The Past, Present, and Future of Sports Chaplaincy

          Sports chaplaincy, primarily understood to be pastoral care for people engaged in the world of sport, has been a growing form of ministry for more than sixty years. In most places it is called just that, Sports Chaplaincy, however in other environments different language is used to describe what is essentially the same thing. Our ministry, Nations of Coaches, calls us “character coaches,” other ministries use language like, “life coaches,”  “sports shepherds,” or even “sports buddies.” The language is less important than the quality of service provided.

         I will not attempt to offer a history of sports chaplaincy, but to simply reflect upon its past, its present state, and the future for this dynamic ministry opportunity across the globe.

         Past – It seems that sports chaplaincy first emerged as a grass roots attempt to offer Christian ministry to people in the professional sporting world. Many of these people were competing or traveling on Sundays, and were unavailable for worship with their local churches.

I am aware of pioneers in sports chaplaincy in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. As this form of ministry began to grow, it soon found a home in other levels of sport like collegiate sport in the USA, and at multiple levels of sport in the UK, spreading to other nations as well.

Most of these sports chaplaincy ministries grew from modest, individual opportunities, and grew into healthy, sustainable, and enduring ministries. Some others flashed up quickly, and diminished just as quickly due to a short-term opportunity or a lack of sustained connections. A couple of the longest serving and most enduring sports chaplaincy ministries are Baseball Chapel and Hockey Ministries International.

         Present – Sports Chaplaincy has grown in breadth and depth. It has developed organically as a movement, and organizationally as more formal ministries. It has one set of practitioners who serve exclusively as sports chaplains, and it has another set who practice it among many other forms of ministry in sport.

         The vast majority of people serving in sports ministry are volunteers. They are employed otherwise, but invest a great deal of time, energy, and heart into their service of sportspeople. A relative few people are employed as sports chaplains. Some are in professional sport, and another short set are in collegiate sport in the USA.

         There are a few, well-organized, and wisely led ministries in several industrialized nations. They recruit, train, develop, and lead their people with excellence, vision, and integrity.

         There are myriads of people serving as sports chaplains, some not even knowing what to call it, in more grass roots, entrepreneurial, improvisational, and messy situations. They simply see an opportunity to serve, hear God’s call, and step into the void. Often they do it very well, selflessly, and sacrificially. Occasionally they do it very poorly, encumbered by self-interest, arrogance, and even greed. Some of the novices start hunting for resources, connections, or networks with which to improve their service. When these people connect with established sports chaplaincy ministries, encouragement, equipping, empowerment, and professional development is usually the result.

         Sports Chaplaincy is practiced in the communities of an immense number of sporting environments in both genders. A long but not exhaustive list of sports wherein I am aware sports chaplains are serving is below.

·      Football (soccer)

·      Baseball

·      Softball

·      American Football

·      Australian Rules Football

·      Rugby

·      Ice Hockey

·      Auto racing

·      Motorcycle racing

·      Horse racing

·      Rodeo

·      Netball

·      Basketball

·      Volleyball

·      Cricket

·      Golf

·      Fitness Gyms

·      Athletics (Track and Field)

·      Others beyond my notice

From 2014 through 2024, several leaders of various Sports Chaplaincy ministries around the world collaborated on plans to foster the development of similar ministries in other nations. Countless hours and a tremendous amount of money was invested in this process with almost no results. I and the others participating were frustrated and even disillusioned by our lack of success. I’ll address this more in the next section.

Future – Having observed the growth and development of Sports Chaplaincy for over thirty years, I see some trends I expect to continue for several more years. As mentioned in the previous section, I don’t believe the growth will come via corporate style, organizational structures of ministry. Rather, I believe Sports Chaplaincy is well poised to grow as a movement, more like a virus than a building.

To grow as a movement, Sports Chaplaincy is likely to have all the accompanying messiness and seeming chaos of a movement. It is also likely to be empowered by the usual passion, energy, and vision that come with movements.

The key to growth in any nation will be the communication and relationships built with organizing bodies of sport leading to their embracing Sports Chaplaincy in their respective sports organizations. Whether it’s in professional sporting clubs, amateur sports organizations, youth sports leagues, or even national government entities responsible for sports, their opening of the door to sports chaplains to serve freely, within wise parameters, would be catalytic to growth.

The growth of Sports Chaplaincy as a movement will be facilitated most rapidly as the established organizations share their training, resources, and counsel freely via the internet. When we, the leaders in this ministry, hold our experience and expertise openhandedly and share it freely, the movement will spread. If we can relinquish our need to control the process and trust our Lord to lead, we’ll see massive growth on every continent. We who are in positions of strength, resource, and experience must pay whatever it costs to make excellent training and development opportunities available to an increasing number of languages and cultures. This would please our Lord greatly.

Summary – I believe Sports Chaplaincy stands at the threshold of an exciting season with amazing potential for growth and development. Technological advances have made the sharing of information, training, development, coaching, and mentoring more available to more people, across greater distances than ever before.

If we who have leadership roles in the movement will faithfully and freely serve the emerging hunger for this form of ministry, we will see joyful and rewarding fruits of our labors.

Communicating Effectively Across Generational Barriers

It’s amazing, I keep getting older, but the young men I serve are always eighteen to twenty-three-years-old. When I began, I was thirty-eight-years old, just a little older than the players, and no one had a cell phone. In my forties, I was suddenly old enough to be their father and it required a different style of communication, this was prior to text messaging. In my fifties, things changed again as more people communicated digitally, and talking face to face became more of a challenge. Now almost through my sixties, I am like everyone’s grandfather. This has demanded I find new ways to communicate with another generation of young men.

 

I am constantly challenged to listen well, to perceive wisely, and to communicate effectively. It is challenging, but certainly possible. I believe I can continue to adjust, to learn, and grow for many years. Some keys to such communication are listed below.

 

Listen to understand. It’s most common for people in conversation to wait for an opportunity to respond instead of listening closely to understand. Doing so both communicates a lack of respect for the person speaking and it robs the disinterested listener of what he could learn. Instead of waiting to interject your thoughts, stop, empathically listen, pay attention, and seek to understand. You will be better for it. If the other person wants to hear your thoughts, he or she will ask for them.

 

Ask good questions. Again, this is part of listening well. Ask follow up questions to the other person’s expression. Ask more questions about processes and fewer about results. Simple replies like, “Tell me more,” will improve communication. Asking, “How does that work?” is most helpful. “Why is this important?” can help get to the person’s values, a deeper level of communication. Questions that can be answered, “Yes,” or “No,” are not as good as open-ended questions. WARNING – asking good questions requires more thought and preparation that does making statements or sharing opinions.

 

Start from your hearer’s perspective. This is very similar to one of the human relations principles taught by the Dale Carnegie Course. To communicate effectively it is very helpful to grasp the background of the other person, to consider his or her perspective, communications style and the environment for your interaction. When you notice a person being uncomfortable due to the environment (noise, crowd, etc.), offer to move to a better place to continue. Ask questions about  matters that have shaped the person’s perspective (experiences, home town, education, etc.) to better understand his or her views. We cannot assume everyone starts from the same place we do. You may have a lifetime of experience with an issue that is entirely new to me.

 

Speak in terms with which the hearers connect, intellectually and emotionally. Both are important; appealing to the mind and to the heart. Most of us will naturally gravitate toward one or the other. Few of us can connect with both effectively. The more stoic among us would rather appeal to the intellect, finding emotions a little messy. Others naturally appeal to the emotions through broad gestures, engaging stories, and strong vocal inflections. I would challenge you to study those who communicate both ways. You may become a tremendous communicator.

 

Acknowledge questions and challenges. This is very important. To acknowledge, even to welcome questions and challenges will greatly enhance your communication and will earn you respect. Many of the people we encounter are not great communicators and they are often a little clumsy in their attempts to understand. They may ask awkward questions you could interpret as disrespectful, but a simple reframing of the question may get to the heart of the matter as you answer. I much prefer a respectful challenge to my thought than being ignored or tolerated. Treat the challenge as a respectful question and you’ll find more favor with your thoughtful answer.

 

Aspire to mutual understanding, not absolute agreement. Not everyone will agree with you, of course. That’s not really the goal. To understand the other person and to be understood is what we’re after. The greater distance there is between those in communication, the more difficult this may be. Make understanding each other your goal, not persuading the other person to adopt your point of view.

 

Old dudes like me want to communicate well, but the environment, methods, and rules for engagement keep changing. We must adapt or we’ll soon be irrelevant. Diligently pursue understanding and practice the aforementioned tips, and I am sure you will be an effective communicator for years to come.

Christmas Greetings

 Partners in Ministry,

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the [h]manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Christmas blessings to you and yours.

The Importance of One’s Spouse to Effective Service as a Character Coach or Sports Chaplain

My wife, Sharon, and I have been married for nearly fifty years. Across those years, we have certainly grown, individually and as a couple. I am very thankful for her patience and loyalty toward me when I was young, naive, foolish, and irresponsible. It would have been much easier for her to leave at multiple points along the way. 

After some reflection, I have identified some ways one's spouse makes an immense difference in how one serves as a sports chaplain or character coach. Five of those ways are listed below for your consideration. I hope you find you have found such a spouse and have been favored by the Lord. He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22

Support, not tolerance. I was once the king of involvement, the prince of commitment, the duke of activism. If there was something to be done, I was ready to do it; especially if it was a "religious activity." I was adept at rationalizing my overcommitment to everyone but my wife and son by reasoning the meeting, concert, worship service, or even sporting event was a matter of calling. Eventually, things came to a head in a liberating but painful argument. I shouted, "I want support, not tolerance!" I began withdrawing from commitments and activities until we reached a level she could support. Wow, that was painful. I stopped doing a number of things that were fulfilling and in which I found success. This moment of maturation was instrumental to my becoming fit for fulfillment of my calling.

Ego suppression. It amazes me. Upon arrival from a ministry trip on the other side of the globe, having spoken with wonderful and significant people speaking exotic languages, and enjoying their respect, my bride will say something like, "Please take out the trash. The faucet is dripping. My car needs an oil change." Doesn't she know who I am?  Does she not get that I am kind of a big deal, at least in my own mind? She is supremely talented at ego suppression and never fails to remind me of my real identity. I am Richard and Ann's boy, Sharon's husband, Jason's dad, Addie and Elise's papa. With my ego sufficiently deflated, I can properly resume my life's true and proper roles.

Hospitality. Sharon's gift of hospitality is remarkable and it is a key part of how I serve coaches and teams. Across the last fifteen years, we have hosted individuals and groups in our home for meetings, meals, and relaxation. We have hosted players hiding from the media during the NFL draft, FCA huddles for Bible study, coaching staffs for breakfast, team captains for dinner, professional baseball players for a home cooked meal, and many for coffee and mentorship. A wonderful cook, Sharon always creates something that is appropriate to the moment, feeding both the stomach and the soul. Her gift of hospitality sets the table, both literally and figuratively, for my role as ministry leader. I'm quite sure who would be more greatly missed if one of us was not around.

Maintenance of perspective. Ministry in sport can be quite stressful and it's easy to be consumed by it. Fundraising is always difficult. We often carry the frustrations and concerns of those we serve. We are constantly adjusting to changes in staff, in players, and the sport itself. When these stresses are piling up, my wife has an uncanny ability to restore my perspective by drawing my attention to the most important matters to us both. Aging parents. Our son's young family. Our friends. Our responsibilities. The simple mention of such things directs my attention to our greatest priorities and my perspective snaps back into shape, at least for a while. Those pressing issues will still be there later, but for now, perspective demands I be 100% present.

Lover of one’s soul. I would imagine each of us have people who love us, at least parts of us. I know I have friends and acquaintances who love my social media posts. Some seem to love the idea of who I am, a character coach or sports chaplain. Some love me as a reliable family member when crises arise. Some love my sense of humor, others not so much. I am sure there are countless others who either don't care for me or don't know I exist. At least one person loves my very soul, the entirety of my person, all the good and bad of me. She's my wife. She knows me at my best and my worst. She still loves me. She knows the courageous and cowardly Roger. She loves me. She knew the 17-year-old first date me, and the 68-year-old me. She loves me.

Do yourself a favor and find one of these, a spouse who will give you support, not just tolerance. One who will suppress your out-of-control ego. One who will offer hospitality cheerfully.  Find a spouse who will help you maintain perspective. Marry someone who will be the lover of your soul. This is a matter of greatest import.

Character Traits for Effective Service in Sports Chaplaincy

There are a myriad of factors making for effectiveness in sports chaplaincy or character coaching. Among them are one's background, training, personality traits, spiritual giftedness, relationships, emotional intelligence, and more. I believe a short set of character traits are even more essential to effective service than any of the aforementioned qualities.

This list is not exhaustive, but I believe these six are most essential: Humility, Patience, Self-awareness, Perspective, Curiosity, and Persistence.

Humility is a quality quite uncommon among sportspeople. They are normally straddling the line between brazen arrogance and strong confidence. In such an environment one can join in the folly of seeking to be seen as first, or one can put himself in rank (the literal meaning of humility) and intentionally take the lower position. Though the supremely confident thumpers of their chests loudly project power and strength, they also respect the humble one who quietly serves.

Patience is a rather counterintuitive value in the sporting world. Most everything seems to be very urgent. When the sports chaplain is patient with people's failures, their inconsistencies, their human frailties, it is noticed and appreciated. Most everyone around them is harsh and demanding. When the character coach leads with patience, projects an attitude of, "I"m not in a hurry," the coaches and players appreciate it.

Self-awareness is the ability to know one's strengths and weaknesses, and to strongly embrace both. Sportspeople are fully aware of their strengths and focus on them almost exclusively. When they see someone equally owning his weaknesses as well as his strengths, they are not sure what to think at first, but soon demonstrate respect and trust for the self-aware sports chaplain. Such authenticity pierces hard hearts and awakens slumbering spirits.

Perspective is in short supply around sport's culture of winning at all costs. Coaches have less security than ever. Players in professional sport and now in many corners of collegiate sport measure their value, not just in wins and losses, but in dollars and cents. When a sports chaplain can help others see beyond the moment, the win or loss, the championship or relegation, the contract extension or the abrupt firing, he or she is sharing a rare character trait with those being served.

Curiosity may be the one quality in the list causing you to raise an eyebrow. About what should one be curious? Demonstrate curiosity about the people you serve. Curiously watch practices. Listen to how they communicate, observe their body language and gestures. Be curious about the sport itself. There is always something to be observed, to be learned, to be understood. Your curiosity will be interpreted as genuine interest and respect for their profession.

Persistence is of paramount importance because results are not usually quickly obtained. The urgency of sporting schedules, the frequency of training, practices, and competitions seem to squeeze the margins for time and attention for everyone involved. This can leave the sports chaplain or character coach feeling quite isolated, forgotten, or marginalized. Don't despair. Don't quit. Don't give up, ever. Persistence will keep the effective sports chaplain showing up at practice. It will prompt the character coach's heart to stay engaged, to ask good questions, to invite people to get coffee and a chat. 

Humility, Patience, Self-awareness, Perspective, Curiosity, and Persistence will serve the Character Coach very well. They will empower the Sports Chaplain for effectiveness and significance in his or her ministry.

Serving a Team in a Very Successful Season

The eleventh season of my service of a college football team was one I will never forget. It was the fourth season with that particular coaching staff, having been 1 and 10, 2 and 10, and 4 and 8 in the previous seasons. Suddenly in mid-November we were 10 and 0, nationally ranked, and surely headed to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs for the first time in twenty-one years.

 

After an exciting, last second, loss on the road, I was in my seat on the bus waiting to go to the airport for the flight home. I sat there stunned, not knowing how to process all this. The head coach looked across the aisle at me and said, “Hey, are you okay?” I said, “Coach, I had forgotten what it feels like to lose.” Ten weeks of winning had erased my memory of years of painful loss. Success has the power to do that.

 

Winning teams feel like they’re invincible.

·      They tell themselves, “We win even when we don’t play well.”

·      They think “We must be really good.”

·      They marvel at themselves, “We win even when our best players are not at 100%!”

·      Momentum is a real and wonderful for these teams.

 

Winning teams are vulnerable to debilitating hubris.

·      They find themselves full of entitlement to privilege and position.

·      They take on elitist attitudes toward others, obviously lesser than they.

·      Their sudden elevation to celebrity serves them poorly.

·      Their locker room can easily become stratified, separating the stars from the role players.

·      They are perfectly positioned for a humiliating defeat. (The Football Salukis, nursing our wounds from the end of our winning streak, played the University of Delaware in the first round of the playoffs. We were crushed 48-7. Ouch.)

 

We, the Character Coaches, maintain perspective.

·      We love extravagantly. Our loyalty is valued, even when wildly successful. We seek out those not in the spotlight, the walk on player, the support staff, and others.

·      We serve selflessly. Our consistency in service is noticed when the prevailing culture becomes entitlement and privilege.

·      We encourage. In winning streaks, encouragement by asking good questions makes a difference. Ask about matters away from sport – family, class, relationships, teammates, and faith.

 

This season of success will not last forever, though we wish it would. Maintain perspective. Help them see over, through, and beyond the present swell of awesomeness. Success is secondary to who they are as men and women.

Growth and Development follow Failure and Frustration

While recently reflecting upon my life’s path across sixty-eight years, I realized most of my growth and development, personal and professional, came as a result of failure and frustration. A few examples follow.

 

After being laid off from my job as a laborer in a lumber yard at age twenty-four, I found a job in a home center and after four more years, a job with a wholesale building materials distributor, then another retailer, followed by two more sales jobs. Being laid off from a job with a hard ceiling led to new employment with room to grow.

 

After one year of absolute, total failure in selling garages, I was in position to take a paid role as an administrative assistant to my mentor in ministry (Fred Bishop of No Greater Love Ministries). It took all of that year of horrible failure and financial stress to have my wife and me ready to take a very modest salary. My ambitious nature was energized by the commission sales job, but it’s a stressful existence for the whole family when sales are not good.

 

After four years of accelerated growth and development in ministry, the ministry’s funds were diminishing to a level that would soon lead to my departure. At the same time, an opportunity to serve with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) was emerging. At thirty-eight years of age, I was finally prepared to enter the calling I had perceived when I was just sixteen. This new opportunity launched me into twenty-seven years of service with FCA, including many challenges, significant growth, and development in a myriad of ways.

 

In 2021, having discovered the centrality of sports chaplaincy to my passion for ministry in sport, my wide list of responsibilities with FCA became a source of frustration. The form of ministry to which I was most committed and in which I experienced the greatest fruit was on the edges of my ministry, it was not central. Having lived in this tension for several years, I was most intrigued when leaders from Nations of Coaches contacted me regarding their Character Coach Director role. I was interested, then attentive, then engaged, and ultimately hired just days before my sixty-fifth birthday.

 

Now, three years into this new role, I am experiencing more fulfillment, joy, and satisfaction than ever. I cannot see the end of this path, but I am quite sure the next bends in the road will be preceded by either failure of frustration, and possibly both. I am equally confident an even better season of growth and development will follow, and will be entirely worth every moment of the process.

 

In summary: failure and frustration are never pleasant; neither are they permanent. One must allow the Lord room to move in the pain and doubt to confirm his calling, and to direct your steps forward into continuing growth and development.