On most Sundays Rod Hairston preaches to his local church. But four months out of the year he also serves as the chaplain to the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. In the process of pastoring some of the finest athletes in the world, Rod has learned some valuable lessons that apply to ministry anywhere and anytime.
How do the athletes respond to your ministry?
No matter where guys are coming from spiritually, they'll listen to me if I respect them and respect their craft. But you have to walk beside the guys and respect them as men no matter how they respond.
I knew one guy who was our starting safety when we won the Super Bowl back in 2001. He definitely wasn't walking with Christ. But last year I bumped into him at a conference for Pro Athletes Outreach and he told me, "Rev., I remember all those times you invited me to chapel and I wouldn't come. I wanted you to know that since I've been out of the league I've found my relationship with Christ. I want to thank you for inviting me even when I kept turning you down."
So how do you pastor guys who seem to have it all?
It's a misconception that these guys "have it all." There are only a few marquee players in every locker room who make in the millions. It's true that the NFL's minimum salary is around $270,000, but the majority of guys are just like most of us—they're trying to get or stay established in their careers. They're searching for value and significance. They're afraid of failure. They're concerned about what they're going to do after their football career is over—which could end any day because it's a violent game. They've got challenges as fathers or husbands or sons and brothers. So they have the same needs that you and I have. As a result, they just want somebody who can speak to them as men and who will give them the truth of the gospel and not some watered-down version.
Can you think of an example when you were gut-level honest with one of the players?
On one occasion (and this is public knowledge), I had to be gut-level honest with Terrell Suggs. At the time he and his wife weren't married and Terrell clearly wasn't following Christ. So I told him, "Terrell, God wants all of you not just a part of you. You've been giving him just a part of you. When you give God everything, you'll begin to live." He went through some hard times but eventually he came back to me and said, "I want to thank you for that challenge, Rev. I heard exactly what you said, and my wife and I are trying to get our lives on track with Christ."
What's unique about preaching to pro athletes?
First of all, they're all men. So I'm always trying to challenge them to see God's view of their potential as men—not simply as athletes, although that's certainly part of it. I want to inspire them to get God's perspective on their role as a father and a husband. My messages often focus on the impact they can have as a leader in their family and in their community.
I also try to walk them through some of the big issues they're facing. Football is filled with fears: Will I get injured? Will I make the team? Will I have my job next year? So I try to open the Scriptures and show them that when you're intimately connected to Christ, you don't have to fear anything or anyone. I try to show them the sovereignty of God that helps ease our fears and uncertainties.
Do these pro athletes respond positively to the message of a crucified Savior?
Absolutely. In fact, one of my messages this year was based on 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul says, "When I'm weak then I'm strong, for his strength is made perfect in weakness." My sermon focused on how we learn something profound about God when we're weak, when we don't have all the resources or all the answers within ourselves. That's when we really see the power of Christ at work within us. Keep in mind that we lost three games in a row before we made it to the Super Bowl, and we also had some really ugly wins. So it's not all about winning and being the champions.
You were right on the sidelines in the Super Bowl. It's fourth and five on your own goal line. San Francisco has one last chance, and it's an incomplete pass. Was there defensive holding?
Was it defensive holding? Probably. But do you make that call in that game? Absolutely not. The refs were consistent all night. They let a lot of things go. So they made the right call.
Rod Hairston, chaplain to the Baltimore Ravens
Copyright © 2013 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
