In 1984, Ron Bishop was a successful basketball coach at Tennessee Temple University, a Christian school then based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After winning a national championship that year, though, he decided to leave the coaching world and start the ministry that had been growing in his heart: Score International.
In those early years, the focus of the organization was taking American sports teams overseas, where they would engage in friendly competitions with local athletes and, along the way, share the Gospel. And while sports-based outreach is still an important part of Score’s operations, today the ministry is a full-fledged domestic and international missions organization with trip opportunities for church groups of every age, interest and ability.
Many church groups are interested in taking international mission trips, and Score has relationships with missionaries and churches on the ground in seven countries throughout Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Through Score, groups can travel to the Dominican Republic, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Brazil, Argentina and other nations.
Once they arrive, they will participate in a six- or seven-day program that has been customized to fit the specific ages, skills and interests of the group. Groups that want to work with children will often help churches with vacation bible schools or work in orphan care. Evangelistic opportunities include school assemblies and street outreach. Score can also arrange activities focused on specific needs, such as clean water projects in remote villages or anti-human-trafficking ministries.
Score International has also expanded into numerous domestic mission fields, including impoverished areas of Appalachia and inner cities in some of America’s largest urban centers. Groups can help run sports camps in these areas or participate in large-scale festivals designed to bring the Gospel to whole communities.
