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Member Services
The Christian Sportsmen’s Fellowship
Organization
CSF Headquarters
Our staff is available to assist your chapter at any time. Our office hours are from 9 a.m.-5p.m. EDT, Monday-Friday. All phone lines may be accompanied by voice mail, which is periodically checked during non-business hours. Please leave your name, chapter charter number, and phone number so we can promptly return your call.
Departments
Chapter Operations
Our Chapter Department is responsible for all CSF chapters and handles all matters pertaining to the successful formation and operation of a chapter. All correspondence from chapter directors should be addressed to the attention of the Chapter Department.
Duties include:
1. Membership registration
2. Chapter chartering
3. Chapter operations
International/National Directors
International/National Directors serve as the ambassadors of CSF and provide each Regional Director with a direct link to CSF’s leadership assistance chain. These men are volunteers, who have shown a deep desire to promote CSF as a means of reaching men with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
International/National Director’s responsibilities are coordinated from CSF headquarters and include the coordination and guidance of other directors. These members are available for local assistance and work together with Regional Directors to help develop thriving chapters.
Their assistance to you includes:
1. Chapter formation/organization.
2. Evaluation of chapter programs and constructive suggestions on how to improve a chapter’s outreach.
3. Serving as chairman, co-chairman for regional and national events.
4. Assisting Regional Directors as they Moderate Chapter Director installation.
5. Assisting with recommending speakers and updating speaker lists.
6. Fund-raising ideas/assistance.
7. Helping organize multi-chapter, regional and national events and conferences.
Regional Directors
Regional Directors assist the National Directors and report to the National Director within their geographic region.
Duties include:
1. He is assigned to as many as five chapters in a specific geographic area.
2. He helps chapters in the following ways:
a. Promotes chapter participation in multi-chapter events, leadership conferences and chapter-sponsored events.
b. Promotes the outreach efforts of CSF.
c. Evaluates chapter meetings and suggests ways of making them more interesting and effective.
d. Establishing new chapters.
3. He meets with his National Director to report on activities and discern how to improve his field performance.
4. He coordinates his activities with his National Director, chapters, and CSF headquarters.
5. He helps in forming up to five additional chapters per year.
Mailing List
The Chapter Department maintains all CSF mailing lists for membership and chapters. Chapters may request mailing list information for the purposes of official CSF activities. Mailing list usage and access is restricted and protected under appropriate federal law.
Special Events
The Special Events Department coordinates the planning and hosting of CSF sanctioned events, including regional and national events, workshops and leadership conferences.
Chapters who need advice on the promotion and development of multi-chapter events can contact the Special Events Department for assistance.
Communications
The Communications Department may provide support to chapters with stock promotion and advertising materials, press releases and coordinates all audio-video production merchandising, marketing, and publishing functions of CSF.
Membership
General
CSF is open to all sportsmen, who have committed their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of denomination, and who attest to the organization’s doctrinal statement and Code of Conduct.
Benefits
The primary benefit of membership is access to a growing network of resources and experts in outdoor sports, personal evangelism and discipleship.
Participation in local, regional, and national outreach hunting and fishing events.
Logo identity resources helpful in sharing your Christian testimony.
National Publications
Publications highlight opportunities for participation in local, regional, and national conferences featuring speakers, workshops, and covering outdoor sporting skills, safety, evangelism and Christian living.
-Meaningful fellowship with other Christians who share common interests.
-Opportunities to discover, cultivate and use spiritual gifts for the edification of other believers.
-Assist the local church by providing evangelical tools to reach men and their families for use in reaching their communities.
Procedure
CSF serves as a non-profit organization and invites all sportsmen to identify with the goals and ideals of the mission regardless of ability to contribute financially to the ministry. A special membership classification refers to such supporters as Sustaining Members. However, we do request that you support the ministry through your sustained prayer support.
Each man desiring to become a CSF member or renew his membership, must complete a membership application form and send it to CSF headquarters along with a credit card authorization, check or money order for an annual donation based on the membership level. Please do not send cash. Online membership registration is preferred.
Please allow 2- 4 weeks for processing. As a Charter Member your membership packet including your sportsman’s cap, camouflaged bible, decal, and membership card will be sent to you by mail. You will also be added to the mailing list for CSF publications.
Chapter Affiliations
Members affiliate with a chapter by specifying their chapter’s assigned number on their application. A member can also request a transfer by completing a transfer application and sending it to CSF headquarters. If you join without specifying a chapter number then your name will be sent to the nearest Regional Director, who may be helpful to you in finding a local chapter in your area.
CSF is specifically designed such that a local chapter can be launched in every church fellowship around the world by simply identifying a a core group of sportsmen who have a passion for the great outdoors and a love for Jesus Christ and then by securing the church pastor/minister’s approval of the Doctrinal Declaration.
Chartering your CSF Chapter
As God places His “vision” within an individual member to be a part of CSF’s Chapter Network, he should call a core group of men together for prayer and discussion about starting a chapter. After each has joined as a member and the Chapter Chartering Package secured, the CSF “vision” video should first be shown to the sponsoring church’s pastor/minister to ensure full church support.
Send to CSF headquarters your completed chapter chartering application. The chapter’s appointed Regional Director can then answer questions regarding the chartering application, assist in preliminary organization and help your group select an ad hoc steering committee. This committee oversees the chartering process; it plans and hosts the first two chapter events. The first event is called the contact event and introduces prospective members to CSF. The organizational event will then be held to announce the appointment of chapter directors.
The Contact Event
CSF’s Regional Directors provide the first link in the organization’s leadership assistance chain. These men are assigned to as many as five chapters in a specific, geographic area and are available by phone to answer your questions about CSF and its activities. We also have National Directors and International Directors, who serve a similar function on a broader scale. One of these leaders may be available to assist your group and go through the chartering process, if necessary.
The Chapter Chartering Package contains several pieces of crucial information that must be completely filled out and returned to CSF headquarters. Please follow all instructions carefully to help you set goals for acquiring your charter approval.
We recommend that you establish a regular meeting schedule for your steering committee, with at least one meeting per week for prayer and planning. The purposes of these meetings are to complete the chartering process, plan the chapter’s initial event called the organizational event, and recruit potential members for the organizational event.
Steering Committee
Who serves on the steering committee?
Each potential chapter needs to select four men to serve on a steering committee, including a Chapter Director, Assistant Chapter Director, Correspondence Director and Financial Director.
Duties of Steering Committee Members
1. Chapter Director – The Chapter Director will preside over all meetings, including the chapter’s inaugural event. He will also serve as a liaison between his local chapter and CSF headquarters, its Regional/National/International Directors and delegate responsibilities for planning a successful organizational event. He will also oversee the selection of a speaker and musicians for the event.
2. Assistant Chapter Director – The Assistant Chapter Director will serve in the absence of the Chapter Director and assist in duties as delegated by the Chapter Director. He will also head up a group of 3-5 men on a telephone committee to inform prospective members of the event time, date, location, and cost.
3. Correspondence/Finance Director – The Correspondence/Finance Director will complete all the forms and collect all the fees necessary for establishing a charter. He will also collect all moneys necessary for the organizational event and pay all bills incurred by the local chapter from the chapter’s treasury.Each chapter decides how it will fund its local activities. A chapter is not an authorized financial agent for CSF, Inc. and the corporation, it’s officers, staff and authorized agents assume no financial responsibility for activities of its local chapters.
4. Event Director- This director will be responsible for putting together and organizing events. He must do the following:
a) Secure a meeting site
b) Determine the best way to provide a meal
c) Report the costs of the event faculties and the food service to the steering committee
d) Prepare and then distribute promotional materials produced for the event.
e) Acquire sound equipment needed by the speaker and musicians, if needed
f) Oversee the event site, including arranging the head table and placing CSF membership Applications and Registration Cards in an envelope in the center of each table.
g) Appoint men to serve as ushers to collect Membership Applications and Registration Cards/checks and welcome cards to be given to the Correspondence/Finance Director.
Steering Committee Terms
The steering committee shall be dissolved immediately after the pastor/minister appoints the chapter’s permanent directors to serve for any portion of the initial year of chartering and the next full calendar year of operations.
The Chapter Chartering Package
Everything you need to start your CSF chapter is contained in the Chapter Chartering Package. First, locate the charter planning checklist and fill your projected dates for your steering committee meetings for your organizational event. This simple one page document serves as a reference for all steering committee members and will make filling your charter application easy.
Each Chapter Chartering Package includes the following:
Letter from our International President
Chapter Notebook & Director’s Guide
Charter Planning Checklist
Doctrinal Declaration
Code of Conduct
Charter Application tri-fold brochures
Membership application forms as found inside The Christian Sportsman Magazine
Twelve Charter Memberships including Charter Cap, Buck Knife, Magazine, etc.
Assigned myCSF.com chapter website URL
Fifty magazines delivered to the church each edition to be used for evangelistic purposes
National Leadership Summit Registration for the Chapter Director and his wife
Assigned Regional Director for phone assistance in coordinating chapter activities
Access to online Tools of the Trade including digital logo and Chapter Ministry Plan template
Introductory Materials
Each chartering package comes with a letter from our International President welcoming you to Christian Sportsmen’s Fellowship.
Chapter Notebook & Director’s Guide
The Chapter Chartering Notebook contains many duplication forms available to assist in the effective operations of your chapter. Periodically, additional documents will be forwarded to the directors for inclusion in the notebook. A chronology of Online F.I.R.E. Publications should be downloaded from the CSF web site then kept for chapter devotionals and future reference. Your Regional/National Director will go over the chartering procedures if clarification is needed. Please read through it and make a list of any questions you have for your Regional/National Directors.
Charter Planning Checklist
This one-page form gives you suggestions for preparing your chapter application and hosting your organizational event.
Doctrinal Declaration
All prospective charters must return the Doctrinal Declaration approved by its steering committee members. As a local church based chapter, this statement must be reviewed and signed by the pastor/minister of the sponsoring church. This simple statement of faith explains the basic tenets to which all CSF members adhere. The statement was written by the late Dr. M.G. McLuhan who served as a CSF International Director, a noted bible scholar and teacher. It was designed to state and affirm those beliefs that CSF’s Board of Directors considers essential, biblical mandates for a person to be a Christian.
CSF’s primary goal in providing evangelism and discipleship resources is to provide outreach tools for a variety of Christian denominations. As an inter-denominational, evangelical outreach, it is not our mission to answer or address all questions of faith. Any objections to the doctrinal declaration, or failure to return it, will disqualify an applicant for CSF chapter charter approval.
Code of Conduct
CSF’s Code of Conduct reflects CSF’s goals for discipleship. In addition to evangelism, we believe in encouraging men to strive to live according to the principles found in God’s word. This requires an individual to maintain proper priorities. Our Code of Conduct lists the priorities we promote and the lives of members.
We believe that a man has five basic priorities:
(1) God (“I am the Lord you God, you shall have no other gods before me”(Exo.20:1,3,NIV)
(2) Wife (“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Eph. 5:25)
(3) Children (Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it. Prov.22:6)
(4) Vocation (If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his family, he has denied the faith and is worse
than an unbeliever. I Timothy5:8)
(5) Local Church (And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up
meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the day
approaching. Heb. 10:24-25)
With all other activities following (“But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matt. 6:33).
Charter and Membership Application
Included in your Chapter Chartering Package and found inside The Christian Sportsman magazine is the necessary application to be copied for registering at least twelve Charter Members for obtaining your chapter number. The Correspondence/Finance Director should complete this form on behalf of the church then collect the membership applications and signed doctrinal declarations along with the appropriate payment for shipment to CSF headquarters.
Chapter Registration
Each chapter charter application must be accompanied by the total amount of at least twelve Charter Memberships of $74.50 as an annual contribution to cover chartering expenses. The Chapter Directors are responsible for assigning and then distributing each Charter Membership then renewing each commitment on an annual basis. We suggest turning in all contributions and applications at your chapter’s organizational event and sending these along with your chapter’s application to reduce processing time.
Make all checks payable to:
Christian Sportsmen’s Fellowship
P.O. Box 566547
Atlanta, GA 31156
A statement of all chapter members can be requested to be sent along with your charter agreement and certificate.
Media Kit
We provide chapters with guidelines and materials for promoting meetings and events. Our headquarters has developed stock flyers, press releases and advertisements for use in publicizing your chapter’s events, including the organizational event.
Your media kit contains a universal press release and flyers for use in promoting your organizational event.
Fill in the time, place, and date for your inaugural event on enclosed literature tools and distribute.
Address the press release to your local sports editor and/or outdoors column writer and fax it to the publication. It is best to look in the paper and get these individual’s names. If you live in a large city, try to get your listing in a zone addition. Many major metropolitan newspapers publish special editions or pages dedicated to local news and sports. You are most likely to get your listing along side remove of other non-profit sporting organizations.
Your organization has license permission to photocopy the flyer for distribution in local stores, churches and civic clubs. Check with your church leaders to see if you can distribute flyers through Sunday school classes and list your event date in the church’s newsletter and the Sunday bulletin.
Talk with storeowners, especially potential chapter prospects, and ask them to display flyers in their store windows. If you belong to civic club, see if they have a newsletter in which you could announce your event date.
We strive to maintain a positive testimony in the community and discourage posting CSF flyers to telephone poles or any public or private property with out acquiring the licenses, permits and/ or owner’s permission. Also, make notes of places where you distribute the flyers and retrieve these after your event for proper disposal.
Send a “thank you” note to the newspaper that includes your announcement and to store owners and civic club leaders who agree to help you promote your event. This will begin a positive rapport with the community and build our organization’s credibility on a grassroots level. An example of a “thank you” note is included in your media kit.
Time Line for Chapter Formation
”Contact” Event with Regional/National Director
Who should be there?
1. At least twelve men, who want to join as Charter Members to form a CSF chapter.
2. A CSF Regional/National Director
3. The church’s pastor/minister should be present to review and approve the doctrinal declaration if not already secured.
Goals
1. Review chartering procedures and timeline for chapter formation and the organizational event
2. Review the doctrinal statement
3. Set date, time and place for organizational event.
4. Set date time and place for an ad hoc committee meeting for prayer and planning of the organizational event.
5. Select ad hoc steering committee members
6. Make a list of all who attend, listing addresses and phone numbers.
7. Have each man list 5-10 member prospects to invite to the organizational event
8. Fill out charter planning outline
9. Distribute membership applications to all attendees.
10. Pray and ask God’s guidance and blessing over the chapter.
The remaining meetings prior to the organizational event will only include ad hoc committee members and individuals who are assigned duties related to the organizational event. All other members will spend the time enlisting prospects for the organizational event. Everyone needs to be in prayer for their steering committee members and for the organizational event.
Week One
Goals
1. Event Director
a. Confirms reservations for the event place, time and date. If the event is held at a hotel, convention center or restaurant, be
sure to communicate the cost to members and put the information on the flyers and press releases. When deciding on a
location, please consider public parking and accessibility to public transportation, if available.
b. When determining the costs of the meal, please include the gratuity for servers, if appropriate to your event location.
c. Prepare flyers and press releases for immediate distribution. It is best to release this information after your first weekly
committee meeting. This will give prospects three weeks to reserve your event date on their personal calendar.
RECOMMENDATION: We recommend that you consider hosting your Organizational Event following an evening service or on Saturday morning in the form of a Sportsmen’s Prayer Breakfast. While CSF chapters are formed by local churches and host their monthly event in church facilities, we strongly recommend that quarterly events and multi-chapter functions be held away from church faculties, if possible. Some prospects may not want to be in a church setting to attend “another church meeting.” Some have made up their minds not to go to church and others may belong to a different denomination that does not have enough members to form its own local chapter. Our primary outreach method is to attract individuals based on their interest in outdoor sports and to provide an atmosphere where they are not intimidated, regardless of their religious background.
2. Correspondence/Finance Director
a. Complete the chapter application
b. Set up recordkeeping for donations from the Organizational Event, costs and member contributions.
c. Keep notes of all meetings. These will be forwarded to CSF headquarters along with Event Reports.
3. Chapter Director/Assistant Chapter Director
a. Put together a list of potential speakers. (See guest speaker requirements)
b. Put together a list of potential musicians.
c. Put together a list of men from the contact event who will be willing to share a personal testimony.
d. Announce your event agenda for the year (Prepared in advance under the leadership of the Chapter Chaplain)
Organizational Timeline
Suggested (Standard) Event Agenda and Time Schedule
6:25-6:30 p.m. –Seat your special guests at the head table. This will prompt others to take their seats.
HEAD TABLE SUGGESTIONS: The head table should include the Chapter Director and participant members, keynote speaker, guest musicians, the men who will be giving their testimonies, pastor of the chapter’s church and the Regional and/or National Director.
6:30-6:35 p.m. -- Welcome and Opening Prayer.
*Introduction of special guests
*Ask everyone to stand and greet the people around their table. Afterwards the
Chapter Director will lead in prayer.
6:35-7:05 p.m. – Meal
7:05-7:20 p.m. – Introduce Regional/National Director for his introductory presentation of the CSF organization. He will give an overview of the organization and it’s goals and will discuss the membership application and how each man can join at the Organizational Event, or how he can take the information home and join by mail.
7:20-7:25 p.m. –Announcements
*Time, place and date of next event
*Note that at the next event, all members will be introduced to all newly appointed directors.
*All announcements should pertain to CSF. Do not allow your chapter to sponsor any person or organization. If the chapter sponsors or announces other causes, it will lose sight of its original purpose. Concentrate on activities pertaining exclusively to CSF.
7:25-7:45 p.m. – Special Music
*The person who will be leading the special music should be well-prepared and coordinate with accompanist(s) and/or
soundtracks ready to begin as soon as he is announced. For this reason, it is suggested that all persons involved with
the special music arrive at least 30 minutes before the event to conduct sound checks if sound equipment is going to be
used. If this equipment must be set up, have the sound team, or musicians set up one hour remove before hour before
the event begins.
*The special music should flow in the Spirit and not be forced. The song leader should move through the music with little
talking. Try to select songs that are familiar to people of different denominational backgrounds and give attendees
freedom to worship the Lord.
*Remember that this portion of the event is designed for corporate worship.
7:45-8:00 p.m.—Personal testimonies. We suggest each be limited to 3-5 minutes each. In addition to sharing what God has done in His life, each man might also want to share his interest in CSF.
NOTE: CSF is a Christian organization and all guest musicians should be those who have dedicated their musical abilities to Jesus Christ and who perform music that uplifts the name of Jesus. While they may use any particular style of music, it must be centered in Jesus. This is not the forum for secular songs. However, background music may include a variety of wholesome music styles such as blue grass, country or another appropriate selection.
8:00-8:30 p.m. –Keynote speaker.
8:40-8:45 p.m. –Collection of Registration Cards
. *Have a time of prayer for those who would like to make decisions. There is a place on the Registration Card for a person to record a decision for Christ. The speaker or emcee can lead this time of prayer from their heart to God. It is not the prayer that saves them, but the commitment they are making in their hearts to Jesus. Then conclude the prayer and ask the men to record their decision on the card. (See follow-up procedures for decisions)
8:45 p.m. – Collection of membership applications and Registration Cards.
8:50-beyond – Member fellowship
Remember to be punctual. Start your event on time and end on time. Also avoid time lags and dead space. The Chapter Director should keep the event moving as the event emcee.
Week Two
Goals
1. Complete any old business left over from the previous meeting.
2. Confirm keynote speaker and speakers for the testimony time. Make sure these individuals receive a copy of CSF
guidelines for speakers and suggestions for developing a personal testimony. (“How to Share a Personal Testimony”)
3. Confirm special music, order of event and accompaniment. This is a good time to determine your sound system needs.
Most hotels and conference centers can provide basic sound equipment. Some local churches and musicians have their
own equipment that could be accessed and set up prior to the event.
4. Contact all of the men attending the initial contact event, and remind them of the time, date, cost and location of the
organizational event. Ask them to contact their prospects and invite them to attend.
RECOMMENDATION: If financially able, we suggest that each man invite at least one prospect to the event and pay his way. As Table Sponsors a CSF member can serve in the strategic role as a mentor to those guest who make a decision for Christ.
Week Three
Goals
1. Complete any last minute preparations for the event.
2. Call and remind your Regional/National Director about the event.
3. Pray for your event.
RECOMMENDATION: have the members of your steering committee form a prayer circle with each man taking a turn to lead the prayer time.
Remember God’s promises:
*Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”. Matt 7:7
“We receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.” (I John 3:22)
Pray for…
*Guidance and spiritual protection of the event’s activities.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Cor. 10:4)
*Decisions for Jesus Christ, including salvation of the prospects, membership and leadership for future events and activities.
“The prayer of righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16b)
*Review follow-up suggestions for effectively connecting with sportsmen who have made a decision for Christ found in the CSF booklet, “How to Host a Sportsmen’s Banquet & Wild Game Tasting”.
Week Four
Host your organizational event.
Week Five
1. Correspondence/Finance Director.
a. Go through membership applications and make sure that all have the charter application number on them.
b. Photocopy your sign-in sheets and send these as well.
c. Send all materials to CSF headquarters
INCLUDE:
1. Signed Doctrinal Declaration, charter application and the total of $74.50 times twelve Charter Members or $894.00 as a
suggested contribution if not already sent, membership applications and monies.
2. Chapter Director/Assistant Chapter Director
Contact several men who assisted with calling member/prospects for the organizational event and enlist them for a
follow-up committee. (See Follow-up Procedures).
3. Begin to plan your next event and follow the Event Guidelines given in the event section of this manual. Note that this event
will focus on the installation of directors to replace the steering committee. You should schedule your next event
approximately 4-6 weeks after the organizational event, which will give CSF’s headquarters time to ship chapter materials.
In 4-6 weeks your chapter agreement, certificate and number will be mailed to the address listed on the charter
application.
Chapter Operations
General Requirements
Membership
A chapter must maintain a minimum of 12 current members at all times.
Financial Reporting
Each chapter’s Correspondence/Finance Director must submit an annual financial report to CSF’s headquarters. Our headquarters may send the form to you. This form is required by the Internal Revenue Service and must be returned on time.
Procedures
Every chapter submits their charter contribution of $894 or more along with its chapter information and financial report forms. Twelve Charter Memberships are included with each renewal of the church's Chapter Chartering Package.
Activities
Event Requirements
Most CSF chapters hold a minimum of one event per month. This prayer and planning session is for the chapter and committee directors. The quarterly outreach event is for general membership. The core group is always present.
Ideally, chapters also hold, or participate in, a minimum of four events, which can serve as a monthly general meeting for its membership. The type of events can include, but are not limited to, Sportsmen’s Banquet & Wild Game Banquets, fishing/hunting trips, sporting clinics and workshops, safety courses taught by properly certified and licensed instructors, sporting tournaments, leadership training conferences and participation in multi chapter events.
Purpose
All functions should promote the goals and ideals of CSF and reflect the beliefs of CSF’s Doctrinal Declaration and Code of Conduct.
Event requirements
Chapter leadership meetings -The directors decide on the location for the prayer and planning meetings. Most chapters have these at the homes of the directors or in a local restaurant.
Suggested Agenda
1. Prayer—this is the essential ingredient for success in spiritual matters
2. Correspondence/Finance reports- This will give directors the criteria to evaluate membership and fund-raising efforts
3. Committee Director Reports-Each Committee Director needs to be given time to update the chapter leadership on his
group’s progress.
4. Meeting/Event evaluation-Include the following areas:
a. General comments, quality of fellowship, location, and meal
b. Number of persons reached
c. New prospects for membership
d. Member participation
e. Speaker/special music evaluation (if applicable)
f. Decisions/progress of follow-up
g. What are we overlooking?
General Events
These monthly events are similar to the Organizational Event and can use a dinner/luncheon format, although serving a meal is not a requirement. Each of these events should include the following:
1. Member Testimonies- Members should be asked and encouraged to share personal testimonies of God’s work in their
lives.
2. Keynote Speaker- Using CSF resource lists, or chapter members, find someone who can share his sporting expertise,
knowledge of God’s word and his personal testimony of his relationship with Jesus Christ. Have all speakers follow CSF
speaker guidelines.
3. Special Music- We “Enter His gates with thanks giving and his courts with praise, give thanks to him and praise his
name.” (Ps. 100:4, NIV) and suggest that each chapter appoint a Music Director.
4. Invitation- Always devote a portion of the event for prayer and personal commitment to Jesus Christ. Be certain to
explain how to record decisions on the CSF Registration Card.
5. Fellowship- Members should have enough time before and after the event to get acquainted and cultivate friendships.
6. Welcome- Always extend a hand of welcome to visitors and recognize new members
Note- General Events may be held at a local church facility.
Notes from the event, speaker evaluation, and a record of decisions must be sent to CSF headquarters as part of the
Correspondence/Financial Director’s quarterly report.
Outreach Event Recommendations
Each chapter is encouraged to host, or participate in, at least one outreach event per quarter. These events do not have to be formal and expensive. Events can be expanded into multi-chapter, regional or national outings. Your Regional Director assigned through CSF headquarters will assist you with event suggestions and planning.
Locations
To encourage maximum participation and exposure in the community, all events should be held away from a local church campus unless no other facility will accommodate the event. The off-campus site will appeal to men who would normally reject an invitation to church services and revivals. Our purpose is to attract them by capitalizing on their love for outdoor sports. The goal is to provide a non-intimidating, “non-church” setting. During an event the featured speaker(s) will incorporate their personal testimony for Christ into their presentation. After that, chapter directors will allow time for prayerful decisions to be made and recorded.
Types—for local, multi-chaptered, regional, or national events
1. Outings—We definitely want to host events in the outdoors. Fishing and hunting trips give us an opportunity to invite
prospects and allow them to have a positive experience in the outdoors with Christians. This enables Christian men to
build friendships with other brothers in the faith and build “witnessing’ relationships” with men who have not yet given
their lives to Jesus Christ. Outings may not feature formal presentations, but can give members a chance to share Christ
personally in an informal setting.
The main goal is to make Christianity “real” to unbelievers. At the events, the example of the hosts is essential. We
prohibit the use of alcohol or profanity and strongly discourage the use of all tobacco products.
2. Workshops/clinics — These events feature CSF speakers, who have expertise in some facet of the outdoors. Each clinic
will also feature the personal testimony of the guest speaker.
3. Banquet/luncheons — Churches have seen thousands of men give their lives to Christ at wild game dinners. While a
chapter banquet can include wild and domestic game, meals often encourage participation. We suggest that each member
purchase several tickets to meal events and give these to prospects. In this way, the organization does not appear to be
“begging for money” from non-members.
4. Tournaments — CSF chapters can sponsor local fishing/hunting tournaments as CSF fund raising events. Contact CSF
headquarters regarding tournament rules, regulations and suggestions. Also contact your state’s department of natural
resources or fish and wildlife service for appropriate legal information.
5. Leadership Conference — CSF hosts regional and national leadership conferences and encourages local chapters to
assist in hosting these events. For a schedule of upcoming conferences and conference needs, contact CSF headquarters
for schedules and CSF publications.
Eligibility for Serving as a Chapter Director
Each candidate must meet the following requirements:
1. He must be a Born-again believer, who is living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
2. He must be a current CSF member and have established permanent residency in the chapter in which he seeks to serve.
3. He should demonstrate a deep love for God and genuine concern and sensitivity for others. He should have the ability to
organize and delegate authority and be able to direct men spiritually by word and deed. He must be a man of character,
integrity, faithfulness, and trustworthiness, who men will respect and follow
Current directors may be appointed to serve subsequent terms or alternative roles.
Duties
Chapter Director
1. He is responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the chapter.
2. He has complete responsibility for all chapter activities and serves as an emcee at all chapter events.
3. He delegates responsibilities to others for specific meetings and events and appoints committee directors with the counsel
of his fellow team leaders.
4. He directs the monthly director’s meetings
5. He approves all speakers and musicians for functions sponsored by his chapter in accordance with CSF policies.
6. He approves all advertising and promotion for all chapter meetings and events.
7. He acts on liaison with the National and Regional Directors and CSF headquarters.
8. He enthusiastically promotes CSF.
Assistant Chapter Director
1. He must be capable of handling all functions in the absence of he Chapter Director
2. He will assume the role of Chapter Director, if the position is left vacant for any reason, until the expiration of the current
term.
3. He coordinates Membership Calling campaigns by recruiting members to serve on the Telephone Committee.
Correspondence
1. He is responsible for recording meeting notes, activities and discussions
2. He must submit all forms to CSF headquarters as directed.
3. He maintains member-affiliated and prospect mailing lists and keeps members informed on the local chapter’s events,
meetings and other matters of mutual events
4. He may request and receive list updates of chapter members. He is entrusted with the care and protection of this
information.
Note: All CSF mailing lists, including those compiled by the local chapters, are the property of CSF, Inc., which holds all legal rights as pursuant to law. Under no circumstances is any chapter member authorized to release mailing lists or any portion thereof to anyone other than to the authorized agent of CSF, Inc.
Finance Director
1. Maintains all financial records, including income and expenditures for the local chapter. (Some churches choose to
delegate this function to staff personnel.)
2. Is authorized to make payments, by check for the local chapter.
3. Must submit an annual financial statement on forms provided by CSF headquarters. Failure to do so jeopardizes CSF’s
tax-exempt status and can lead to charter revocation.
Committee Directors
General
Committee Chairmen shall be appointed by the Chapter Director upon consultation with his fellow directors. They shall serve in various capacities as deemed necessary by the chapter membership. Each shall serve a one-year term, unless otherwise specified by the chapter.
Standing Committee Directors
Special Music Coordinator - Coordinates music and musical guests for the chapter with the approval of the Chapter Director. He is also responsible for assisting in the development of the special music, in accordance with CSF guidelines.
Publicity- Develops and coordinates advertising and promotion of chapter meetings and events. This person can request materials from CSF headquarters and will work with the headquarters staff, if the chapter is involved with a regional or national multi-chapter event. This person also helps members obtain information on acquiring CSF materials and merchandise.
Membership- Helps develop new ideas for recruiting and retaining members and is in charge of follow up decisions after CSF events.
Hospitality- in addition to serving as captain of ushers during his chapter’s events, the hospitality chairman does everything he can to make sure members feel comfortable at the meetings and event. His committee is responsible for acquiring and setting up facilities, providing welcome tables with CSF literature, and distributing and collecting Registration Cards. He heads up the group of people that collect the names and addresses of member prospects and passes these onto the membership chairman for appropriate follow up.
Prayer- Of all leadership roles, this one is the most important. Each chapter should exhort its members to pray for the chapter and its directors daily, but this chairman will call together a small group of men, from the chapter, who feel God’s calling to make prayer the primary focus. This committee director will collect prayer requests from members and will lift these up to God every day.
Other committees may be formed by chapter directors as determined by the chapter’s needs
Follow-up Procedures
This is a crucial element of our ministry. There is no substitute for quick follow-up on decisions and visitors. All chapter leaders should consult with the pastor for the proper way to conduct your follow-up effort. (Refer to CSF’s booklet, “How to Host a Sportsmen’s Banquet & Wild Game Tasting”.
Remember that CSF is a church support organization. When someone makes a commitment, we want to encourage them to share with their local church, which will follow up with baptism and discipleship information. Do not pressure anyone into church attendance, but lovingly encourage them to take the next step in their Christian life.
Visitors
1. Have each visitor sign in using the Registration Card to be distributed toward the end of the speaker’s presentation. A
portion of this card is used to record decisions following a CSF event where the gospel is presented. Pay attention to any
decisions anyone records. As a matter of habit, it is a good idea to insist that everyone in attendance complete the
registration card allowing sportsmen an opportunity to respond to the prompting of God’s Spirit.
2. Make sure that each visitor is greeted personally.
3. Send a thank you note to your visitor with an invitation to your chapter’s next function. Also include a copy of the latest
CSF publication.
4. Call each visitor, or have the member who invited him make a personal contact. Do not be pushy when contacting. Thank
them for coming, ask them to another event, and take the time to get to know them.
If the above outlined procedures are followed then many decisions will be made for Christ, especially among visitors. Consult with a local pastor regarding follow up.
For member prospecting
Every member should develop a list of personal prospects such as friends, neighbors, and fellow employees/employers, members of civic groups, and hunting/fishing clubs and associations.
CSF Guidelines for speakers
Source
Our International Headquarters maintains several resources to help your chapter find speakers. Each Regional Director can access speakers from different chapters in his region. You may also contact CSF headquarters for assistance in identifying keynote speakers.
Do not overlook your chapter membership. One of CSF’s purposes is to give laymen a chance to learn how to share their testimonies in the context of their involvement with the outdoors, and provide an appropriate forum with an audience who shares their interest
While professional ministers can be used as speakers, laymen are preferred. For every professional minister three laymen should be used as speakers. This is a laymen’s organization and we want to use the God-given resources of every member.
Masters Program
For the sportsman who is gifted with speaking talent, CSF offers a unique opportunity to share one's knowledge of fishing/hunting and a personal testimony for Christ at local, regional, and national events. To qualify as a CSF Master Sportsman a CSF member must have shown proficiency in a particular outdoor sport as an amateur or professional (i.e. tying fishing flies, game calling, hunter education trainer, big game hunter, bass fishing expert, etc.). In addition you must attend one leadership conference and complete the Christian Sportsman Designation worksheet, which is designed to teach you how to prepare a personal presentation for either a bullet testimony with a fellow sportsmen or a keynote presentation to a group. A Master Sportsman applicant can be nominated by a Regional Director to receive the designation after submitting a completed application to headquarters for review and approval. A CSF staff director then invites the applicant to participate in a phone conference training session to familiarize him with CSF's plan for effectiveness and efficiency in outdoors men's ministry within the local church. A good understanding of the Climbing Legacy Mountain metaphor helps the Master Sportsman in communicating the essence of The Great Commission.
When requested to serve as the keynote speaker a CSF Master Sportsmen requires that a questionnaire be completed by the event organizer at least six to eight weeks in advance. The response form asks pertinent questions to ensure that the Host Committee for the event has adequate plans for bringing together an Intercessory Prayer Team for advance preparation and post event follow up. As well, the Host Committee is encouraged by the Master Sportsman to recruit Table Sponsors who serve as the potential mentor for guests who have prayer needs. Further, the use of proper Registration Cards is queried for the purpose of registering attendance, door prize distribution and compiling a current database.
To determine sporting proficiency, each applicant completes the Master’s Sportsman Application. While we do not have a strict litmus test for determining ability, we must know where you have expertise.
If you are a sporting professional please list your affiliations and sponsors with at least three references. We encourage sporting professionals to promote CSF membership and chapter formation. Periodically, you will be contacted regarding your availability to attend CSF functions. Approved Master Sportsmen are encouraged to seek out speaking engagements on their own as well as enlist opportunities for other CSF Master Sportsmen to serve in the same venues during successive years.
Once approved you will receive a special certificate of recognition and be listed periodically in CSF’s publications by sport.
Anyone wishing to contact a Master Sportsman can do so through your assigned Regional Director or CSF’s headquarters.
Other Sources
We urge caution when obtaining a speaker who is not listed with CSF. While this is acceptable, we expect the following criteria from speakers:
1. Who recommended the speaker?
2. Have you heard him personally or heard of him?
3. How well known is he?
4. Does he have his own organization? If so, what does this organization do?
5. Is he questionable or controversial?
6. Does he charge for his services?
7. Have you heard his personal testimony?
It is important to know a speaker’s qualification before inviting him and avoid speakers who may cause controversy. Remember that CSF’s goal is to promote Jesus Christ and use outdoors sports as a vehicle for accomplishing this goal.
James 3:1 tells us: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly”
Before bringing in an unknown speaker, it is best to contact him and ask him to share his personal testimony. This is what he will be doing for your meeting or event, in addition to sharing any expertise he might have as a sportsman.
Arrangements for speakers
1. Provide him with a date, time, and location for your event.
2. Confirm any telephone invitations by letter
3. Request photo and biographical sketch for use of publicity
4. If he is coming from out-of –town, have some one meet him upon arrival, and if no one is available provide him with
directions to his hotel
5. Meet him at his hotel to go over the agenda
6. Do not let him feel neglected
7. Be positive; don’t burden him with personal or chapter problems
8. If he stays in someone’s home, make sure he has adequate time to study, pray and rest
9. Assist with further arrangements if he is to stay over for other meetings in the area.
Speaker Compensation
The speaker should be given a reasonable honorarium, the amount determined by the number of times he will minister and the distance he has traveled. In addition all expenses should be paid, including traveling, lodging, and meals. Laymen and vocational ministers should receive equal treatment in this regard. It is the chapter that determines the honorarium, not the speaker. (See Chapter Chartering Notebook for honorarium recommendations)
All speakers will receive their honorarium from the treasury of the sponsoring CSF chapter and at no time will a “love offering” for any speaker, or his organization be taken.
A Speaker’s Message
The focus of a speaker’s message should be to glorify God and lift up the name of Jesus Christ. This may be accomplished in one or all of the following ways:
A. Sharing his personal testimonies—the speaker must be made aware that he will be communicating to an audience where
some of the members do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. No matter what other information he imparts,
he must always include his personal relationship with Jesus as a part of his message. We recognize that not all men can
preach or teach, but anyone can share a personal experience. Please provide all speakers with a CSF guide to sharing
your personal testimony. This will not be necessary if they have already obtained their CSF Christian Sportsman’s
Designation.
B. Sharing The Word of God – Again, we do not expect all of our speakers to be preachers or teachers, but every Christian
can share a portion of scripture that affected his life. We encourage the sharing of these life-changing experiences for the
growth and maturity of other Christians, who want a deeper walk with our Lord.
C. Be Positive – CSF functions are not a forum to degrade or discredit churches, denominations, individuals, political parties,
faiths, sects, races or any subjects that are controversial in nature. Focus instead on your sports expertise and your
personal experience with Jesus Christ.
D. Do not major on doctrinal controversy – CSF has members from many denominations and theological disagreements between them should not be exploite
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