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Soccer Chaplains United has officially come full circle! Today we are excited to announce Wayne Pirmann, Ph.D., MSFS as coming on board the ministry team. Wayne will assist with the financial development and fiscal stability of the organization as the ministry continues to grow and expand. Wayne will serve as the first Development Officer in our history, and will be in a role that suits Wayne and his gifting, talents, and life experience well. You can read more about Wayne at his bio page here.

I asked Wayne what his hopes were in working with and for Soccer Chaplains United, and in typically Wayne-fashion, he replied with a wry grin,

Why am I even working? And why for Soccer Chaplains United? Well, no one else would give me a job! (laughing)…No, the truth is, I spent 23 years in the financial services industry helping people prepare for retirement…having read both John Piper’s pamphlet on retirement (Rethinking Retirement) and his larger tome (Don’t Waste Your Life) traditional retirement doesn’t work for me…I don’t like it. I need to be working for the Lord. I need to be doing Kingdom work. My recent studies in the Bible have me convinced that I need to be useful to my local church, but I also need to be available to more national or even international ministries. I need to be using my skills, my experiences — all of it. Affiliating with Brad and Soccer Chaplains United — it’s a no-brainer, a synergistic season of life just waiting to happen!

Wayne Pirmann, on working with Soccer Chaplains United

Did I mention that Wayne likes to talk? Our meetings average 2-3 hours because we both get caught up talking ministry, soccer, and Jesus, for hours on end.

I can certainly say that I am really thankful and glad to have Wayne coming on board. Since the summer of 2020, Soccer Chaplains United has been struggling with the financial development side of the ministry. Wayne’s time and attention will not only go towards helping myself and the general ministry finances, but also into helping individual chaplains that are raising funds through Soccer Chaplains United. He will being his gifts, passion, and understanding of biblical stewardship and tithing principles to help out the different chaplains across the various U.S. cities that are currently offsetting ministry costs with fundraising.

Wayne and his former non-profit, S.T.A.R.T. (Short Term Ambassador Ministry Teams), were the original fiscal sponsors for Soccer Chaplains United. S.T.A.R.T. supported us back when we had originally began as CrossTraining Ministries. The non-profit, led by Wayne Pirmann and Wally Hostetter, aimed to equip various short-term mission trips from around the US to go around the world and the group provided the foundational administrative support for the ministry between 2007 — 2012. Being fiscally sponsored allowed us to begin receiving donations to cover the expenditures and costs associated with doing the chaplaincy ministry. 

For my wife and me, Wayne and Brenda (his wife of over 40 years) have a special place in our hearts. They opened their home to our little family in 2009; I was in town to meet with Wayne and S.T.A.R.T. and also to travel to Toronto to visit the Colorado Rapids who were playing on the road against Toronto F.C. It was at the Pirmann’s home that we heard news of the church where I eventually worked for some six years, asking me back for a second interview.

In 2012, we discovered that we were outgrowing S.T.A.R.T. and we filed our own 501(c)3 paperwork in October of that year. It took until the following year of November to receive official word that our non-profit had been approved, but Wayne and I have kept in touch since.

I asked Wayne if he had any fond memories from the past and to clarify a little bit more on why work for Soccer Chaplains United, and, more specifically, with me. Again, there was a wry little smile and a gleam in the Pirmann eye,

Well, I was introduced to you (Brad) over 15 years ago and I’ve been 100% in support of you and your organization’s mission and goals ever since…When we met in December to watch MLS Cup, I ended up talking to one of your board members (Geoff Eliason) and saying, ‘What if I help Brad Kenney and SCU raise money?’ I didn’t know at he time that it would lead to this, but I am excited that it has because I want to help SCU grow and I don’t want to see Brad Kenney ever have to leave his day job of being chaplain and supporting all of these other chaplains in soccer.

Wayne, on what he hopes to accomplish for Soccer Chaplains United

Another legacy piece between S.T.A.R.T.  and CrossTraining/Soccer Chaplains United can be found in the agreement and arrangement between our two organizations which led to the formation of the “Timothy Project” program. The Timothy Project which, today is known simply as our Community Project program, allows short term mission groups to request soccer gear through an application grant process.

Again, we are thankful to have Wayne Pirmann working with us and once again partnering together in this Kingdom work. If you would like to reach out to Wayne  and learn more about biblical stewardship and ways that you can support the people and work of Soccer Chaplains United, please reach out to him at wayne@soccerchaplainsunited.org. And please join me in welcoming him!

Soccer Chaplains United is non-profit, 501(c)3 and depends upon the financial support of our partners to carry out our work of developing chaplaincy across all levels of soccer. Please consider making a contribution today to help us continue growing our chaplains and our work. Check out our Donate page for different giving options.