Chaplain Toolkit
You live in an interesting space within the institution.
You’re not staff. Not quite a volunteer. Not a coach. Not a counselor. Not a pastor in the formal sense. The chaplain’s role in an athletic program is genuinely unique, and the institutional dynamics of it — the relationship with the coaching staff, the boundaries of the role, the expectations that may or may not match reality — require ongoing navigation.
Read this passage slowly.
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.
Romans 13:1 — NIVLet that sit for a second before you move.
Subject to the governing authorities. In an institutional context, this means understanding and respecting the authority structure of the organization you serve within. The coaching staff leads the program. The chaplain serves within that structure — not above it, not around it, but alongside it, in the specific lane the role provides.
What does a healthy chaplain-coaching staff relationship look like? The coach understands what the chaplain is and isn’t. The chaplain isn’t a motivational speaker. Isn’t a counselor. Isn’t an extension of the coaching staff’s authority. Is a consistent, trusted presence for the spiritual and emotional care of the athletes within clearly understood boundaries.
The chaplain understands what the coach needs. The coach needs the chaplain to support the culture, not undermine it. To keep confidences, not share what athletes say in ways that reach the coaching staff without the athlete’s knowledge. To stay in their lane — which is wide — without trying to expand into lanes that belong to others.
The relationship requires regular, honest communication. The chaplain who never talks to the coaching staff about how the role is functioning is operating without feedback. The coach who never articulates what they need from the chaplain is working with unspoken expectations. Regular conversation prevents the drift that makes the role ineffective.
The chaplain serves within the coaching staff’s structure — not above it, not around it. Understanding the lane and staying in it is what makes the role work.
How clear is your coaching staff about what you do and what you don’t do? When did you last have a direct conversation about how the role is functioning?
Self-assessment of the coaching staff relationship. The directness of the conversation is the key variable.
Serve within the structure. Keep the lane clear. Have the conversation regularly.
This devotional is for the chaplain’s own reflection on the institutional dynamics of the role.