It was 1982 when I was invited to an International Sport-Mission Congress in Hong Kong that initiated Australia's Sports and Leisure Ministry under the auspicious of Heads of Churches. My attendance was endorsed by the InterChurch Trade & Industry Mission (where I was serving part time as the Industrial Padre at Shell Australia) and my own Baptist denomination.
After returning to Australia, that initial 18 month period was focused on visiting Heads of Churches and developing a theological and philosophical strategy for mission to Professional Sport across Australia. In 1984 the Australian Cricket Board invited me to be their chaplain and I began travelling across the nation introducing the idea of Christian Chaplaincy to every Professional Sport.
All this was funded through "faith financial support" with a newsletter that was sent to a support network and those faithful people began sending financial gifts to keep our family going and funding our mission expenses.
Each and every meeting proved seminal in terms of chaplaincy appointments being made to Professional Sports along with support personnel being developed in each State. To initiate such a National Ministry to Australia's highest profile sub-culture required something more than me, rather we threw ourselves open to the Lord and His touch upon our family and ministry along with five praying ladies. The rest is history.
A seminal moment
One seminal situation was associated with my meeting the Sydney Swans AFL Head Coach Tom Hafey in 1985. Hafey is one of the greatest AFL coaches of all time, who has not fallen off the radar after finishing his time as a footballer or coach. He established another successful career through the corporate speaker network. Tom Hafey responded positively to the benefits of Christian ministry on a radio program in 1995. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Hafey)
Some years after that initial meeting, ABC Sports radio was presenting a story on sports chaplaincy and one of the coaches interviewed on this program was Tom Hafey.
In that ABC Sports radio interview Tom Hafey said: "Mark Tronson came and saw me regarding placing a chaplain with the Sydney Swans. I said to my players, if you ask the chaplain a question, you might get some good answers."
This was a 'hallmark comment' and a "seminal moment".
That comment exemplifies the quintessential nature of Christian ministry within a professional sports unit. It is pastoral, it encapsulates evangelism when answering a question, and by its very nature, Sport is a major sub-culture of the nation, and therefore theological reflection is part and parcel of this ministry.
Cognisance is not required
Another factor of that initial meeting with Tom Hafey was that I was not cognisant with AFL football and had no idea of the 'legend' of Tom Hafey.
Tom, on his part, recognised the credentials of which I spoke in our discussion, not that I knew his legend. He saw from the outset there was a place for an independent voice to whom his footballers could speak.
That meeting lasted well over an hour as there was a plethora of issues explored, and we also indulged in chit chat about our respective families and personal philosophies, This type of interaction is sometimes painful for me, as I have a speech impediment, but Tom made all the necessary time available for us to come to a most satisfactory conclusion.
I appointed the Reverend John Rees as the inaugural Sydney Swans chaplain, who some years later went to Thailand as a missionary and recently returned to Australia. He is now serving at Campbelltown Baptist Church in Sydney. Others chaplains subsequently followed John at the Sydney Swans.
Delma my wife insightfully says that I was tireless in building good relationships with coaches and administrators. Peter Nelson the AIS Chaplain of twenty five years has often remarked that I have a very special gift with intuitive understanding in my "ministry to coaches" and maintaining corporate relationships at that level in my 18 years founding the Sports and Leisure Ministry.
Looking back, all this happened as there was a sense of the Lord before me in all that was undertaken. On each occasion there seemed to be a seminal moment and throughout 2013 I'll be detailing a number of these.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
