"Thumbnail Sketch" of Sports Chaplaincy (Character Coaching)

While in St. Petersburg, Russia recently, serving with FCA Eurasia teammates, I was asked to prepare a brief “thumbnail sketch” of what Sports Chaplains (Character Coaches) do and how they serve. I scratched out a simple five point outline for sharing with those entirely unacquainted with this form of ministry. That outline is below. I like it and I hope you do also.

1. Sports Chaplains (Character Coaches) are ambassadors for Christ Jesus and His Church in the sporting community.
2. Sports Chaplains (Character Coaches) love extravagantly. We love God. We love the people of sport, at their best and at their worst.
3. Sports Chaplains (Character Coaches) serve selflessly. We serve God. We serve the people of sport, at their best and at their worst.
4. Sports Chaplains (Character Coaches) are invited guests of the sports clubs, the teams, the federations, coaches, competitors, and support staffs they serve.
5. A Sports Chaplain’s (Character Coach’s) service is built upon these three pillars:
1. Relationships
2. Attitudes
3. Presence
4. It helps to think about these three in this sequence: Be seen, Be known, and Be heard.
5. Relationships, Attitudes, and Presence all inform and empower this process.

There it is. Simple, but descriptive of the essence of our ministry in sport.

Sports Chaplain / Character Coach Training

Over the last 19 years my approach to development as a sports chaplain (character coach) has grown and developed, changing emphases and forms many times.

My first attempt at developing training materials is compiled in Transforming Lives in Sport (Cross Training Publishing, 2006). It was the result of several years of trial and error, experimentation, analysis, and conversations with colleagues from around the world.

In 2011, Jeff Martin of FCA, and I collaborated to abbreviate the training in Transforming Lives in Sport and to incorporate language and processes more fitting for Fellowship of Christian Athletes ministry leaders in the USA.

In 2014, I met with colleagues from several nations, first in Hong Kong, China and later in Indianapolis, Indiana (USA) to outline, then write, and then to build www.globalsportschaplaincy.org.

Most recently, FCA leaders from around the USA have begun to treat sports chaplaincy, character coaching in FCA language, more seriously. In their approach, they have used the outline: Be Seen, Be Known, Be Heard. I was happy to adapt to that outline and to supplement it with some greater depth in introduction and some addenda of helpful information.

The result is a two pronged approach to the identification, training, engagement, and supervision of volunteer FCA Character Coaches.

·        Step one – Orientation – a one hour introduction to FCA character coaching. The idea is to give prospective character coaches a clear view of what it is and what it is not.

·        Step two – Training – a three hour process of receiving and processing information, consideration of opportunities, and preparation for service as an FCA Character Coach.

Earlier this week I was in Omaha, Nebraska (USA) to train trainers of this material. The aim was to equip and empower my FCA colleagues from Nebraska in such a way that they are prepared to identify, train, empower, assign, and supervise FCA character coaches in their area. It seemed to go very well and I’m excited to see how they develop this form of ministry in a uniquely Nebraskan way.

Over these years, our approach has constantly adapted to fit the cultures, the preferences, the constraints, and the capacity of those we have sought to engage, equip, and empower for this form of life transforming ministry. I would imagine that more changes are just ahead. Please let me know if I can serve you and those around you in similar ways.