Document 6605539

Information Sheet for New Centre Bounce Teams
Sports Chaplaincy Australia would like to invite you to champion our vision to see a chaplain serving in
every sports club in Australia!
We want to invite you to start a Centre Bounce Team. In the AFL the centre bounce team (4 players)
get the ball rolling in the right direction and then the rest of the team get involved. A CBT is a small circle
of people who have full permission to get the ball rolling in the right direction by helping the SCA vision
to grow chaplaincy to sports. This might be in a region, a sport, a league or through an agency,
denomination or church. The CBT,

Are Christian people

Don’t need to be captains

Have reach in their sports community

Have no authority except permission to

Have reach in their church networks

Enjoy a bit of hard work & contact

Partner with the SCA network

Usually 2-4 people in size

Have freedom & permission to grow
grow chaplaincy
Who is Sports Chaplaincy Australia (SCA)?
SCA is a non-denominational umbrella network of sports chaplains
serving sports in Australia. We are a network not an agency. We want
movements of chaplains to start everywhere. We work through the local
church. There are 4 things we do well. We help identify sports that need
chaplains. We train. We appoint/credential the best people to serve as
chaplains. We resource and guide chaplains.
We have chaplains in most elite sports and teams in the AFL, NRL, Cricket, Motor sports, and Institutes
including the AIS. Over 250 and growing rapidly. We have over 3000 opportunities for chaplains! See
more about SCA on our website – www.sportschaplaincy.com.au.
Our vision is to see a chaplain serving in every sports community in Australia.
Our mission is to bring grace and mercy to sport in Australia by Identifying, Training,
Appointing and Guiding chaplains in sport. We call it ITAG.
Ok so what does a Centre Bounce Teams do?
The CBT will help the vision by Identifying and Appointing…
1. Identify clubs that want chaplains
2. Identify potential Chaplains
3. Help with Appointing chaplains
 Then the rest of the SCA team
can get involved, e.g. training
What is a Sports Chaplain?
In simple terms a sports chaplain is a pastoral carer. We are not counsellors, even though we sometime
may give counsel. We encourage referral.
We are highly dependent on relationships and formality is usually a very low priority. Simply we turn up,
enjoy a chat, get to know and care for people and pastor them in their community, not ours. All our
sports chaplains are appointed through their local church and are made up of lay leaders as well as
clergy. We don’t allow chaplains to wear religious garb.
None of our chaplains are paid - all are volunteers. We never ask for funding from those we serve
although some chaplains have donors who support them. We spend anywhere between 3 hours and 10
hours a week in the role, visiting training, matches (or races) and other social events. Of course different
sports vary greatly but we have one golden rule – visibility equals credibility. We make time for our
community.
From the Sports Industry point of view our point of difference is we are Pastoral Carers.
So who makes a Good Sports Chaplain?
The Guiding Principles of Australian Sports Chaplains
When selecting someone to be a chaplain, apart from ensuring they are Christ-loving, bible-based and
ministry-competent Christian people consider honestly the following…
1. Their relationship with Christ & others is their
ministry
2. They’re authentic people
3. They serve indiscriminately
4. They’re a servant leader
5. They’re always a guest
6. They don’t want a paid job
7. They don't go alone
8. They’re a catalyst for growth
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
They’re prepared to make time - visible
They’re consistent
They’re prayerful
They build people
They’re comfortable sharing about Jesus
To them, privacy is king
They’d treat the office of chaplain with
respect
SCA Credentials
The Australian Sports Industry, like many industries, avoids working with individual religious parties.
They rather stay away from any divisiveness or religious partisanship. As a result they avoid entering
into dialogue with religious groups full-stop.
Sports Chaplaincy Australia breaks down that barrier and presents a cohesive umbrella network that
operates with commonality.
The SCA Accreditation ensures,
 Credibility
 Integrity
 Consistency
 Responsibility (to the sport)
 Stewardship of the role
 Local church accountability
So when it comes to growing chaplaincy ensure that your chaplains have applied for their SCA Sports
Chaplaincy Credential. This can be found online at www.sportschaplaincy.com.au/application.
Register Your Centre Bounce Team Today
Register your Centre Bounce Team at www.sportschaplaincy.com.au/cbt and receive your CBT Pack.
Thanks for taking the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ to your community!
My Contact Details Are: