So you think you'd like a celebrity athlete to speak in your church?

First, ask yourself several questions: Why do I want an athlete in my church? Because I'm a sports nut? Because I want to get the attention of some people I've not been able to reach? Because I want to draw a crowd? (Be honest on this one. There's nothing inherently evil about numbers.) Because I'm getting pressure from key people in the church to do so? Because everybody's doing it? Because I know an athlete who has something solid to offer as Christ's representative?

Let's deal with the best reason: you know of a celebrity athlete who can minister to your congregation. Now you can move without restraint on the "yes," but with common sense as to the "how."

Charlie Getty, former Penn Stater and a veteran offensive lineman with the Kansas City Chiefs, speaks "about fifty or sixty times" between January and June. Says Getty, "Be selective; know something about the athlete, either through correspondence or a phone call. One ...