Year #20 begins

Yesterday, 1 August, 2013, began year number 20 of my employment with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Southern Illinois. Through those years we have seen a number of changes in the world of sport, in the world of sports ministry and in my personal life as well.

At home, my wife and I celebrated 20, 25, 30, and 35 year wedding anniversaries. Our son grew from high school kid to college student to graduate student to gainfully employed to husband to father. I started this role at 38 years old and am now 57. I have adjusted to people’s assumptions that I will want the senior citizen’s discount. My wife moved from the university administration offices into the football office 18 years ago and will now retire in December. I went from being the new guy on FCA’s staff to being one of the old heads.

Our local ministry has grown from part-time to full-time. It has been sustained with a low fund balance, has thrived with a strong balance, has drifted to dangerously low funding levels and back to a more stable foundation. We have had as few as one employee (me) to as many as three, and back to one again. Throughout these years the ministry’s breadth and depth has been carried by a wide network of volunteers in schools and in communities across our southernmost quarter of the state of Illinois.

FCA has changed in a number of ways a number of times. We have had several strategic changes; started, stopped and restarted our involvement in global sports ministry. We have made numerous changes to the ministry’s leadership structure and to our points of emphasis. We have successfully navigated the dot com boom and the 911 bust. We have dealt with good and bad economies. We have continued to have Sports Camps as the best, most effective method of ministry at our hand. We have dabbled in drug programs and other potentially distracting initiatives, but have kept the gospel, coaches and athletes as the central focus for our work.

The world of ministry in sport has changed as well. Maybe it’s simply my view of it that has changed. Prior to the late 1990s, all I could see was FCA and our US and global colleagues, Athletes in Action. I was vaguely aware of SRS Pro Sportler, but had no idea of the vast network of sports ministries represented in the International Sports Coalition. My friend and colleague, Lowrie McCown, introduced me to this marvelous team, invited me to the ACE Conference in Athens in 2003, and then asked me to be a part of the Serving the People of Sport Council in 2004. That invitation and the relationships made in these meetings have launched my service with people of sport into new, exciting, and challenging paths. I am immensely grateful to Lowrie and to all my SPS colleagues across the globe. Just since November of 2000, I have been privileged to travel to Greece, Italy (3 times), Thailand, Singapore (twice), Honduras (many times), Jamaica, Wales, Cuba (twice), and England. Wow, it’s been a remarkable for a guy from Carbondale.

 

One of the continuing issues to be considered among sports ministry leaders is the tension between ministry TO and ministry THROUGH sportspeople. As I have written elsewhere, a focus on ministry through sportspeople brings with it the potential to become manipulative and utilitarian toward the people of sport. If we are perceived as serving them so that they will help us accomplish our ministry goals, they will likely begin to avoid us or to simply comply with our requests out of duty, guilt or to avoid shame. Each of those will destroy the joy which normally accompanies Christian service.

 

Thanks to all my friends, colleagues, coaches, student-athletes, supporters, detractors, encouragers, and critics. You have each furthered the Lord Jesus’ purposes for my life over the last 19 years. I cannot wait to see what is in store for the next 20! Let’s get after it.