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4th Global Congress On Sport and Christianity Set

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The fourth iteration of the Global Congress on Sport and Christianity has been announced and will be held at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary, next summer. The dates have been announced for July 31 – August 2. The congress, which gathers every three years, was first held in York, England in 2016. The purpose of the congress is to bring together practitioners and academicians to critically think and dialogue about issues surrounding sport and faith.

I have had the privilege of attending and presenting at each of the congresses, thus far, and I am looking forward to the congress being a little bit closer to home this go around.

In 2016, I presented on the subject of “recapturing” the pastoral nature of chaplaincy in sport. My congress breakout session was small with about 10 people in attendance, but I was perhaps really encouraged by the published article, Foundations of Pastoral Care: Recovering the Spirit of Chaplaincy in Sport, which was in an accompanying journal, Practical Theology.

In 2019, I took part in two sessions. One was a joint session to a room of about 30 people and the subject was speaking about a biblical foundation for the chaplaincy story. The other session was a joint presentation with our, at the time, Counselor Brooke Ewert and the ‘necessary’ relationship between counseling and chaplaincy.

In 2022, I was a bit disappointed to present on the last day of the congress as most people were heading home or leaving the congress early. Just two other people in the room 😢, but I was still glad to present. In my session, I spoke about the issues of pay when it comes to chaplains in sport.

I am undecided at this point, whether I will present at this congress. Presenting takes a different toll emotionally and I might like to just take it all in after a busy few years with Soccer Chaplains United, but who knows?

As Soccer Chaplains United continues to grow, the global congress offers a moment and time for our chaplains to gather and to reflect and share — whether we critically engage academia, or share best practices, or simply gather and fellowship with like-minded people, I am looking forward to the time in Waco, Texas next summer.

It would be great to have some benefactors help myself and some of our chaplains get to Waco. Please reach out to me: brad@soccerchaplainsunited.org if you would like to help be part of this endeavor.

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.

A Little Something New, Adding Baylor to Preseason

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Tonight, I embark on something a little bit new and different — I will help facilitate an online course with Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. The course, entitled, Soul Care in Sports, is developed by Professor Cindy White. She, along with husband John, helped to co-found the Faith and Sport Institute and teaches part-time with the university.

The Soul Care in Sports class is part of the degree plan for the Master of Arts in Theology and Sports Studies. The course has a number of residential as well as online students participating in the class. Baylor’s Truett Seminary is one of the few seminaries in the US offering a sports ministry and sports chaplaincy focus for learning.

As I prepare (now weekly) to co-facilitate and teach, I can certainly say it feels humbling. There is a lot to learn about and I am not even talking about the course! My daughter asked what kind of grader or teacher I was going to be — the tough one, or the grace-filled one? I told her I don’t know but I hope it is the grace one 🙂, because I will need that from the students!

It is also helpful to realize and recognize that many of the students are peers in the sports ministry space, so there is an element that we are building community and journeying together — not being some talking head dispensing generalized wisdom.

Please pray for me as I take this task on for this first, spring semester. Maybe pray more for the students, too, because I don’t know what kind of teacher they are going to get. At times, I feel like I should be taking the class, not helping lead it!

Collaborating with Baylor’s Truett Seminary and the Faith Sport Institute

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For a number of years now, Soccer Chaplains United’s very own Benjamin Dudley has been collaborating, teaching, and contributing with his alma mater, Baylor University. The well-known, Division-I school in Waco, Texas is also home to the George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Amongst the seminary’s distinct theological and ministry-driven programs is the Faith and Sport Institute (FSI).

It’s exciting to see Truett recognizing sport and recreation as a field that is worth investing into. It’s an important space for developing Christian leaders and Christian thought in and around sport — the athletes, the coaches, and the fans. I’m proud that this is coming from my alma mater and I love serving with a diverse and ecumenical group that challenge the status quo of what people consider as ‘sports ministry.’ FSI is also raising the expectations and accountability of professionalism where sports ministry has generally lagged behind.

Ben Dudley, 1999 Baylor graduate and co-chaplain Portland Timbers

Courses that are part of FSI’s online certificate program have appeared on the radar for our chaplains. A number of chaplains have enrolled in online courses as they look to grow in their understanding and proficiency. Chaplain Jordan Medas and Gregory Aydt have both participated in continuing education offerings through FSI as part of their ongoing requirements.

Recently, Paul Putz, the Assistant Director of FSI, has been building a team of collaborators. The team is assisting the program with the build out of some additional courses to add that emphasize sports chaplaincy. A diverse group includes members of Athletes in Action, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and other ministry groups. There are also professional and former collegiate athletes headlining the FSI Collaboration Team.

For me, it’s a privilege to work to contribute to the furtherance of sports chaplaincy education and excellence with the FSI team. Today, sport has a more and more sacrosanct position in Western (and even global) culture. It is necessary and important for Christian people — especially ministers and chaplains — to work to understand and cultivate this space where many of God’s lost and lonely children reside.

I look forward to working more with FSI in the future. We will periodically share some updates from our friends like the one below.

Updates from our Friends with FSI

Chaplaincy CE at Baylor’s Faith and Sports Institute

One of the Soccer Chaplains United’s values is continuing education (CE) for its chaplains. The CE that is often needed for the chaplaincy work seeks to incorporate a number of different areas that are unique and specific to the role. CE can be around pastoral and spiritual care, chaplaincy, or sports in general, or soccer specific. Because Soccer Chaplains United is not quite resourced or staffed to provide all of the necessary CE for its chaplains (a future aspiration), we partner with and have chaplains undertake CE with different institutions. One institution that has risen of late is Baylor University’s Faith and Sports Institute (FSI) which is a part of Truett Seminary.

Soccer Chaplains United is developing a partnership with FSI having already known several of the key leaders through several academic and practitioner conferences (ie, Congress on Christianity and Sport, etc.).

Recently, chaplain Jordan Medas undertook an offering for a certificate course with FSI and he shared his experience.

This past fall, with the encouragement of my home church and SCU, I participated in an 8 week entitled “Mental Health in Sports”…While the class doesn’t make one ready to counsel athletes directly…on…eating disorders, addictions, and anxiety, the class more than prepares (chaplains) working with athletes to be aware of signs leading to mental illness, it’s potential causes, it’s effects, what to be on the look out for and resources to support athletes.

Jordan Medas, on the class content and outcomes

Mental health issues have risen to the forefront of many sport and athletic conversations as we see a cry from athletes of all levels around the mental and emotional needs. Chaplains must be careful to not overstep bounds and to effectively refer or “signpost” athletes to appropriate resources (counseling, therapy, etc.). But sometimes recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental health can be a challenging space for volunteer chaplains who are in and around the team to varying degrees.

FSI is a group leading the way in creating content that helps those working in sports industry. Jordan also shared his future hopes for more CE through FSI:

I cannot encourage this class enough…for anyone working with athletes at all age levels. The class and professors are flexible and work with any schedule. The information given is helpful, current, not overly scientific or difficult to comprehend and can be put into use almost immediately in helping athletes develop good mental wellness.

Jordan Medas, reflecting on the FSI course work

I’d like to encourage you to financially support Soccer Chaplains United. A portion of every donation goes toward subsidizing and creating chaplaincy education and support. And your support of our work helps us to develop partnerships with other faith and sport groups for the betterment of our chaplains and the advancement of God’s Kingdom. You can make a gift through PushPay or mail a donation to Soccer Chaplains United, PO Box 102081, Denver, CO 80250.

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