Sports chaplaincy, in its current form, differs significantly from other forms of chaplaincy. Unlike medical or military chaplains, sports chaplains are not bound by the same professional rules or ethical guidelines. With no official body overseeing the field, there are no standardized qualifications for becoming a sports chaplain.
Sports chaplains are not required to hold a graduate degree in theology, complete specific training programs, or receive formal endorsement from their faith groups. Instead, most receive training through the sports ministry organizations they are affiliated with, such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) or Athletes in Action (AIA).
A key distinction between sports chaplaincy and other chaplaincy roles lies in the approach to spiritual care. Hospital and military chaplains are trained to provide contextual spiritual support that honors the diverse backgrounds of those they serve. Their ethical standards call them to respect the dignity and value of every individual, as well as the variety of faith traditions, cultural identities, and gender expressions represented among those in their care.
Sports chaplaincy, lacking both professional oversight and ethical standards, often operates differently. Many sports chaplains view their primary goal as sharing their specific Christian beliefs and helping athletes grow in their Christian faith—even when those athletes come from different religious or cultural backgrounds.
Ed Uszynski, a senior content strategist at Family Life, explains:
A Christian chaplain … brings a “narrow gate” (Matt. 7:13-14) approach to her message, helping the athlete understand the uniqueness of the gospel in relationship to all other belief systems, alongside the single-minded discipleship inherent in following Christ. The role cannot be diluted to simply being an interesting knowledgeable worldview sage but must include the prophetic call to identify and turn away all other idols, a lifelong work that begins with a resolved mind to genuinely follow Christ, repenting of a pluralism that denies God his (sic) proper place on the throne of life.
Uszynski’s perspective assumes that a sports chaplain functions more as a missionary than as a traditional chaplain or spiritual care provider. Ashley Null, a sports chaplain and scholar, reinforces this view, writing that sports ministries exist primarily to help athletes live out their Christian faith in the context of their sporting lives. Together, these perspectives suggest that sports chaplaincy is centered on the Christian spiritual growth and salvation of the athletes they serve.
More than Missionaries
At this year’s Global Congress on Sport and Christianity, much of the discussion focused on the role of sports chaplains in sharing their faith with athletes. Many speakers described chaplaincy as a form of Christian mission, rooted in the call from Matthew 28:20 to “make disciples.” They interpreted this as a mandate for all Christians to actively share their beliefs with athletes, regardless of background.
For many, this includes teaching what they describe as “traditional” Christian values—such as the belief that marriage should be between one man and one woman, and that same-sex relationships and other sexual behaviors fall outside of God’s design. These convictions, expressed by organizations like FCA and AIA, can unintentionally create an unwelcoming environment for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Rather than fostering safe spaces for them to explore and express their faith, such policies often pressure LGBTQ+ people to conform to narrowly defined standards. This makes it difficult for them to be authentic.In this way, Christian sports chaplains often function more as missionaries and Christian instructors than as professional chaplains.
The distinction becomes clearer when we consider the expectations of chaplaincy in other fields. Psychologists Marsha I. Wiggins and Carmen Braun Williams write:
Providing pastoral care first requires caregivers who are typically white to become aware of and acknowledge their location in the web of power and privilege (social, political, economic, racial, gendered, heterosexual) and the ways in which location in the power sphere shapes one’s worldview and consequent action … To wear the mantle of privilege is to march through life assuming one’s values, beliefs, assumptions, and experiences are normative for everyone. It is to be able to ignore and devalue the cultural traditions, values, literature, spirituality, and social and sexual mores of groups who are different from those in privileged groups.
The work of a chaplain, then, is about providing spiritual care and support to people of all beliefs—offering guidance, facilitating dialogue across faith traditions, connecting individuals with resources, leading religious services, and cultivating community. Recognizing this distinction is vital.
Athletes deserve the same level of care, respect, and professionalism from chaplains that patients receive in hospitals or soldiers receive in the military. Taking the role of sports chaplains seriously means holding them to standards that affirm the dignity and humanity of every athlete, ensuring that all feel valued, supported, and free to be themselves.
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Graduate of Baylor University: BBA ’81 and M.Div. in Sports Ministry ’16.
