“We can’t afford to pull our best staff person off their current role.”
Can you afford NOT to? If your team-builder is stuck doing tasks that don’t require their gifts while hundreds of potential new families in your community will never be reached by traditional outreach—what’s the real cost? The question isn’t whether you can afford to reassign them. It’s whether you can afford to waste their gifts.
“What if only 3 people show up to our first event?”
Perfect. Three is enough. Jesus started with twelve. Three passionate people on a trail together can change lives. Start small, build momentum, let it grow organically.
“What if the reassignment doesn’t work and we need to reverse it?”
Then you reverse it. That’s the beauty of staff reassignment versus new hires—it’s flexible. Give it 90 days. Evaluate honestly. Adjust as needed. But give it a real chance before giving up.
“What if we don’t have anyone on staff with team-building gifts?”
Then you might need a different approach—either developing those gifts in someone or, in rare cases, considering a new hire. But I’d encourage you to look carefully first. Team-building gifts often hide under job descriptions that don’t utilize them. The quiet administrator who’s brilliant with volunteers. The youth pastor who’s exceptional at recruiting parents. Look again before assuming you need to hire.
The Choice Before You
You don’t need more money. You don’t need new staff. You need strategic courage.
The courage to ask: “Are we deploying our team correctly? Is our best team-builder actually building teams, or are they buried in tasks others could do?”
The courage to reassign responsibilities even when it’s uncomfortable.
The courage to start small and trust God to multiply.
The courage to invest in a ministry that won’t show dramatic results in month one but will produce generational impact in year ten.
You already have everything you need. The resources are there. The people are there. The opportunity is there. The only question is: Will you deploy them correctly?
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About the Author:
Greg Weisman served in youth ministry for 20 years and various pastoral roles at Bayside Church (Granite Bay, CA) from 1997-2023. He founded and led Bayside Adventure Sports from 1998-2023, growing it from one dirt bike ride into one of the most effective outreach ministries at a megachurch of 30,000+ attendees—by identifying, recruiting, training, and inspiring volunteers rather than building a large paid staff. He now consults with churches to help them deploy their teams correctly for maximum kingdom impact. Learn more about what he built at www.BaysideAdventureSports.com and follow him on Substack, Gregory Weisman. Or, text him at 916 847-4734 and introduce yourself!