Character Coach / Sports Chaplain Blog

Last week I asked you to respond to the following question, “ What have been the most effective forms of training and preparation for you in your role as a Sport Chaplain, Character Coach, or Sport Mentor?” A number of the responses I received are below. I pray that they are of value to you, that they either affirm the training and preparation you have received or possibly even inspire you to seek additional training to further prepare yourself for transformational ministry.   From Cristobal Chamale – Athletes in Action Latin America and Caribbean Countries To go and visit the federations asking them for permission to visit the national teams and offer them conferences to motivate them through moral and Christian principles for their improvement in athletic skills and their spiritual area, then I began my preparation to teach them, I have been using books, my bible, and the Athletes in Action materials, my personal quiet time, etc...this has been the way for my t...

I was last week in a set of meetings of 400 people from 93 countries who all do ministry to or through sportspeople. Of late, the momentum has swung toward serving sportspeople more directly rather than seeing the primary emphasis of ministry in sport as working through them. I, for one, am very happy to see this trend.   Below is an article first sent to many of you in 2008 after some discussions with valued and respected colleagues. I hope these thoughts help shape the conversation and our service together.   This reflection is also included in the recently released book, Free to Compete – Reflections on Sport from a Christian Perspective. It is available in paperback and Kindle versions and can be obtained through Amazon.com or www.crosstrainingpublishing.com .   Ministry To or Through Sportspeople? We who are engaged in Sports Ministries would do well to ask ourselves some questions for evaluation and contemplation on a couple of im...

Ministry in Sport has changed greatly in the last sixty years.   It began with iconic figures and very few details about their lives. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) was founded on this dynamic. FCA’s founder, Don McLanen, selected high profile, Christian athletes to proclaim their faith in public, just as they were being used by companies to promote their products.   Ministry in Sport grew through the influence of two-dimensional, heroic Christian athletes who were used by various ministries to achieve growth and financial development. FCA grew through this dynamic.   The last twenty years have revealed a huge tear in the fabric of many sports ministries. Our intentions have been questioned, our integrity has been examined and our methods have been scrutinized. FCA is part and parcel of this dynamic. The present world of sport and much of sports ministry is characterized by three primary weaknesses.   1) The prevalence of compartmentalized lives; t...

Across these twenty seasons of college football I’ve written and delivered a lot of pre-game chapel talks. I thought I’d share the chapel I conducted last Saturday prior to the Football Salukis’ game at Western Illinois University. Our game with the Leathernecks had a 1:00 pm start time and our chapel was at 8:45 am, just prior to the team meal. 100% of the coaching staff and team were in attendance. I was pleased to speak on one of my favorite scripture passages. Below is the outline of my talk. I hope it is of some value to you. Saluki Football – “Common Cause” Introduction – This is game one of our four game sprint to the playoffs. Let’s be great today.   Opening prayer by a junior running back.   Common Cause – Thousands of years ago, a man named Moses led two million people from slavery in Egypt to their home in Palestine. Two million people is the equivalent of 20,000 football teams like ours. Their common cause is detailed in the first five books of t...