Donna Noonan -B.S. in Physical Education and Masters in Business Administration from the University of Georgia -Played basketball and golf at Georgia -Served four years as the women’s golf coach at the University of South Carolina -Joined NCAA staff in 1987 -FCA VP of Coaches Ministry since May 1, 2004

When the Fellowship of Christian Athletes announced the “4 C’s” of ministry (coaches, campus, camp, community) in 2002, it was clear that FCA recognized the importance of reaching out to coaches. After all, they were designating one fourth of their ministry to them. But after examining the ministry itself, those closest to it realized that they were missing a step.

As a whole, FCA was doing an effective job of getting Christian coaches involved in the ministry, and thus, allowing the coaches to pour out their own wisdom. But who was pouring into the coaches? No one.

Upon discovering this gap, FCA executives set out to find someone to fix the problem. They prayed for the right person to lead the Coaches Ministry into a new phase. In the end, that person was former athlete, coach and NCAA executive, Donna Noonan. In the middle of developing the Heart of a Coach program, which will minister to and equip coaches for ministry, Noonan sat down to discuss the process with STV Editor, Jill Ewert.

 
JE: In your mind, what is the Heart of a Coach program, and what do you hope it will turn into?

DN: It’s like an umbilical cord to the coach. It’s a lot more specific than our other resources. The FCA Coaches Ministry is the big idea, then underneath it is the Heart of a Coach program, which is the Huddle, or the small group program for coaches. Part of that is resources, part of that is bringing them together, part of it is training staff to work with coaches. It also encompasses the area of ministry in which we’ll be working to help FCA staff minister to the coaches in their areas.

We’re all alike. We tend to go first to people we feel comfortable with and who we know. For some that’s the women’s basketball coach. For others it’s the football coach. We really want to help staff by giving them the confidence to go over to that tennis coach or over to the track coach and talk to them.

JE:  As a coach, why is it important to be involved in the Heart of a Coach program? Or a Coaches Ministry in general?

DN: A lot of times in ministry we do a great job of bringing people into the Kingdom but then don’t do anything to help them along the way. I think the challenge a lot of coaches face is not getting consistent fellowship at church because their schedules are so crazy. They may be able to get in for a service on Saturday or Sunday, but rarely are they involved in a small group from church because, quite frankly, the timing just doesn’t work with a coach’s schedule.

As a coach, if I can meet at the office with a group of coaches and not have to go somewhere else, that’s great. And that’s where the Heart of a Coach program can come in and be available. Not to take the place of the local church, but at least to give them some nourishment and encouragement until they get to a point where they make the commitment to be involved in a small group at church because it’s important to them. But we can stand in the gap.

JE: Obviously you’re drawing on experience in your position. As a coach, what were the things that ministered to you that you’re trying to incorporate into this ministry?

DN: One was just knowing other Christian coaches that I could talk to or call on. In South Carolina there was a group of Christian coaches who were really amazing, and that’s where I became a Christian. And I think that because I came to know Christ through another coach, that’s where I get my passion for doing this.

What we did was just start our own thing—our own small group. We did have an FCA on campus for student-athletes, and it would have been nice to have some resources through FCA that we as coaches could have used to get into the Word. You Make the Call (FCA’s coaches workbook series) is our first step. Let’s get coaches into the Word and used to reading the Word and excited about reading the Word. Then the next step in developing resources is finding out how to help them go deeper and knowing that they aren’t going to have two hours a day to spend on it. Very few of us have that long. So, how can we make something that is useful, an effective use of their time and also challenges them to go deeper in the Word of God? Because that’s what transforms lives. Our resources don’t transform lives. It’s the Word of God that does that. And a transformed heart changes into a transformed life.

JE: So the focus is going to be on providing resources for the coaches? You mentioned that You Make the Call is coming out soon.

DN: The first volume is already out now. The coach’s Bible is in progress. But what is great about these coaches’ resources is that we’re working with coaches to develop them. So everything is written and made specifically for coaches, and that’s different than anything we’ve done before.

Some of our field staff already have done great things locally, but I think our role in the national office is to coordinate and to help people do what they do best. We can’t minister to coaches one-on-one from here. Sure, we all have our own personal relationships, and I can minister through my own relationships when opportunities arise, but corporately, how can we equip our staff and coaches to do ministry and to live biblical lives?

JE: Are these coaches that you know excited about the new focus of the FCA Coaches Ministry?

DN: Yeah, they’re really excited when they find out that  somebody’s here thinking specifically about coaches. The whole idea that FCA is making a committed effort and putting resources behind that effort—in people, time and prayer—to encourage and equip coaches, they’re excited about that. They recognize that need.

When you look at sports ministry, so much of it has been focused on the athletes and the kids, which is great, but who really influences kids? When you get down to it, it’s the coaches and other kids, and certainly their families. But many of them don’t come from a Christian home. But once they get past elementary school, a coach probably spends more time with them than even their parents. And that’s exactly why this program is going to make a major impact.

You Make the Call Donna Noonan and FCA are working hard on the Heart of a Coach program, developing resources and preparing training tools. The first edition of the You Make the Call series is available now at www.fcagear.com, or by calling 1-800-386-0941. It is the first in a three-part series of workbooks for coaches to use in a small group setting. The next two editions will be available soon. More resources, including a coach’s Bible are in the works. Stay tuned for more information!