Sports Chaplaincy: Trends, Issues and Debates

This ground-breaking book provides an in-depth analysis of the theory and practice of sports chaplaincy in a global context. Written in an accessible style, yet based on academic evidence and theory, the contributors include those leading major national chaplaincy organisations located in the UK, US, Australia and Continental Europe, as well as chaplains and sport psychologists working in elite and amateur sport and those involved in teaching pastoral theology. Providing a rich and informative source of knowledge and inspiration for practitioners, athletes, academics and those interested in the general relationship between sport and faith, contributors also address the provision of sports chaplaincy at sporting mega-events, including the Olympic Games. This much needed overview of chaplaincy provision in sport across a range of national and international contexts and settings, including both catholic and protestant perspectives, is the first collection of its kind to bring together leading scholars in sports chaplaincy with a view to providing professional accreditation and training amidst the fast-emerging field of sports theology.

Andrew Parker is Professor of Sport and Christian Outreach and Director of the Centre for Sport, Spirituality and Religion (CSSR) in the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of Gloucestershire, UK. Andrew’s research interests include sport and spirituality, sport and social identity, and physical activity and schooling. Published outputs reflect these interests and have appeared in periodicals such as the Sociology of Sport Journal, and the International Review for the Sociology of Sport. He is co-author (with Nick Watson) of Sports and Christianity: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, Sport and the Christian Religion: A Systematic Review of Literature and Sport, Religion and Disability. Andrew has served on the editorial boards of the Sociology of Sport Journal (2005-2008) (Human Kinetics), Qualitative Research (2001-present), and was co-editor of the International Journal of Religion and Sport between 2010-2012.

Dr Nick J. Watson is Senior Lecturer in Sport, Culture and Religion and head of pastoral care, York St John University, UK. He is the Co-Director of the Centre for Sport, Spirituality and Religion (CSSR) at the University of Gloucestershire, UK, has coached soccer in England and America and was the Founding Head Coach of La Manga Junior Football Academy, Spain (2001-2006). Nick is a Founder Member of the Sport and Christianity Group (2013-), which is a group of scholars and practitioners that developed ＂The Declaration on Sport and Christian Life.＂ He is the co-author/editor of seven books that address sports and the Christian faith, most recently, Sport, Religion and Disability and Sport and the Christian Religion: A Systematic Review of Literature, both with Andrew Parker. Nick is the convener for the Inaugural Global Congress on Sports and Christianity, YSJU, UK, 2016.

John B. White is Assistant Professor and holder of the Harold and Dottie Riley Professorship in Practical Theology and Director of the Sport Chaplaincy Program at Baylor University: George W. Truett Theological Seminary. John has edited and/or published a range of scholarly and popular articles or books on theology, ethics, and religion and sport including: Deardorff, D. and White, J. (Eds.), The Image of God in the Human Body: Essays on Christianity and Sports; White, J. and White, C., Game Day Glory. John is a Founding Member of the Sport and Christianity Group (2013-), which is a group of scholars and practitioners that developed ＂The Declaration on Sport and Christian Life.＂ Prior to his academic post, he worked in sports ministry and as a sports chaplain which comprised serving and ministering in churches, on various NCAA Division 1, 2 and 3 university campuses, at the Olympic Training Center and in Eastern and Western Europe.