Baylor University Announced as Host for 2025 Global Congress on Sport and Christianity
July 31st – August 2nd in Waco, Texas
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Global Congress on Sport and Christianity
Inception
Intersection with Sport. Faith. Life
The Global Congress on Sport and Christianity began in the mid 2010s as a brainchild of Nick Watson and Andy Parker and has developed into a hallmark event for those within the world of sport and faith. With a vision to offer an opportunity for scholars and practitioners at the intersection of sport and Christianity to come together and share ideas, they hosted the Inaugural Global Congress on Sport and Christianity in 2016 at York St. John University in England. Chaplains, coaches, athletes, administrators, media members, ministry leaders, and scholars from all over the world gathered in York to discuss ideas such as theologies of sport, disability sport, sport and virtues/morality, ministry practices in sport, sport and culture, embodiment, identity, well-being in sport, and much more.
In 2019, Brian Bolt and Chad Carlson joined Nick and Andy as congress organizers as Calvin University and Hope College co-hosted the Second Global Congress on Sport and Christianity in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the same time, Brian and Chad launched Sport. Faith. Life. to explore the intersections of sport and Christianity presented at the congress and beyond. This has developed into a collection of podcast episodes, blog posts, and intersecting ventures. Sport. Faith. Life. soon became the official hub of the Global Congress on Sport and Christianity with the purpose of developing and maintaining platform for the congress and people and organizations doing sport and Christianity work and scholarship around the world.
Congress History and Future
Previous Conferences
After the inaugural Global Congress at York St. John in 2016 and Second Global Congress at Calvin University in 2019, Cambridge University’s Ridley Hall continued the tradition, hosting the Third Global Congress in 2022 in Cambridge, England.
And in 2025, the Faith and Sports Institute at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary will host the Fourth Global Congress. Each congress has stayed true to the founding vision, but has taken on a look of its own with thematic focuses and opportunities for networking and fellowship. The Fourth Global Congress will feature a pre-conference event aimed at Women in Sport.