Thoughts on Coaching Sports as a Christian

It’s been almost twenty years since I was competing in college athletics. Since then I have continued to run and cycle and lift weights and all of that—sometimes more and sometimes less. I was talking with a sports medicine doctor last spring after yet another injury, and he said “weekend warriors” like me make for good job security. I bet we are.

Over the last few years, though, I’ve been more involved in sports as a coach. My children attend a small Christian school, and the school has let me help on several teams. Our track and field season is just about over. We had districts last weekend and had great success. One athlete will compete in states this weekend. Super fun.

Last month The Gospel Coalition was kind to publish some reflections I have about coaching sports as a Christian. The title of the article is, “Christian Coach, Help Athletes Cultivate Rightly Ordered Loves” and engages with a concept developed by Augustine a long time ago. I know that can make for an odd mashup, but I think it works.

I can’t post the whole article here. But I’ll include the first few paragraphs. I’d love for you to click over to the full article, give it a read, and share it with others. Maybe you know a coach who would find it a blessing.

*     *     *

Christian Coach, Help Athletes Cultivate Rightly Ordered Loves

Benjamin Vrbicek, The Gospel Coalition, April 26, 2024 

Track and field athletes want to run fast, jump high, and throw far. I’m a varsity coach at a small Christian school, and I want this for our athletes too. I even want them to win.

This may sound strange, but I hope other schools want to win against us too.

I don’t say this because rivalry draws out better performances, though often it does. I want to coach in a way that cultivates intensity because our effort to win is part of what it means to glorify God in athletics.

Trying to win, however, is only part of glorifying God in sports. And not the biggest part either.

Whether coaches have full-time jobs in athletics or are parent volunteers, they have a wonderful opportunity to cultivate Christian maturity.

A coach can help an athlete rejoice with her teammate even though that teammate beat her in a close race. He can draw out respect for opponents, encouraging harmony with those an athlete is competing against. A coach can cultivate an athlete’s identity in Christ such that she could win the state championship and not become haughty, or tear an ACL and not be devastated.

We could simply call these lessons “coaching,” but this kind of coaching is an opportunity to cultivate what Augustine called “rightly ordered loves.” . . .

* Photo by Braden Collum on Unsplash