Not A Trip: Athletics as Mission - Chris Klotz
December 13, 2021
Lipscomb women's soccer team in El Salvador.
Chris Klotz, Lipscomb’s Director of Spiritual Formation for athletics, began his time at Lipscomb as a women’s soccer coach, but found himself wanting something more three years later. He had a desire to mentor both men and women and teach about the love of Jesus. His goal as Director of Spiritual Formation is to make Jesus known and to create space for students to fall more deeply in love with Him.
A large part of Chris’ job is coordinating missions for the athletic department. Athletic teams often have trips specific to their teams so that the team can experience being on mission together. But, Chris does not want missions to be something that is only done overseas. His goal is to make sure missions is not something that his students do, but it is how they live day in and day out. “If you are not willing to serve two miles down the road, we’re not going to send you 2000 miles,” said Chris. “We have tried to implement the idea that this is how we are supposed to live: on mission with Jesus.”
It is a huge priority for Chris that his students are not just passionate about serving globally, but locally as well. Each athletic program adopts a place that they return to year after year and for each international mission trip, there is a domestic trip available. Chris shared a story of how after visiting Project 658, an organization in Charlotte that works with refugees and marginalized people in Charlotte, he and his wife prayed for similar opportunities in Nashville. Shortly after, Project 658 was launched in Nashville. Now, Chris can take teams on a fall break trip for just one day because it is now local.
There is lots of intentionality involved while students are actually on their mission trip. The goal of their trips is to introduce students to new rhythms. Each day is grounded in scripture from start to finish. There is an emphasis that they are not serving because of the place they are in, but because they are to live like Jesus. The students are challenged to take the way they live life in service to others during the week and make it their normal. “We are not overly strategic. We are just asking questions and letting the Holy Spirit do the heavy lifting,” Chris shared. “No specific steps, just being sensitive to where the Spirit is already at work.” Chris wants trip participants to take these rhythms and adopt them in their day to day.
As athletes, it is easy for these students to become reliant on their own gifts and busy schedules. The majority of these students have dedicated their whole lives to their sport. Missions are a great opportunity for students to realize the ultimate purpose of their talents and giftings. Athletic teams have opportunities on their trips to use their sport to build relationships, whether that is a game of pickup soccer or a basketball clinic put on for kids. Their whole life has been dedicated to their sport, but for a week it is more than that. “We want them to realize that their gifting is for more than themselves,” Chris stated. “That maybe there is something different they are called to. Your calling is to love God and he will put you in the right place.”
Not a Trip
Category: Student Life