Character Coach / Sports Chaplain Blog

The 2015 Fellowship of Christian Athletes Sport Chaplains Conference will be 16-18 March at the Hope Center in Plano, Texas. http://www.thehopecenter.org/ Registration is now available at www.fcachaplains.org Cost: $249: includes lodging, meals and conference expenses $125: includes meals and conference expenses Flights: Please fly into the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW) Registration: Online registration is available now. You may use a credit card to pay. If you need to pay via check, call or email Jordan Barnes and she will take your registration information. JBarnes@fca.org or (800) 289-0909.

For the last several years I have been describing the primary tasks of sports chaplaincy as being to: Love Extravagantly and to Serve Selflessly. Those are rather broad and sweeping terms and may be too vague for some to gather and to translate into action. The following paragraphs are my attempt at providing example of each. I hope the examples inspire and possibly even provoke you to strong, extravagant, selfless love and service. When a sports chaplain pursues redemptive relationships with coaches and competitors who are not yet Christians and may not value his or her presence, that is extravagant love. When a character coach relentlessly attends practices, training sessions, team meetings, and any other team function in the most inconvenient hours of the day, that is extravagant love. When a sports mentor refuses to give up on the player he or she is mentoring, even when the competitor is more than ready to quit, to withdraw from sport, and even despairs of life itself...

Fellowship of Christian Athletes 6th Annual Sports Chaplains Conference When:  March 16-18, 2015 Where:  Dallas, TX Who:  FCA Staff and volunteers who are currently involved or would like to get involved in FCA sport chaplaincy/character coaching will be attending this conference to be equipped, encouraged and trained for chaplain ministry/character coaching. This will be an incredible opportunity to network and learn from some of the top FCA Chaplains in the country. What:  This will be an incredible opportunity to network and learn from some of the top FCA Chaplains in the country. The keynote speaker this year is former FCA staff and current Chaplain/Life Coach for the Baltimore Ravens, Johnny Shelton. Other speakers include Jeff Duke, Coaching Specialist/lecturer for the Sport and Exercise Science degree program at the University of Central Florida and author of "3D Coaching"; and Roger Lipe, Southern Illinois University Spor...

As we serve coaches and competitors in the sports world, we often bear the burden of privileged information. People tell us things that the general public, others involved in the team’s life, and certainly the media don’t need to know. Many people clamor for such information, but somehow we are trusted with it. A brief list of items follows to illustrate the sorts of information we often possess and the reasons for keeping it confidential. ·         Injuries. During most every visit to a team’s practice or training session, at one point I will be chatting with the athletic trainer (physio) and discussing a player with an obvious injury or the rehabilitation process with those in recovery. The big issue here is that if such information is shared with the wrong people, it becomes a factor in shaping the wagers on a contest. We could unwittingly become the person who shapes the betting line in Las Vegas. Beyond that, in the USA, there are laws that ...

Looking back on this season and further back at the past twenty-one seasons with Saluki Football, there are a couple of factors that have made for the enduring nature of our tenure and the successes we have enjoyed in this ministry. Some thoughts about these two factors follow. I hope they are of some value to you. Factor number 1 – I value short-term projects . When people ask me to take on a project that would require years to complete, I break out in a cold sweat and immediately decline the invitation. If it’s a six month project, I’m listening, but with great reservations. If the project will last six weeks, six days, or six hours, I’m in! This sort of orientation fits the sports world very well as most everything we do is seasonal in nature and even if things are really bad, the season will be over shortly and we can move on. Factor number 2 – I strongly value long-term relationships . Loyalty, faithfulness, and trustworthiness are among the values I hold most dearly in p...

Over the twenty years I have been privileged to serve as a sports chaplain, I have gained greatly from my colleagues in the USA and abroad. Among those who have contributed most greatly to my service has been Stuart Weir, of Verite Sport ( http://www.veritesport.org/ ) in the United Kingdom. Stuart is a dear friend and a trusted colleague. His unique approach to chaplaincy in Athletics (Track and Field for the Yankees), is effective and fruitful. Stuart recently wrote an evaluation of this ministry which is very insightful and inspirational. It is included below. I hope his ministry inspires you as it does me. Athletics ministry: evaluation of a model Version2 Introduction I have been operating as an unofficial chaplain to track and field athletics for the past five years. In this paper I attempt to analyse what I do, partly using the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) tool. I am interested in exploring whether this is solely an individual approac...

Over the last fifteen months, the men and women of the Sports Chaplaincy Table of the In Sport Group, a network of sports ministries around the globe, have been collaborating to produce a set of recommendations for sports chaplaincy training agencies. We have sought to determine what would be the global standard for such training. After much correspondence, prayer, sharing of ideas, and editing, the recommendation below is the document we will now begin to share with those agencies in various nations. If you represent one such agency and would like to adopt these standards, please email me and I’ll be pleased to add you to our list of adherents to the standards. There is soon to follow exciting news about a new and powerful delivery system for basic, introductory sport chaplaincy training that reflects these same standards. A Recommendation from: The Sports Chaplaincy Table of the In Sport Group International Sports Coalition The Chaplaincy Table respectfully submits t...

Here in my twenty-first season of serving Saluki Football (American Football at Southern Illinois University – USA), I experienced the best day of my whole career. On 13 September we were all set to play the Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks. They are a local rival for our team and we have enjoyed a history of competitive and interesting games the years. This year’s situation was quite unique and remarkable. The Redhawks’ new head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator are all dear friends of mine and their team chaplain is my son. I have decades of relationship with these coaches and an obvious bond with my son. This is his first season of serving as team chaplain and he seems thrilled to be in the role. As the day for this game approached I was flooded with mixed emotions and thoughts. I always want our team to win and to experience success, but I also want my dear friends and my son to do the same. It’s the nature of sport that when we meet, one ...

The month of November in the USA not only ushers in thoughts of holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it is football coaching staff transition season. At every level of American football there have already been and will continue to be coaches resigning, retiring, and being fired. Below are some notes from 2007 related to how sports chaplains can help those we serve to navigate these turbulent waters effectively. Related to the outgoing staff: · If the staff was fired, understand that this feels like failure and a lot like death to them. · Help the coaches to see this situation within the sovereignty of God. The Lord is not surprised by this. · Understand that the transition is probably harder on the coach’s family than on the coach. · Be available to them. They may not want much company, but if they welcome your presence, be there. · Be prepared for the termination of some relationships. Some relationships will live beyond their tenure with your team, but othe...

On Monday of this week I was privileged to be a guest on our Head Football Coach’s weekly radio show, “Lennon Live.” Mike Reis, SIU’s radio voice for over 30 years, does the interview with me and Coach Dale Lennon adds some comments related to my service of Saluki Football for the past twenty seasons. Here is a link to the almost 9 ½ minute interview. https://soundcloud.com/mikereis-siu/2014-rlipe-10-20-lennon-live I hope it is of value to you.

Occasionally I am privileged to speak at a local church. Sometimes I even get to speak about matters of faith and sport. One such occasion was this past Sunday at my home church, Lakeland Baptist Church, in Carbondale, Illinois (USA). I spoke about Prayer in a sportsperson’s life. The talk included many aspects of a sportsperson’s life and how prayer may be helpful in it. This is a link to the site where I have been posting prayers for people in sport to use.  http://prayerinsport.blogspot.com/   As Jesus gave His disciples a model for prayer, we must also provide some models to assist them as they learn to pray and to thereby welcome the Lord Jesus into each day’s training, conditioning, and competition. I hope the prayers are of some benefit to you and those you serve.

In light of the dramatic increase in academic research activity and practical initiatives on the topic of sports and Christianity over the last decade, the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at York St John University (YSJU), York, UK are hosting an Inaugural Global Congress on Sports and Christianity (IGCSC), 24-28 th August, 2016. The Bible Society and YSJU are collaborating in the development and delivery of this global event. Keynote Speakers include Professors Stanley Hauerwas, Shirl Hoffman, Michael Novak, Bishop James Jones and Anne-Wafula Strike MBE. York St John University campus is at the heart of the beautiful and historic city of York (see http://www.visityork.org/ ). A part of the congress is a sport-themed service in York Minster, one of Europe’s finest cathedrals  (see http://www.yorkminster.org/home.html ). The attached Pdf. Brochure and website provide further information on the congress: http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/health--life-sciences/faculty-of-h...

On occasion, I am privileged to hear one of the student-athletes in whom I invest my life express his or her faith in a unique way. One such instance occurred a couple of weeks ago as we held a Fellowship of Christian Athletes large group meeting on campus at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. This was the first one we have even tried to do in the twenty years of our service with the university’s student-athletes and coaches. The notes below are from the talk prepared by a senior swimmer from Wisconsin who has been attending weekly FCA meetings in my home since she was a freshman. It has been a joy to watch her develop in every facet of her life. I trust you’ll sense some of that development and the process of it in the notes. I am very proud of Holly and her heart-felt, candid talk with her teammates and other peers. My Faith in Sport ·        Holly Johnson - Senior, Major-Science ·        Thank...

Thank you to everyone who prayed for our work in Indianapolis last week. We were privileged to gather a great team of men and women from India, New Zealand, Sweden, Canada, Australia, and from the USA they came in from Missouri, Michigan, North Carolina, Indiana, and Illinois. We worked long hours and experienced a tremendous amount of unity as we collaborated on a basic, introductory training course for sports chaplains that will be delivered in six one hour sessions. I am forever indebted to this excellent set of men and women for their excellent contributions and their loving partnership. We received tremendous contributions from these organizations as well: Traders Point Christian Church – Indianapolis, IN – our hosts Sports Chaplaincy Australia Sports Chaplains Network - USA Sports Chaplaincy New Zealand Sport for Life – Sweden Sports Chaplaincy United Kingdom RBC Ministries and www.sport.org – USA The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada Fellowship of Christia...

Please join me in prayer for the very important meetings that will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA next week. From Monday through Friday, a number of men and women from all around the world will be gathered at Traders Point Christian Church to gather, assemble, simplify, and prepare a set of training materials that will set a global standard for the most basic training for people to serve as Sport Chaplains. This training material will be hosted on-line with a set of instructions (on pdf) to read, some on screen information to lead the process, and a video for each section which informs, inspires, and illustrates the written material. A general outline for the materials is below. Please pray that we may present something that is worthy of Christ Jesus, is respectful of a wide spectrum of sport and cultural distinctions, and is easily understood from anywhere on the planet. Thanks. Six one hour sessions of training material in these categories: 1.   Intr...

Stuart Weir of Verité Sport in the United Kingdom has a unique way of serving sportspeople as a chaplain. He works in the twin roles of sports journalist and sports chaplain in the world of athletics (track and field for us Yanks). Last week Stuart sent me a note that I thought had insight worth sharing with you. I hope it is of value to you and to those you serve. Roger The longer I do this ministry in Track and Field - with no official role of status but with: 1. Opportunity to lead 8 Bible Studies at events this year; 2. Literally 100s of conversations 3. Unofficial recognition and encouragement by British Athletics... The more I recognize the importance of knowing when to be there and when to leave.  Much of my work involves sitting in hotel receptions (lobbies).  Knowing when to leave, when I have stopped ministering and have become a pain - ie athletes feel they have to talk to me to entertain me, is very important. Just a thought Stuart J ...