The Collegiate Sports Chaplain: Kindred or Alien?

Abstract

This paper examines the role and function of collegiate sport chaplains. Very little research has been done on this subject. To date there have been only two scholarly papers written on the subject.The core elements of the collegiate sport chaplains' work centers around encouraging; praying for spiritual guidance; responding to emergencies; being a liaison with hospitals, clinics or other institutions; and counseling. These key tasks are comparable to those of traditional chaplains. There are a minimal number of training and certification initiatives in place. Sport chaplains tend to affiliate with organizations such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Athletes in Action (AIA) and are less inclined to affiliate with traditional organizations such as the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) or the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC).This paper presents data from one study on collegiate sport chaplains and explores opportunities to improve the quality of sport chaplaincy through affiliation with chaplaincy organizations such as APC, AAPC, embracing credentialing and collaborative training initiatives. Material presented also appeared in “Sport chaplaincy: Problems and promise,” Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics and is reprinted with the consent of JIIA. http://csrijiia.org/documents/puclications/researcharticles/2008/JIIA_2008_5_Waller_Publish.pdf

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